Building a website today much less resembles the lawless open plains of the Wild West and more closely relates to open freeways, endless roads to travel, scattered with check points and signs along the way attempting to guide you.

With technology so rapidly evolving, so many companies offering their services, and so many options when building a new website, staying up on the latest and greatest trends in technology can be overwhelming. That’s why I’m going to cover a list of the top 6 things  our Omaha web design team recommends considering when building a new website.

icon for building a website

 

 

Ownership

Building a good website requires a lot of work. You will need research, coding, design work, population, testing, security, and finally to launch the website. When it is all said and done, who owns the rights to the website – you or the company that created the website for you? Make sure you own the rights to both the design and content of your website, and ALWAYS ask this during your first conversation with a web design and development company.

 

 

Content Management System (CMS)

Think of the CMS as the brain of your website. Always research a CMS before choosing one. Google it! Read about its strengths and weaknesses, read reviews, and peruse websites built on the platform. Much like test driving different cars, different website platforms have a different feel to them and it will make a huge difference in user happiness and interaction. You will also want a well-known CMS, as it makes hiring new people to work on your website much easier. And just a quick tip, WordPress has rapidly reached its way to one of the most highly used platforms on the web, and it is one of the preferred platforms for our Omaha web developers.

Get CMS Quote

 

 

Purpose and Goal

Each website needs a purpose and goal. Some websites have a purpose to educate with a goal of helping to expand your brand awareness. Other websites have a purpose of generating online sales, or making your business money. A common goal includes collecting payments online to make your life a little easier. No matter the purpose or goal of your website, the navigation, content, and calls to action all need to work cohesively to accomplish this.

 

 

Mobile Friendly (Responsive) Design

Your website needs to be responsive. End of story. Most websites easily have above 50% of their users visiting the websites on a mobile phone or tablet. Without responsive technology the website will not look nice or function properly, which leads to high bounce rates and lower user satisfaction. Not having a mobile friendly website can also negatively affect your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ranking.

Make My Website Mobile Friendly

 

 

Timeline and Budget

Anything that is worth doing is worth doing correctly. Don’t know who said it, but it’s true. Yes, you can build a website for very cheap and have it up in a week, but in the business of web development you get what you pay for. Set a realistic timeline, and be open to learning. As with anything good in life – a new car, a new home, a website is an investment – take your time, do your research and save up for what you want.

 

 

Apples to Apples

There are a number of services and things required to properly build a new website. When comparing companies and pricing, make sure you receive an itemized list of exactly what services they will provide, the estimated timeline for those services and, of course, cost. The reason why you ask? Two companies may have similar pricing, but one may be offering you a great deal more for your money. The bottom dollar gets all the attention but the details are what makes a beautiful website.

Get Website Quote