Your website is your main hub for information. So what should you include, how should you include it, and how should it be organized to give your viewers the best experience possible?
Designing a new website or even updating an existing one can be overwhelming. Staying organized is key. You are creating your digital storefront therefore it is not only used for finding information but can also be used as a sales tool. Your website should possess graphics and text in an easy to navigate space, all while sticking to branding guidelines and providing user experience. We have organized a few questions for you to ask yourself to help you while on your journey should you decide to design your website on your own.
What is the Purpose of Your Website?
Is your website informational, does it have an online store or a portfolio, or is it used to collect leads? Keep in mind that this is where you will be sending everyone too. Your website will not only be a place for potential new customers to find you but also a place preexisting customers can refer others to.
If you are providing information to others, figure out the best way to supply this information. Blogs, such as this one, are a great way to organize information to give to your audience. Look into adding content offers to your blogs to collect more information on who is interested. If you sell products, think about if you will want to sell them online. Keep in mind you will be responsible for packaging and shipping. By adding a portfolio/gallery to your website you are providing a sample of what your work looks like. You can add contact forms to collect information from viewers so that you can then send email newsletters to.
How do You Want Your Website to Function?
Once you determine the purpose of your site, start to think about how you would like the functions to work. Explore sites with similar functions to how you envision yours. Think about a website that you have been on that really made an impact. How did it function?
Just like your branding, you want the functions to work similarly throughout all of the pages. When you click on this, it will do that. When you hover over that, it will do this. This will truly impact your user experience and elevates the design of your site.
What kind of pages will you have?
Unless you are creating a one-page landing page you will most likely have a navigation bar. This will list your pages. What will your pages be and what information will be stored on them. Don't have too many page tabs! Try to keep your tabs on one line. Instead of creating a page tab for every service, create a service tab with a dropdown listing each individual service page.
