Creating a new website can be a minefield, here we help you with some useful tips
Creating a website brief will be a huge help to you and to any website designers you approach for a quote for a new site. It helps to eliminate miscommunication and ensures you have fully thought out all aspects of your website requirements before the site is built.
A well-thought-out brief will save you time and money – trust us! The number of times we have been 2/3rds of the way through completing a site for a client when they have realised they want to add a new feature, they missed a page out, they want new functionality or need to change payment options and email automation etc. This leads to the designers undoing and redoing work, and will often create a delay in your website going live. Lack of planning will also lead to increased costs to your project, and nobody wants that!
While collating your website brief we strongly recommend all of our clients read or listen to the following books. They will help you think about the content your customers want to see and will educate you on how to get your message across clearly and concisely. Like most things in life, it is easier to start as you mean to go on and get these things right from the start.
Recommended reading
They Ask You Answer – Marcus Sheridan
Building a Storybrand – Donald Millar
And next comes research…
Research your competitors, research your customers, and research the clients you didn’t win. Ask questions, what did your clients, employees or lost clients like, or dislike about your website? Don’t be afraid to ask.
Really uncover what is unique about your business, it only counts if you can prove it! Ideally, this should be something that customers don’t expect.
What to include in your website brief
There are lots to consider with your new website, here are a few things to think about.
- History of the business
- Who you are now and what you do and where you do it.
- Copy of your brand guidelines.
- Who are your target customers – anyone or everyone is not sufficient! Be specific about who is most likely to buy your product and service, who they are, and what they do.
- How will potential customers find your website, how important is it that your website is found without you telling people your website address?
- What are your products and services?
- Include features but what are the benefits?
- Exactly how will you help your customers
- Why should they choose you
- Do you have testimonials – if not start asking for some. Use review platforms like Google Business Profile or TrustPilot.
- What accreditations etc do you have?
- What questions do your clients have about your industry, your products or services?
- Do you have images of your business and staff, can you get some?
- What features or functionality do you require, a calendar booking system, email automations, an interactive map, a detailed application form, a customer portal etc.
- Gather examples of websites (related to your business or not), highlight the features you like and dislike, and look at layout, colour, and style. Then do the same for sites you dislike.
- Detail any other software you use that may be useful if it integrated with your website in some way.
- Think about the pages you require and how your customers will travel through the site in the easiest way possible.
- How do you prefer people to contact you, telephone, email, contact form, diary booking etc.
- Who is going to write your website content/ copy. Do you need the help of a copywriter who can take your notes and expand them into fabulous copy to entice potential customers? We can help with this if needed!
- Budget, think about what you can afford or are willing to allocate to upfront costs, ongoing costs for the website, maintenance, and marketing costs to promote your business and website.
There are lots of things to consider with a new website. If you don’t know where to start and would like us to help write your brief for you then get in touch today, we’d be happy to help!