Congratulations, you’re going to build a new website for your business. Before you take the plunge, here are some simple questions to consider.

Many times small business owners have come to us and explained that they had a website built for their business, yet it’s not doing anything for them.

After we have reviewed the website we have found that in far too many cases, businesses have built a website that not only has poor content, but it’s not helping their business in any way. They’ve built a pretty online brochure or store front that isn’t targeted to any particular type of customer, nor does it clearly articulate what the service is or why the client should use their product or service. In short – they had no overall purpose or goal for the website.

What’s even worse is that, in most cases, they’ve paid ‘an expert’ to build their site who gladly took their money, yet never tried to remotely understand what the objective of the site is or how it fit into their marketing strategy. Conversely, a web developer may argue they did their best for the client but the client did not articulate well or just wasn’t sure what they wanted.

So, to help you avoid this situation, we’ve provided you with key questions to consider before you have your website built.

1. Who is my target audience?

   • Business to Businesses (B2B) or the end consumer (B2C)?
   • What is the age group and demographic of your clientele?

2. What is the purpose of my website?

   Will it be a brochure/window of my business, or will it have products and services for sale (eCommerce)?

   • Brochure Site:  Take the time to consider what a brochure would look like and say. A website is the same as a brochure. It is targeted to a specific audience/target demographic
   • E-Commerce:  Take the time to view good eCommerce sites. They’ve spend time creating and inputting quality product  images and descriptions. Remember a poor picture is a poor salesperson. Great product images go a long way to making the sale.

3. What do I like and dislike?

   Take some time and research what kinds of features popular sites have.

4. What colors should be used?

   The website needs to reflect your logo’s look and feel, and should adhere to your branding guidelines. This is where the expertise of a graphic designer comes in handy.

5. What images will I have on my site?

   Images reflect your company. Stock images while inexpensive are still stock images. Unique images and designs reflect your business and, as your budget allows, should be leveraged.

6. What content will I have?

   This is the reason for the website. What you say and how you say it is vital. Your website must have a content plan; one that is constantly updating the site with new content, promotions, information and beyond. So before you build a website, try to come up with a plan for 12 months of content. This will help you understand your needs in order to successfully maintain the site.

 
These questions will help you begin to think about your site. Take the time to plan out your site on paper.  How many pages? What is the goal for each page? The services of a good graphic or web designer will help you plan out your site. ASG Strategies works with a variety of designers, including our very own Isaiah Gillis.

Here are some guidelines for choosing a web developer:

• Look at their website – if it doesn’t impress you, move on.
• Look at their portfolio – what do you see that you like?
• Do they have clients similar to what you do? Do they understand your type of business? Their ability to understand what you do is critical for them to be able to give you more input and suggest ways you may have not thought about.
• Are they local to you? The ability to work with a local developer is huge and one we strongly recommend.
• Check references, especially ask if they were on time and on budget. Was the experience one the client would welcome again? (This may surprise you and give you a huge insight)

Price is important, but unless you have gone through the above steps, price can become a distraction.

At ASG Strategies we help our clients through these steps and many more. We start by analyzing your needs and then building your strategy that will ensure your success! Just ask our clients!