Creating a website can be a challenging task. Updating or improving a current website can be a huge undertaking, too. You may feel as though you’re at a loss on where to begin. While each business website is distinctive in aesthetics and usefulness, one thing is constant: each web design and development project is approached sequentially.
Not only can a well-defined and documented web design process save time and money, but it can also boost your job’s efficiency. If your business is embarking on a web design and development project, the following is a web design checklist to help you manage the website development process:
1. Create A List Of Your Goals
To begin, you must ascertain why you are developing a website in the first place. The majority of websites are motivated by various objectives and micro-objectives that are subcategories of these primary objectives. Before creating your website, it is necessary to define and generate micro-goals. After establishing your goals, you may start identifying strategies for achieving them. If you conduct a quick web search, you’re almost sure to run across some questionable websites. Websites that do not give contact information, menus, or operating hours operate poorly.
Sales websites are weak without call-to-action (CTA) buttons. A CTA includes persuasive texts that prompt someone to take action. Some businesses cram CTAs and sales information onto websites without a sitemap template. These websites were not designed with the intended population in mind when they were built. As a result, they will fall short of performance objectives. By establishing specific and broad goals, you may decrease the risk of designing a website that does not meet your requirements.
2. Choose A Domain Name
Selecting a domain name is comparable to naming a business because it involves great thought and consideration. Your domain name is your online identity; you should choose one appropriate for your business and at the same time easy to find and advertise. If you’re going to be successful online, you will need a simple-to-type domain name. Clients may have difficulty discovering your website if you use slang or words with multiple spellings.
Consider using keywords that appropriately describe your business and its services because customers use search terms to locate your items or services. They help with search engine optimization, resulting in more significant traffic while also making sense to your customers. Before registering a domain name, ensure that it is not already trademarked, copyrighted, or used by another business. If you’re not careful, this could result in a legal saga that will cost you thousands of dollars and your domain.
3. Decide On Your Brand
You’ll have to decide what colors and typefaces to use for your website. Believe it or not, your website’s color palette has a big impact on its success. Your website should be as user-friendly as it is visually appealing. Gorgeous designs paired with sophisticated typography will confuse your visitors and force them to abandon the site quickly.
Therefore, it is vital to choose readable web fonts for both large monitors and mobile devices. Multiple fonts can be used to help distinguish between various types of information, including headings, body texts, links, and navigation, boosting your website’s legibility and clarity.
4. Organize The Site’s Pages
While you are free to be creative with your website design, some principles should be followed. Visitors can contact you through email or physical address if you have a contact page. A contact page with a more concise contact form has a greater chance of converting a visitor into a customer. The most successful businesses use succinct formats. If the conditions are straightforward, the visitor will have an easier time completing them. Contact pages are particularly advantageous for retail enterprises because they feature a phone number or physical address for contacting the firm.
Because your site will be viewed by prospective clients, ensure it is visually appealing and compels visitors to act. As the face of your online presence, your website should encompass everything—what you can give your clients and how you can provide it. You must then present them with action options. Strategically placed CTA might help you keep the discussion going and close the purchase. Finally, indicate why you do what you do on your About Us page.
5. Develop A Keyword And Content Strategy
The SEO team can compile a list of keywords and key phrases that will be used to create the website. These are the terms that your target market may use to find items or services similar to yours. It’s crucial to remember to put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Researching competitor websites to ascertain the keywords they are using is a prudent move at this time.
Moreover, remember that in today’s world, content is king. When prospective clients visit your website, they’re looking for a response to a single, straightforward question: ‘How can you help them?’ Thus, you must demonstrate how your material may assist them, which is a key component of any web design checklist.
6. Check The Website Content’s Appearance
Verifying that critical website content displays correctly on all devices is vital for content testing. When the user clicks to learn more, supporting content should be visible. The order in which the content appears is pivotal to ensuring that the visitor does not miss critical information.
All texts must be run through a spell checker and double-checked for accuracy before the website goes live. If you’re going to use a template, ensure that the online version does not contain any generic wording.
7. Ensure Responsiveness
With smartphone usage quickly overtaking desktop computers, every business needs a flexible web design. Google created a ‘Mobile-First’ policy for website rankings, which means that websites that are not mobile-optimized have a very slim chance of ranking well.
A mobile-first web design automatically adjusts a website to different screen sizes and serves content to users regardless of device size. This design results in a mobile-friendly website that is not bloated and does not require the user to pinch and zoom when accessed via a portable device.
Takeaway
This website development checklist summarizes the most crucial factors to consider while creating a new website. Begin by outlining the business objectives for your website and ensuring that all stakeholders are on the same page. Additionally, you should perform your marketing homework before writing, designing, or programming your website. Furthermore, formalize your target audience, competition, and unique selling proposition if you haven’t already. You can reach your firm’s goals more efficiently with a well-designed website.
