What to Consider Before Starting a Website
Getting your name in front of people is essential, no matter what type of business you run or how big your company is. And while social media and word of mouth are incredibly helpful, you’ll still want to build a website to house all of your business’s information, services, products, and more. Without a website, both current and prospective customers may struggle to find out more about your company and learn about what makes you better than your closest competitors.
But there’s more to starting a website than just throwing words onto the page. You need to set yourself up for success so your site can be a true asset to your business and the easiest way to do that is to work with a professional website design service. But before you do, you should still have a general idea of what you want your site to be like. Here’s what you need to consider before partnering with a website design company to bring your vision to life.
Think About Your Domain Name
Your domain name is the web address that your customers will use to pull your website up. Though you’re free to use anything you want as long as someone else isn’t using it, you still want to choose a domain name that’s true to your business. Many companies prefer to use their business name or a variation of it.
Let’s say your company is called “J&P HVAC Repair.” You may want to choose a domain name similar to this: jandphvacrepair.com. If that domain name is already taken, you can start trying variations. A name like jphvacrepair.com would also work.
The point is to make your domain name familiar and something that aligns with your business so your customers will be able to remember it and associate it with your company. If you’re not sure where to start, your website design company may be able to help you come up with a suitable name.
Identify Which Pages You Want
Before you meet with a design team, think about the types of pages you want your site to have. As a general guideline, you’ll want to have an eye-catching homepage, a page about your company and your experience, one that explains the services you provide, and a contact page so interested customers can reach out. These should be the first pages you have on your site, but they do not have to be the only ones.
If you’re not sure what else to include, take a look at what your competitors are doing. You may find that they have a testimonials page, location-based pages, and even individual bio pages for each team member they have on staff.
This can give you a rough idea of what has worked for your competitors and can give you inspiration as to what your site could be like. If you find a site that you truly love, let your website designer know so they have a frame of reference for what you’re looking for.
Pick a General Color Scheme
Ideally, your website will be a direct reflection of your brand. This means it should be aligned with the colors you use in your logo and any physical marketing materials or signage already in place.
Think about how those colors work together and how you want to feature them on your website.
If your logo is made up of two or three colors, those should likely be your color scheme. But if your logo uses more, you’ll want to narrow it down to just a couple of colors.
Using too many colors on your site will make it look disjointed and busy which can cause people to click away and seek out your competitors. Again, your website design team can help you narrow it down or choose colors if you’re not sure where to start. All you’ll need to do is tell them about your preferences and provide them with your logo. They’ll be able to match the colors or find ones that complement your design.
Know Which External Elements You Want to Incorporate
Many sites these days incorporate external reviews into their design. This is a great way to showcase what others have to say about your business and your services. But there are many different platforms to choose from and finding the right one for your site can be tricky.
Take a look at the different review platforms your customers have used in the past. Sites like Yelp, Google Reviews, and Angi are all great options.
You’ll likely want to have your web design team embed reviews from the site that has the most positive ones already. This can act as a testimonials page without forcing you to find current customers who are willing to talk up your business.
Be Mindful of Usability
You never know who will be looking for your services, so you’ll want to make sure your site is as user-friendly as possible. The best website design companies will prioritize usability from the get-go. But there’s more to useability than making sure your site is optimized for both mobile devices and computers.
As you discuss your design needs, consider making the site as accessible as possible. This means asking your design team to incorporate descriptive text on all images, making the site user-friendly for people with visibility issues, and making sure the pages allow users to adjust the font size with ease.
This will help make your site more accessible, show your customer base that you care, and can set you apart from your competitors in the space. After all, if you go to the trouble to make your site accessible while your competitors don’t, your customers will likely trust your brand more.
Partner With a Great Design Firm
If you’re ready to get your business’s website up and running, don’t try to build it on your own. Trust the experts at Denver Website Designs to bring your vision to life. We’ll work with you to create a website that’s both stunning and easy to use no matter who your target customers are. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
Go Back But there’s more to starting a website than just throwing words onto the page. You need to set yourself up for success so your site can be a true asset to your business and the easiest way to do that is to work with a professional website design service. But before you do, you should still have a general idea of what you want your site to be like. Here’s what you need to consider before partnering with a website design company to bring your vision to life.
Think About Your Domain Name
Your domain name is the web address that your customers will use to pull your website up. Though you’re free to use anything you want as long as someone else isn’t using it, you still want to choose a domain name that’s true to your business. Many companies prefer to use their business name or a variation of it.
Let’s say your company is called “J&P HVAC Repair.” You may want to choose a domain name similar to this: jandphvacrepair.com. If that domain name is already taken, you can start trying variations. A name like jphvacrepair.com would also work.
The point is to make your domain name familiar and something that aligns with your business so your customers will be able to remember it and associate it with your company. If you’re not sure where to start, your website design company may be able to help you come up with a suitable name.
Identify Which Pages You Want
Before you meet with a design team, think about the types of pages you want your site to have. As a general guideline, you’ll want to have an eye-catching homepage, a page about your company and your experience, one that explains the services you provide, and a contact page so interested customers can reach out. These should be the first pages you have on your site, but they do not have to be the only ones.
If you’re not sure what else to include, take a look at what your competitors are doing. You may find that they have a testimonials page, location-based pages, and even individual bio pages for each team member they have on staff.
This can give you a rough idea of what has worked for your competitors and can give you inspiration as to what your site could be like. If you find a site that you truly love, let your website designer know so they have a frame of reference for what you’re looking for.
Pick a General Color Scheme
Ideally, your website will be a direct reflection of your brand. This means it should be aligned with the colors you use in your logo and any physical marketing materials or signage already in place.
Think about how those colors work together and how you want to feature them on your website.
If your logo is made up of two or three colors, those should likely be your color scheme. But if your logo uses more, you’ll want to narrow it down to just a couple of colors.
Using too many colors on your site will make it look disjointed and busy which can cause people to click away and seek out your competitors. Again, your website design team can help you narrow it down or choose colors if you’re not sure where to start. All you’ll need to do is tell them about your preferences and provide them with your logo. They’ll be able to match the colors or find ones that complement your design.
Know Which External Elements You Want to Incorporate
Many sites these days incorporate external reviews into their design. This is a great way to showcase what others have to say about your business and your services. But there are many different platforms to choose from and finding the right one for your site can be tricky.
Take a look at the different review platforms your customers have used in the past. Sites like Yelp, Google Reviews, and Angi are all great options.
You’ll likely want to have your web design team embed reviews from the site that has the most positive ones already. This can act as a testimonials page without forcing you to find current customers who are willing to talk up your business.
Be Mindful of Usability
You never know who will be looking for your services, so you’ll want to make sure your site is as user-friendly as possible. The best website design companies will prioritize usability from the get-go. But there’s more to useability than making sure your site is optimized for both mobile devices and computers.
As you discuss your design needs, consider making the site as accessible as possible. This means asking your design team to incorporate descriptive text on all images, making the site user-friendly for people with visibility issues, and making sure the pages allow users to adjust the font size with ease.
This will help make your site more accessible, show your customer base that you care, and can set you apart from your competitors in the space. After all, if you go to the trouble to make your site accessible while your competitors don’t, your customers will likely trust your brand more.
Partner With a Great Design Firm
If you’re ready to get your business’s website up and running, don’t try to build it on your own. Trust the experts at Denver Website Designs to bring your vision to life. We’ll work with you to create a website that’s both stunning and easy to use no matter who your target customers are. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.