Planning a Web Site
Preparing yourself to work with a professional web design company, or independent web designer.

Quite regularly, new clients come to us who already have a web site that is at some stage of development.  In general, they come to us because they are either dissatisfied with a lack of positive results from their site, or there may be challenges with the designer or firm they've been working with. The waste of time, effort, and of course, financial resources that may have occurred before contacting the NewTide Group is sometimes staggering, and always disappointing.  It's particularly unfortunate, because in most cases, the challenges clients are facing are due to one thing:  improper or incomplete strategic planning prior to the construction and launch of the website.

If you find yourself saying things like...

• "It just doesn't seem like I'm important to my designer."
• "I get confused every time I talk with my designer."
• "My site isn't really doing anything for me. It's totally ineffective."
• "I know I need a web site, but I'm not sure what I need it for."

...chances are you're suffering from a lack of proper, practical, and relatable guidance from your web site designer or design company.

Building a web site that truly meets expectations is analogous to building a custom home.  Before the first shovel of dirt is thrown, detailed blueprints are drawn.  Before blueprints comes accurate surveying of the territory that the home is to be built on.  And before surveying, the future homeowner ought to have identified precisely what he or she wants from the home!  Quite often, a builder or architect assists the homeowner in sifting through the plethora of options available to them to identify specifically what materials, layouts, and construction techniques will come together to create a dream home that really works for them. 

Building your web presence should be exactly like this.  There are a staggering variety of choices in technology and technique for creating and implementing a website.  Your web consultant should be able to help identify the Primary Goals you wish to achieve with your website, then guide you toward the solution that will best serve those goals, without requiring you to know what "HTML," "ASP" or "PHP" means!

Project goal identification and specification is probably the most important phase of any design project, and it always amazes us how often this crucial step is brushed over, if not completely ignored by designers.  A web site is only as effective as the planning prior to construction is.  Before the first line of code is written, or the first graphic created, these sorts of questions must be answered:

• What primary goal does the client desire to achieve with the web site?
• Who is the client's target market?  How can they best be reached?
• What marketing goals does the client have?  Will the site need professional search engine optimization or pay-per-click programs to achieve these market goals?
• What budget constraints, if any, does the client have?
• How does timing affect the project?  Are there specific deadlines that must be met?

Depending on the answers to these questions, additional market research or analysis may be necessary to ensure the Primary Goals are met.

If you're ready to get more from your website, or would like to ensure that your site is done right the first time, we encourage you to contact us today for a free, plain English, no obligation consultation with one of our qualified professionals.