7 Things You Must Know Before Designing Your Website

BEfore you plan to have a website designed for your business or other purposes, it is really important to understand some basic things for the same. Actually, most of us are ready to go online and reach far-flung customers or readers or audience. But, only a meagre percentage knows WHAT, HOW, WHEN, WHERE and WHO perspectives. Hence, we have compiled a list of 7 MUST KNOW things before you get your user friendly website designed. They will guide you, resolve some myths, help you in understanding the complete process of website structure and a few points of caution. So, here we go.

Choose RIGHTLY!

There are a lot of people claiming to be the best web designers. These days, you can find as many people in the website designing business as the number of websites. But all of them are not even average let alone good. Hence, it is important that you choose web designers only after confirming their skills and checking a few websites that they have developed. Always ask questions that show that you KNOW everything; do your homework and make sure that you understand technical terms such as menu options, dashboard, backend, front-end, optimization, sliders, bars, platform for websites, nature of website, themes etc.

If you are informed the chances of getting duped are minimized.

Domain Expertise MATTERS

Though some people might claim that they are expert in all the technologies and have made all kinds of websites till date; but you just can’t overlook the fact that domain expertise will matter. If you wish to get a website for e-commerce, then you just can’t choose the person that has made blogging websites earlier. He would know how to make the website, but the expert in e-commerce will know how to optimize the website filters, where to display it, where to place the related items, how will the database for e-commerce websites should be managed to avoid problems in near future. Hence, it is important that you choose wisely.

Technologies and Platform

A number of platforms are available these days for websites such as php, magento, wordpress, html etc. But it is not necessary that all of the websites need to be done on the latest and the trendiest platform. This means that if you wish to create a small blogging website on which you can post reviews and details of the latest product releases, then you can choose the wordpress only. The website will be light and easy to operate, easy to manage and modify on your own. If, however, you wish to have a website which is scalable (from the start) then your choice might be php. Don’t get fooled by the web designers that talk sweetly and say that nothing will happen, you can migrate the website later etc. Just be specific with your demands and collect responses and suggestions from 3 or 4 sources and then go for the final choice.

Design Templates and Theme

A number of website templates are available online for free, at nominal charges and at hefty prices too. Don’t get into notion that if you pay more, only then the website will be any good. The website will be good if you put good content on it. While choosing designs, be sure that the template is not pirated and the person is ACTUALLY paying the same amount for it as he or she is claiming.

The themes should be chosen as per the nature of the work. For instance, you cannot choose the theme with cartoons and animated clip arts if you are getting a science related website or some other serious topic. The overall look of the website should clear its motto in the very first glance and the user should be able to navigate easily.

The website designing is not limited to just choosing templates, themes and then importing things in it. It also requires understanding a bit of coding and designing knowledge. Therefore, most of the well-furnished websites opt for expert web designers and the people that are devoid of any knowledge on web design and coding should get the help from professional web designers.

Reviewing and Prototyping

Believe in tracking regularly and that too for everything. It means that while the website is being constructed, check it for everything. It is much easier to spot errors and flaws in one page and one module instead of the whole functioning website. Track the website development daily, suggest changes and match the changed version with the earlier one to verify that the changes have been actually made. This can be done by keeping a record of the things you asked to be changed and the ones that are being claimed to be changed by the developer.

A smaller functional part of a system which performs the required task is called as the prototype. In relation to the websites, if you want a website on e-commerce, then the prototype will allow you to view dummy items, order them and make the payment. Though all the functionality may not be present at the same time, you will be able to have a basic idea on how the final website will look. It is important that you ask your developer to have a prototype delivered to you in a fixed amount of time and then you can either go for the refining of prototype only or generate the website from scratch.

Understanding the Requirements

Sometimes, the customer itself is not aware of what is required in the website. In that case, the development of the website will again be problematic as you wouldn’t know what you want and the developer will be working on vague instructions. Hence, the final product will never be upto the expectation. Make a list of the features you would want your website to have such as type of niche, how many pages, menu items, Colour themes, Logo, payment gateway, payment modules etc.. That is how, you would be able to be specific to your demands and developer will have clear instructions for the website.

Final Reviews

Finally, after the website has been developed, you should get the final review done by some end-user that is checking the website for the very first time. He or she will be totally unaware of all kinds of requirements supplied by you and the work that has been done by the developer. That person will give you the best review and the best user experience of the website. Don’t inform that person about anything or any service supplied by your website and then, you will be able to have a better review of the final product as well as the glitches which should not be there.

Well, these are the little some things which will be very helpful for you while getting your website ready. Rest, as they say, you learn as you go. Good Luck..!!