What clients need to consider when commissioning a website

When requesting a website, there are numerous factors that require consideration for its creation. It is important to communicate your specification to the designers and developers, to avoid incurring any additional charges and maximise time productivity. Websites can take weeks to build, so ensure you clarify your prerequisites during your consultation. Together, clients and the design team process can transform that information in to an online vision. The following points should be contemplated when a site is being commissioned.

General:

• Who are your competitors?
• What are your brand colours?
• What is the objective of your project?
• What is the project background information?
• What is your budget?
• What is the deadline?
• Do you need stock photography?
• Do you need a copywriter?
• Do you need Facebook/ Twitter/ YouTube pages?
• What are the project details?
• Is it an information website or does it provide a service?
• If it’s a service, what does it do and does it communicate with any other web services/websites?
• What pages do you want? home page, about us page, testimonials page, products page, etc.
• Do you need domain, email or hosting services?

Branding:

• Where do you aspire to be as a company?
• Who is your target audience?
• Do you need a logo?
• Will it be trademarked? Which countries?
• What kind of logo do you want? (text / symbol / or both)
• What style of logo? (give examples of what logos you like)
• Do you have any examples of logos that you do or don’t like, including your competitors?

Technical:

• Is it a straightforward information site or does it provide a service? If so, what is the service and will any automated coding be required?
• How many pages are required?
• What are the specific functions required for your website?
• Do you want us to provide you with SEO (search engine optimisation) to increase your page rankings on search engines?
• Would you prefer a static or fully content managed website?
• Prepare some wireframes (information within the structure of your pages) for your consultation with the design agency, or alternatively request this from the developer. Once you have wireframes you can decide how many templates your website requires, as they allow the team to visualise the website and its functionality, prior to the design or development process.

Design:

• Provide the url of websites you like best considering structure and style? etc.
• Ensure you are not overloading your page with too much information, so leave room for white space.
• Although not essential it is also beneficial to inform the agency of competitor sites and your opinion on them. This does not have to be a detailed analysis however; it will help to build a stronger and clearer picture for the designer to interpret exactly what you envision.
• How would you like to represent the personality of your company? Eg. quirky, fun, corporate, cutting edge etc.
• Giving a clearer understanding of your website’s purpose enables the best design solution for the end users experience.
• If you have particular expectations, express the aesthetics and ambience you aim to achieve.
• Do you prefer illustrations or photography? What style would you like to opt for?
• Are there any brand guidelines that need to be considered before creating or upgrading your website?

Once the above has been discussed with your designer and developer, this will improve the swiftness and efficiency of constructing your website. Bear in mind that you can send a succinct email with instructions for content including pictures and their position. In doing so, avoid emailing large files as this will hinder delivery and your designer will have to reduce the resolution following transmission. Reference your attachments with the correct and relevant filenames to avoid confusion. Finally, remember that their time is your money – therefore form a symbiosis with your designer and developer to produce a website that meets your satisfaction.