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Sometimes you run across someone who knows what they want in a website. They have put a lot of thought about colors, logo design, SEO keywords, navigation sections and headings. Often times small business owners haven’t even begun to think about it! All they know is they need a website and need one fast. That’s where they put in a call to Severity and the ideas start flying.

So what should know before you contact a web design firm about putting together your website? Here are some suggestions to make the process run fast and as smooth as possible:

1. Create a breakdown of sections and pages.
Create a word document that lists out all the headings of the sections you want your website to have. Also, its very important you create the content you want to be expressed on your site. Unless you want to hire a copywriter to create content, you should write out the information for the about section, company vision, products and services etc. Put all this in a Mircosoft word document to be shared with the design team.

2. Do some research of keywords used in your industry.
Keyword research will help search engine optimize your website. When people go on Google, Yahoo or Bing to search for your site the search engine is looking for specific keywords people are searching for. You can use the Google Keyword Search Tool for free to find out what the best and highest ranking search terms are. Make sure that these terms aren’t too competitive. Otherwise, you might have all the search terms correct, but so will the other million websites in your industry.

3. Have your logo design created or ask the designer to develop one for you.
The design of your website is centered around your logo. I’ve had several clients of mine want a website yet don’t even have a logo designed for their company. Create a logo that expresses your companies vision and branding. Keep in mind logo designs change with the times. You don’t have to spend too much time getting a logo designed, especially since you may end up upgrading the design in 3-5 years.

4. Who is going to maintain your website?
You have to think about who is going to maintain your site. Some websites won’t need regular updating, however if you have a site that displays recent projects, articles or a blog section, you will need to update it with fresh content and information. Do you have someone in your organization that can handle this aspect? Are they familiar with web software or basic html and graphic images? Do you need to hire the web design firm to maintain the site too? All things you must consider in the beginning stages.

Thinking of these things will help get your website up and running as smooth as possible and will be a cinch for the design team to execute. I always tell my clients that web design is 90% planning and 10% execution. Many times clients are not prepared to best get the most out of their website. We want to help small business owners make the most out of their website investment.