Thinking about getting a new website made? We’ve put together this helpful guide to help you find the best possible web design for your company, brand or small business. Let's get started!
The first step is always to find out your objective behind your new website. This is hugely important as this will impact every stage along your build journey - from finding the right designer to building out content and adding the functionality you need.
Grab a notebook and a pen and have a think. Ask yourself questions like these:
“...what does my website need to achieve for me? Is it leads, sales or perhaps a platform to lead people to other partnered services? Does it need to host a content management system or have unique integrations with a mailing platform?
"...what does it need to look like? Who is my target audience? What will appeal to them and help carry my brand's core messaging across?”
"… what is the final step I’d like for my site visitors to arrive at? Would I like them to request a quote, book a consult or purchase a product?"
Once you've identified the answers to these questions, you'll have a better idea of what kind of website you need and how it can provide value to your targeted audience.
Firstly, get yourself a solid plan in place. Write down your estimated timelines, where a website slots into your business plan, and your order of priorities. This will save a lot of time later when working with your web design agency as you’ll both be on the same page.
Secondly... budget, baby! Keep in mind that with websites, the idiom that you get what you pay for is true. The initial investment may be higher with a good website designer, but the ROI can be tremendous.
Many well-made websites generate six and seven figures in new revenue each year directly attributed to the website and the traffic generated by the website that the business otherwise wouldn’t have.
The lost opportunity cost from having a cheap website and virtually no rankings is huge.
Bringing a consultant on board can help you plan, identify key areas that will best work for your website and ensure that you can manage your budget well within expectations.
Good news! If you want to work with us, we’ve partnered with Procuret to offer our clients flexible and secure payment plans when they book a service or website build with us. Click here to find out how it works and how it could help you.
We may be biased but we think this is one of the most important parts of the process!
This step is either going to make your website journey a breeze or potentially cause you more than one headache. A good web developer has a user-centric approach and takes all your needs into account when working with you.
Cheap, quick and appealing online website packages offered by sole traders can end up costing you more as you’ll find they simply can’t provide you with the kind of value, customisation and expertise that you and your clients need from your website. Be careful that your “designer” isn’t actually just taking your money and passing the work off to unqualified overseas third party contractors. Look for locally based digital agencies and website designers with good communication, solid transparency in their processes and a bunch of satisfied clients in their wake.
(Did you know that all of the custom website design and development at Simplypress is done right here in Melbourne, Australia? No outsourcing and our clients have direct communication with our experienced in-house designers and developers. We think that's pretty cool!)
We hope this guide was helpful, informative and provided you with value. At Simplypress, we love working with clients from all kinds of businesses, organisations and brands to create and develop amazing responsive websites that do more than just look pretty.
