Get the website you want

When you set out, budget in hand, to create the perfect website for your business, did the end result match your expectations?

If the answer’s ‘no’, can you pinpoint where and why your web project failed?

It was your budget, your design brief and yet you’ve not got the site you wanted. It’s a familiar scenario for a significant number of businesses – but one that can be avoided by following a few simple guidelines.

Do Your Research
The easiest way to avoid a project fail is to ensure you know exactly what you’re aiming for.

What are your objectives, what is required to achieve these and what are the available options? Once you’ve asked opinions, shopped around, spoken to different companies and absorbed as much info as possible, you’ll be in a much better position to explain your requirements to the lucky company selected to deliver your site.

Use the Best Ingredients
Content, or rather lack of it, can hold up web design projects to the frustration of everyone involved.

Words, pictures, video, visuals – everything that needs to sit in your new fully-functional framework needs to be properly planned and prepared in plenty of time.

It’s best to either set aside time to generate the appropriate high-quality content, or provide for it in your overall budget. Don’t assume you’ll be able to dash off reams of competent content for a whole website in a single afternoon.

Ta-Daa!
Most importantly, make sure someone – you or your trusted lieutenant – is in control. If no-one takes charge of a web project, it can turn into a disorganised ‘design by committee’ that satisfies no-one and none of your original objectives.

And you’ll still be expected to pay for it.

Tick these few boxes and with a bit of luck, you’ll end up with a site that you and more importantly, your customers, will think is worth a look.

Leon Calverley
Door4