Getting a website professionally designed and right the first time

Planning, creating and carrying out a successful website design project is a complex and difficult task that requires more than just the ability to program in HTML. In and of itself, the programming isn't difficult. All websites are made up of computer programming code and anyone can learn to program.

But too many businesses assign their website design to an individual or company purely on the basis that they can program. However, this is usually a mistake because being able to program does not mean that you can build a professional, successful and profitable website.

Look at it this way, you wouldn't ask someone to lay the foundation for your house on the basis that they can dig a hole, would you? In a similar way, you shouldn't leave the entire website design process to a programmer. Professional website design requires:

• A considerable amount of experience,
• A good working knowledge of how business and, in particular marketing, works,
• A good understanding of how people think when using the web, and
• A grounding in sales psychology

Creating a website that really works for your business means using complex coding techniques and online marketing strategies based on a well-thought out and properly implemented plan. The fact is that the most successful websites are the ones that are properly planned and professionally made.

At Intelgain Technologies, we work to a strict process to produce successful, profitable, professional websites. This article outlines that process so that you can use it yourself when dealing with your website design company.

Analysis of your requirements

The first step in our website design process is analysis. Tempting as it might be to just hire a web designer, you will achieve far better results with your website if you take the time to make sure that your website is based upon the needs and requirements of your business.

A good analysis answers the vital questions to make sure that your website fulfils a useful role in your overall sales and marketing strategy. It outlines the strategic direction for your website and often includes your mission statement, your marketing goals, a competitive analysis, visitor requirements, your branding strategy, and the metrics that you will use to measure your website success.

Even if you don't carry out a full analysis of your requirements, make sure that you have at least considered answers to the most relevant questions before you approach a website design company to start designing your website such as: "How do I present the right information to my website visitors?" "What pages do I need?" "What information will I need to present to our potential customers?"

Website specification

The second stage of the website design process that we follow at Intelgain Technologies is specified.

Even with a full written analysis of your needs, thrusting it into the hands of a website designer and asking them to build a website is a recipe for disaster. You need a full website specification.

Your specification takes the form of a series of briefs which are then turned into a full specification of your required website design; essentially the blueprint for the functionality, the layout, and the programming of your new website. Some website design companies create the specification for you as part of their quote or estimate. Or they offer to do it once you have hired them as part of the process of website design.

Be careful of this approach. First of all, the specification is the document upon which your website design quotes should be based. Secondly, the website design company will, more than likely, write the specification according to the way that they prefer to work, the tools they prefer to use and to the level of their own capabilities and skills and not necessarily according to your exact requirements.

Thirdly, the written specification (if they give you one) will usually include technical language and references that you may not understand. If you are planning on obtaining more than one quote (and we recommend that you do!) Then it becomes almost impossible for you to compare like for like if you don't fully understand the documents that you are comparing.

It is best to have a completely impartial specification written in plain English that clearly communicates exactly how your website will look and how it will work. 

Choosing a website design company

Once you have a complete, clear, impartial website specification - based upon a proper analysis of your website design requirements, you need to find someone who can build your website for you. We always recommend to our clients that they get more than one quote or estimate for their website design but we do stress that they should only consider approaching professional website design companies.

Because the website design industry is completely unregulated, there are thousands of people and companies who will claim that they can build a website for your business. As we mentioned earlier, whilst programming a website is not difficult, doing it professionally requires more than just programming skills.

To use another analogy, you wouldn't ask a seven year old child to design your dream house on the basis that they drew and coloured in a picture of a house at school, would you?

On the same basis, it constantly amazes us that some business websites are created by the managing director's nephew on the basis that he's completed a computer course or by a friend of the business owner because he is "good with computers".

If you want to design and build a house, you'd employ the skills of a professional architect and a reputable building company. Employ the same approach to your website and you stand a better chance of avoiding having a website that looks disappointing, doesn't work properly, costs more than you expected or takes twice as long to finish as you anticipated.

So make sure that your chosen website design company has the appropriate website design skills and search engine optimization or Internet Marketing skills as identified in your specification and, of course, make sure that they actually base their quote or estimate on the specification.

If you can, obtain a guarantee - with appropriate penalties - that the project will be completed within the cost given and within a fixed time frame. At Intelgain Technologies, we guarantee that all our website design projects will be completed:

• On time,
• In budget, and
• Exactly as specified

The website design process

The final stage of your website design is the actual process of designing and building.

Ideally, your chosen website design company will appoint a person dedicated to making sure you are kept well-informed throughout the process. The exact process that each website design company uses varies tremendously.

At Intelgain Technologies  (Software Development Company), we use a top-down website design process which is similar to the way that a house is built. We find this approach works really well for our clients enabling them to see that the website is built upon strong foundations. Because we build the website in a special development website which is accessible via the Internet, when you use us to design and build your business website, you will also be able to drop in at any time to see how things are progressing.

We also use a dedicated website to manage all our website design projects. Via this website, you will be able to ask questions as well as receive messages from your dedicated account manager and see the website progressing via task lists that you can view at any time.

We pride ourselves on building websites that:

• Look stunning as well as professional and that convey your business image exactly as you would wish,
• Are designed using methods that are friendly to the search engines,
• Are always online with pages loading quickly,
• Are highly usable and encourage people to stay on the website and take the actions that you want them to take, and
• Have intuitive menus and navigation so that people can find what they are looking for quickly and easily

The above process is essential to ensure that your website design is successful. Please don't underestimate the importance of this process. Now, more than ever, the success of your business may depend upon your website.

The Internet is, without doubt, the world's largest marketplace and by far the most cost effective ways to advertise your products and services.