5 questions to ask for your next Perth website design project
Too often, clients want us to “just build them a website” without considering what that question means and the hundreds of questions that can follow.
Building a website is like building a house
Have you ever heard someone say to a homebuilder, “just build me a house”?
Never. How would the builder know what kind of kitchen they want, what type of front-door they like or the colour of their tiles in the bathroom? The simple answer is, they wouldn’t.
The exact same principle applies in website design – we need to build your business an online home and we need to consult with you every step of the way to make sure it’s perfect for you.
If you keep reading below, you will find the 5 most important questions to ask before getting started on a Perth website design project so your online home is beautiful and perfect.
1) How much am I willing to spend?
Like a house, prices can vary dramatically. Do you want an “off-the-plan” house with cheap fixtures or do you want an award-winning masterpiece with the finest Italian marble and 7 bedrooms?
That analogy is enough to illustrate that a website can cost $500 if you want it cheap and nasty or can cost in to the hundreds of thousands dollars – with plenty in between. For any small business that is looking for an impressive web presence, we would advise allocating a budget of $3,000.
2) What other websites do I like the look and feel of?
To most people, the most technologically advanced and ‘creative’ website is best but most of the time, that is simply not the case. When you design a website that is hard to navigate, your customers will be frustrated and leave your website.
Therefore, find existing, big brand websites that you like the look and feel of and notice how ‘basic’ their websites are. You’ll notice the navigation bar is easy to find at the top of the page, the logo is in the top left corner and the text is big and easy to read. Very simple but powerful stuff.
3) Will I get more customers having a website?
Let’s change gears here and compare a website to a brick and mortar shop. Just because you signed a new lease in a new suburb does not mean you will be inundated with customers the day you open the door.
It takes time and effort.
When you build a new website, you need to understand that you must have a reason for people to come to your website. Do you have interesting articles and beautiful products? Without a compelling reason for customers to come to your website, it’s just a shiny new toy. So prepare yourself to put some effort into your new website and allow it to grow your business to inconceivable heights.
4) Do I have beautiful photos for my website?
Photos are not free. Shocking I know. Turns out that if you want to have a great looking website, you need beautiful photos to make that happen. The only way to get those photos is to have a photographer take them or pay for them.
Be prepared to allocate some budget to photography as they will make or break your website.
5) Do I need to maintain my website?
Absolutely. Websites are like living, breathing machines. They need to be taken care of. Websites should be constantly monitored for uptime, regularly backed up for safety and continually updated with fresh content to boost your web presence. If you’re not attending to your website, it’s dying.
Once you have a beautiful website, you need to treat it like a garden. It needs watering, fertiliser and love.
Building a website is like building a house, so preparation is key. If you have answered these questions, you are well on your way to successfully building a website with your next Perth website designer. We wish you all the best.
