Points to consider before you design your website

A website is a very public representation of your business or organization. It is, therefore, a very important tool and one of the greatest resources for your prospective audience.

Before you embark on developing your website you need to consider the following points.

  • Your audience.

How old are they? Where are they located? Which language do they speak? What are their biggest concerns? How will you address those issues.

  • The goals of your website.

What do you hope to achieve in with your website? Making more sales,  increasing engagement with your clients, providing support to them, getting new customers, creating a movement (following), etc

What will a return on investment look like to you? Is it more hits, inquiries, conversions, etc?

See also: Why you need a website for your business.

  • Your organizational branding.

Have your logo, organizational profile, website content, and images/photos ready. Some types of businesses require use of photos more than others. Ensure they are good quality pictures, which communicate the appropriate brand your company represents.

  • Marketing techniques

You need to plan in advance how you will be marketing your website, this will help you in budgeting appropriately. A website can be marketed using sponsored advertising either on search engine or social media channels. You can also do content marketing, which involves writing blog articles which provide useful information for your clientele, that can make them make the decision to buy your product or service

  • The type of website you will develop

There are different types of websites, including brochure websites, listing, online shops, portfolio websites, lead generation websites, community building, app websites, online comparison and many more.

It is usually advisable to start with as lean a website as possible, especially if you will need a dynamic website, which is likely to cost a lot of money. This will enable you to test and see whether the market is ready for your product, and you will also get to know what exactly are they looking for.

Finally, my observation is that a lot of people create websites for their business and grossly under-utilize them. Another misconception people have is that a website should not cost a lot of money and that they just need something, anything online.

Look at your website as your online office. For some businesses, this is the only first impression you will create with your prospective customers, especially if your target market is international.

Don’t be afraid to spend cash to get a quality website done.

Why you need a website for your business

A website is one of the most important marketing tools you can use for a business.  Every business needs a website for the following reasons:

  • Strengthen your brand. Preach your message through your website; strongly communicate who you are, what you are about, and how you want to influence and make a difference in your customers’ lives.
  • Market your products and services to new customers. Creating sales pages for your offers and promote them on the various mediums for advertising.
  • Connect and engage with your existing clients. Create a forum in your websites where customers can post or send their concerns, inquiries, support needs, etc. This way you are likely to increase customer retention and also upsell to them other products and services.
  • Automate your services where possible. Many people are looking for shortcuts. If you can reduce your processes by eliminating some steps through automation, go for it. However, this is usually expensive, test as much as possible.
  • Launch new products and services, especially great for testing and research purposes. Ensure you create a buzz around this, maybe include some special offers etc.
  • Educate your clients and prospects by providing helpful information in your field. This can help create a following for your company as they look forward to receiving useful information from you.
  • Increase your visibility – By being on the world wide web, you can get clients from anywhere in the world.

Whichever business venture you are into, a website is a valuable marketing tool that belongs to you, therefore you are able to control the information you communicate with your clients.

Important to note is that you should take your website seriously and ensure you keep it updated, market it and share it to everyone who can benefit from it.