When you’re working with a website developer to build (or rebuild) your website, there are various reasons why the project timeline can blow out. Thankfully, you can reduce that risk by planning your project and giving it priority. When you treat your website like a VIP client, you’ll ensure it’s completed faster, and you’ll also be much happier with the end result. Here’s how you can do that.
1. Map out your business goals
This is the most critical part of the entire project. Properly planning the goals of your business means that you can then map those goals to the website itself. Your web developer can only rely on the information you provide, and if they’re doing their job correctly, they’ll extract information about your business and goals up front.
For example, if your primary goal is to help potential customers understand what your business does, your website may need to include resources and guides, and focus on explaining your products, services, and processes.
Alternatively, if your primary goal is to have customers book appointments with you, then your website can focus on the searching/booking functionality, with information about your services being a secondary goal.
2. Consider your branding
In addition to planning what the website can do, or allow users to do, you’ll also need to focus on the branding.
- What will your website look like?
- Do you have a style guide or design samples to help the designer tie into your existing styles?
- What tone or communication style will need to come through?
- What are your competitors doing with their websites/branding?
It’s these types of important questions which must be answered up front in the project too.
3. Prioritise the project
Once your project is underway, your web developer will need various information and materials from you. This may be in the form of answering questionnaires, providing login details, providing design assets, giving feedback, and so on. It’s important to remind yourself that, at some point, you may be a roadblock in the project. You’re building the website to grow and improve your business, so if you want that growth to happen ASAP, you’ll need to make your project a priority.
These steps will not only help the project move along more quickly as you go, but reduce the risk that your developer’s window of time allocated to the project is lost. A delay of even a couple of weeks may mean your developer has to put the project on hold until they have the resources available to work on it again.
And remember, the sooner your website goes live, the sooner you’ll see a return on your investment. So if you’re looking at building a new website for your business, talk to our team of expert web developers, based right here in Brisbane, and we’ll help ensure your project is a smooth and successful one.
