Taking steps forward
The company website is the hub of your entire marketing plan. Consumers and prospects research products and services long before they make a purchase. A strong company website and online presence is critical to being considered when researchers are evaluating their options.
There are several steps to take to build a website that responds to your customer’s needs, provides options and ideas and helps move them toward a purchase or decision to use your service. The first step is defining the requirements of your site.
Establish Requirements
Before doing anything, outline the goals you want your business website to achieve. Figure out the specific audience you’re trying to reach. This is your core target market. You’ll also want a responsive website — a site that adapts to whatever device it is being viewed on — from mobile devices and smart phones to desktop computers. Work with your Kansas City web design company to examine which social media channels are most suitable for your site.
Determine if you have current images and content you can use on the new site. If not, you will need to work with the web design Kansas City firm to create logos, brand images and website content.
Research Ideas
Once the initial needs and scope of the responsive web design site is set, the next thing to research is different approaches and ideas for the site. This includes sketching a customer avatar, which is an outline or description of the target market. With this definition, the rough architecture of the site structure can be delineated.
Design Concepts
After the initial customer demographic is outlined, and the general approach of the website structure has been created, think about the colors and brand elements of the site.
Color is a critical consideration as it sets the tone and expectation of a potential customer. Brighter hues face a lighter feel, while darker hues are better suited for more conservative businesses such as law firms and similar service businesses.
Other visual elements that impact the branding and tone of the site include the typography, menus, buttons and navigational elements. Also consider the media that you’ll be using on the site. For example, the type of videos, audios and graphics are key to visual storytelling.
Nurture Development
Once all the pre-planning and organization is done, now it is time to make the site come together. The developer will:
- Ensure the site is in line with current web standards.
- Organize the database.
- Set the style sheets and JavaScript elements.
- Place interactive features.
- Establish the database.
- Ensure speed and performance is up to expectations.
- Check security standards are implemented.
Soft Launch
After the planning and testing has been completed, it is beneficial to create a “soft launch,” where all of the site elements are tested for accuracy and reliability. Once the final checks are done and the actual launch is set, the elements of the site including the content, files, images and databases will be transferred from the Kansas city web design company to you.
Maintenance and Service
If you have an on-site tech team, you may want to service and maintain the site by yourself. However, Fox Web Creations does offer an ongoing service and maintenance option that frees you from worrying about technical aspects of your site.
These steps are the basic elements every website should incorporate when thinking about how to best find, sell and service prospects and customers. Fox Web Creations can help you organize, plan, design and launch a responsive website that will help you build sales, expand your customer base and increase profits. Contact us for more information today!
