3. What are your Website Requirements?
It's not uncommon for web designers to charge a consultation fee- you’ll need to pay this upfront before you receive any feedback or planning expertise. Since it can get expensive to meet with several different designers, you’ll need to assess your website needs before you compare services. Here’s a quick outline of things to consider:
What will you use the website for?
First and foremost, make a list of what you need from a site. Do you plan to sell products, make downloads available, or just to offer information to customers? Businesses use websites for several different reasons:
- To build brand visibility
- To provide customers with information about products or services
- To showcase products or services
- To sell products, services, or make downloads available
Different businesses have different needs. A site for a wedding photographer, for example, will have far different requirements than a site for an online tutoring company. Make sure your web designer knows what you’re looking for.
Kinds of sites
Most designers will suggest site capabilities base on the needs of your business, usually one of the following basic types of websites:
- Information-sharing – These of sites are the fastest, least expensive, and most basic (think a home page and a few linked pages for contact information). This type of site is almost always based on a template, so a designer can turn around a finished product pretty quickly. This type of site is best for new businesses that just want a basic web presence, not for those that want to interact with customers.
- Showcase – A showcase sites is a step up from a basic information-sharing site: they’re “flashier,” usually containing graphics, videos, and other tools that can highlight the products or services offered by your business. Depending on the level of customization and the complexity of the design, showcase sites can range in price from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands or more.
- E commerce- This type of site is a must if you plan to sell products online. Ecommerce web design services can be very highly customized- you can integrate site features with your accounting and inventory management software, allow for online credit card processing and electronic check payment, among other features. This type of site is the most complex of the three and also the most expensive.
Aesthetics
A big component in web design is the “look and feel” of the site. Obviously, you want your site to reflect your company and be appealing to the types of customers you hope to attract. It’s a good idea to make a list of sites you like, and why you like them- for example, if you want a certain color scheme, font, or “look” (contemporary, streamlined, easy to navigate) browse around until you find what you want.
Keep customers in mind when working on graphics and site mood. Are you trying to attract a specific type of person? What kind of colors, graphics, or video effects would they find appealing? A company can work with you on the graphic design services in order to attract the type of customer you seek.
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