What to know before creating a website

If you’ve never created or enlisted someone else to create a website for your business, it can be a little overwhelming. When you don’t know what you don’t know, how are you supposed to figure out what you need to know before creating a website.

That’s why we’ve compiled this blog post to outline a few things that it will help for you to know before you get started with a new website.

What is the intention of your website?

The first thing you need to know before creating a website is what the intention of the website is. That may seem like a strange thing to ask – you’d think it’s obvious but there are lots of different intentions that your website may have. Here are the main categories

Informational – there are many websites aimed purely at informing people about the product or service on offer or the business that is offering them. Think of these sites as online brochures of sorts that may also focus on lead generation.

Transactional – many websites are aimed at making a sale. Ecommerce websites fall under this category. Sites such as eBay, Amazon, JB Hi-Fi, or Harvey Norman are examples of these sites.

Educational – These websites are aimed at teaching the end user something. Examples of such websites include LinkedIn Learning, Beyond Blue, Cancer Council Australia, or ASIC’s Moneysmart.

The reason this is one of the first things you want to establish is that the layout, design, calls to action, and language you use are likely to be quite different depending on the intent of the website.

What action are you trying to inspire?

Another thing to know before creating a website is what action you are wanting your users to take. When you are clear on the next step for your potential customers, we can ensure that the design supports that. Some examples of actions you may want people to take are:

• Make a purchase
• Book a call (phone or video)
• Call
• Submit an enquiry
• Subscribe to a mailing list
• Download something
• Make a reservation
• Sign up for a free trial
• Donate
• Enter a competition
• Take a quiz
• Register for an event

Your imagination is the limit to the options for a call to action (CTA) but it’s important that it aligns with what you are trying to achieve. If you are unsure about what you’d like your potential customers to do on your website then we can talk through this with you.

We will then use this CTA throughout the website in design form using buttons, opt-in forms, sections, pop ups, etc.

Know your domain

A domain is the address that people go to when they want to visit your website. If you already have a website and are having a refresh/redesign then you will need to know the logins to access the zone records for your existing domain. 

If you don’t already have a domain then you will need to register one. Some of the important things to consider when choosing a domain are:

• Will it be too long?
• Is it easy to type/spell?
• Does it contain keywords?
• Have you avoided numbers, hyphens, and special characters?
• Does it fit with your brand?
• What extension makes the most sense -.com/.com.au/.au/.org/.edu?
• Is it unique?
• Is it available?

Is your logo top quality?

Before you create a website is the ideal time to consider whether your brand is an accurate reflection of the work you do, the audience you are targeting, and who you are as a business and a business owner. If your logo and brand don’t quite match up to any of these things, you may want to consider investing in a rebrand. It will ultimately help to ensure you are attracting the customers you want and portraying a brand you are proud of.

In addition to that, if you are unable to provide high resolution logos, you may need to pay to have your logo refreshed.

If you need some help with rebranding your business, we are happy to chat about what you are looking for.

Know your target audience before creating a website

One of the most important steps you can take before undertaking any marketing activities, especially a website creation, is to really get to know who your target audience is.

When you are clear on who you are wanting to speak to with your website then we can tailor the copy (wording), layout, and design to appeal to that target audience.

If this is something you struggle with, don’t stress – the copywriter we recommend all our clients to is fantastic at helping you get clear on this and will write custom content that not only resonates with your ideal customers but is infused with your personality, values, and mission.

Know what sort of look you’d like your website to have

Website design has no limit when it comes to style options. Whilst we will always marry your website design to your existing branding, it’s important to consider how you might like it to look. You want your website to look amazing but what will your target audience like? Some of the elements that may factor into your style choice include:

• Light or Dark
• Colours - Bright & Bold or Pastel & Soft or something else
• Minimalist or busy
• Monochromatic or Full spectrum colour
• Cartoons & Infographics or Photos & Videos
• Animated or Still
• What fonts do you like?
• What mood do you want the website to have?

You don’t have to have all the answers or know exactly what you want but often providing examples of websites you do or don’t like can help give us some direction regarding how you might like your website to look.

If you are looking for inspiration, we highly recommend checking out the Duda templates available.

What imagery do you want

Following on from the style, imagery is super important to develop the overall look and feel of your website. All the design in the world is not going to make up for mediocre photos. For this reason, we always recommend investing in a professional photo shoot for your business before you start the website design.

The images your professional photographer captures should provide all the photos you need for your website, and they can also be utilised for any other marketing activities you undertake such as social media, flyers, brochures, networking profiles etc.

By first knowing the style you are looking to achieve with your website, you can take that information into your photo shoot and your photographer will incorporate that into their photography. For example, if you are a restaurant and going for a darker look to the website, your photographer can ensure that any food they photograph is laid out on a dark surface so that the plate stands out and is eye-catching. 

We are happy to give you a list of images that we will likely need for the website to help give the photographer additional direction.

To Sum it Up

If you haven’t thought about any of these things before you come to us or are unclear about anything, that’s ok. We can work with you to help you understand it all and know what you need to know before creating a website. Ultimately, when you have all of the mentioned things clear in your mind then you will get a much better end result with your website.

If you are ready to get started on bringing your website to life, let’s chat.