Website Design and Development
There are many different directions that you can take to get a website for your business. There are also many variations in prices from free websites to expensive and everything in between.
Which path is right for you and your business? Where and how do you begin? Answer: Ask yourself the right questions and you will develop a clear idea and plan for the website you need.
DeCarlo Studios asks clients specific questions to determine what type of site is needed in order to do what the client expects to achieve. For instance, a business website client would like their site to get found easily online and cause viewers to call them and purchase their products or services. Here are questions we ask our clients and example answers to help you with your website development planning.
13 Key Questions to Guarantee Your Website is a Success:
1. What market “specifically” is this website targeted to?
• Business to Business
• Business to Consumer
• A Subscription Web Site for Members
2. Who “specifically” is this website for? Be very specific; your websites effectiveness depends on your answers.
• Male or Female?
• Young or Old?
• Income Level?
• Education Level?
• Create a “Buyer Persona” this is KEY.
3. What is the purpose of your web site?
• Informational
• eCommerce Online Store
• Selling a Service
• Marketing your Business
• Data Collection
• Lead Generation
• Just for Fun
• Topical
• Educational
4. How will people find your site?
• Print Marketing?
• Social Media?
• Networking?
• Search Engines?
• SEO or SEM?
• Keywords?
• E-mail Marketing?
• Blogging?
• Other Ideas?
5. What are you going to do to make visitors linger at your site?
• Relevant Compelling Content
• Answer Questions
• Educate
• Free Offers
• Videos
• Blogs
• Organized Site Layout
• Update Content Frequently
6. What do you want visitors to do once they are at your site? What action do you want to inspire?
• Learn
• Order
• Try
• Watch
• Submit Info
• Search
• Contact
• Become a Member
• Purchase Something
• Tell a Friend
• Share
7. How are you going to get people to come back to your site?
• eNewsletter
• Social Marketing
• Timely Offers
• Direct Mail
• Blog
• Videos
• Change Content Often
• Email Marketing
8. How are you going to monitor the results of your web site?
• Web Site Analytics
• Google Analytics
• Keyword Analytics
• Visitor Tracking Tools
• Hubspot
9. What are the things needed to get a great web site up and running?
• Written Description of Target Personas
• Site Layout Plan
• Content Written Specifically For Target Personas
• Quality Images that Relate to Content and Target Personas
• Purchase Domain Name
• Purchase Website Hosting
• A Content Management System (CMS) like Joomla (our favorite), Wordpress, or Drupal
10. What content do I need to build the site?
• Content Written for Target Personas
• A Writer (If you can’t or won’t write, get a professional writer who can write for web.)
• Images
• Products
11. Do you have a budget?
• Yes. What is your budget?
• No budget to under $1,000 - check out free website providers.
12. How do I attract more traffic to my site?
• Print Marketing
• Social Media
• Networking
• Search Engines
• Likes
• Sharing
• SEO or SEM
• Keywords
• Email Marketing
• Blogging
• eNewsletters
• Backlinks from Other Sites
13. How will I know that my site is successful?
• When it Generates interest
• Awareness
• Leads and Revenue
In order to have a successful website, you need to have a plan. You can develop the plan by asking and answering “The Right Questions to Guarantee Your Site is a Success.” Download a free PDF checklist of our questions here.