Web Design and Development: Where do I begin?

Website Development: How does it help your business?

This blog will introduce you to our core values around the design and development of websites.

We see the website we create or develop as a key play in the bigger picture of your approach to marketing. A place to generate written and visual content to align your brand with your customers or clients. Your website is your 21st Century shop window and it is important you are focusing on the visual aspects as well as the technical functionality.

What does a website actually do?

As technology progresses and the world of business evolves, the world of websites has become completely essential to every kind of business.

There are still concerns by many people over the necessity of web design and development. It can be tricky to filter through the complex information available to understand how to build a website that works.

Well, there is of course the obvious; it advertises your business on the internet! With a potential audience that stretched across the globe, a website takes ‘word of mouth’ into a digital sphere that can link to your social media accounts.

A website gives your business credibility through an online presence and that important first impression to hook your clients into your service or product.

For small businesses, your company can be catapulted beyond your location and your potential for success grows exponentially. 24 hour opening times, easy access, and direct contact into people’s digital devices for people to find you mean that a website has become an essential tool for many small business owners. We loved making a website for our client 3D Windows Hereford.

This enabled them to showcase their full range of products and services. 

Extending the “Shop Window’

 

Consumer behavior is no longer confined to high street shopping and a website allows the modern-day client to browse without commitment. Your website is your digital shop front and gives you even more tools to employ. Your marketing strategy can incorporate online offers, free shipping incentives, and ‘shouting’ about new products, driving traffic to your site, and increasing sales.

Your website will be an extension of your location, strengthening your identity, showcasing your branding, and will become a vital piece in the puzzle of your business.

Make an impression with your Website

 Many customers will check out a website before they engage with a service. They will read reviews, look at your content and read your blogs. All of these elements are judged by your potential client and it is vital to get your image right.

Your website design should be an experience of your company’s values, integrity, and credibility. It should showcase your expertise in services or products and inform your audience why they need what you are offering. Professionally enhanced or digitally created images allow your business to communicate your business goals and identity to your clients. We created a website for Women Who, Worcestershire which captured their brand and pushed their online visibility.

Web Design and development: How to prepare for your website building project

 

To understand the key elements required for a website, it is always a good idea that you explore design and build approaches. Web design and development are certainly worth investing your time and marketing budget into.

If you are building your own site or looking to work with a team of professionals, it is always good to do some research to understand the process. This will allow you to fully benefit from the collaborative process through preparation and understanding of key points. You will need to make decisions based on your company’s values and identity- as well as the purpose and functionality of the site.

This research will also allow you to better understand exactly where your money is being spent and the time commitment required in building a site that will do the work for you.

 

Guidance on Website Building Technicalities

 

Your digital marketing agency will be able to guide you through the web design and development process. You will be creating a structure for your content for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) as well as providing you with opportunities in the design and functionality for your users.

A good website has a clear content structure for search engine optimization (SEO) and a ‘window to your world approach’ for an accurate representation of your brand. This structure should include clear calls to action and images that represent your business to signpost your reader through easy-to-access, visual clues. Prepare by ensuring you have clear goals for the purpose of your website and a clear direction to connect with your intended audience.

Responsive Websites

 

With the rise of social media, websites are usually viewed on mobile. Your web design and development project must result in a website that is responsive to the user as well as to Google. If it is not responsive, you risk losing customers as they want easy access to services or products with clear points of contact for users.

Doing the preparation, in terms of clearly understanding your purpose, will allow the site map to fall into place through collaborative conversations with your website building and design team.

 

Choosing your Website Building process with confidence

 

Before you begin your web design and development project, create a mind map of your skills, and research different approaches to building a website. Explore different programs and evaluate which will support the gaps you may have identified in your own experience and skills.

Also, beyond your research, consider if this is an element that you may need to allocate financial investment from a well-informed position.

Need to talk?

 

If you’re reading this and having an ‘a-ha!’ moment, we can help! We can further explain how your specific business can be supported and expanded through a website, or how your current website can be improved to increase performance.

We use analytics to demonstrate the difference we can make and enable you to be a part of this process for full transparency.

Take full advantage of the benefits a strong website can bring, and we can work together to guide you along the way.

If you decide that you need to look for a team of professionals, book a free discovery call with the team at TIEM and we’ll show you where to get started.