Preparing for a new website project: A short guide

Talking about new website project with potential clients is something we do often as a web development agency. A lot of them inquire about the best course of action, necessary measures, and potential timeframe. We therefore made the decision to explore this subject and offer our advice. This knowledge can be helpful to you whether you're a novice blogger, a small business owner, or the sales director of a huge corporation!

What is your website's objective? What is the intended audience for your work? What kind of content are you planning to offer? Prior to beginning the development process, all of these questions must be addressed. Spend some time thinking about the answers to those questions; it will improve your understanding of your company website. This will furthermore

The Domain: Your Digital Address

What Is a Domain?

Your domain is like the street address of your online home. It's the unique identifier that users type into their browsers to find your website. Getting this right sets the foundation for your entire online presence.

Aligning Domain Name with Website Purpose: A Strategic Move

It's important to know why you want to use a certain domain name for your future business website before selecting one. The domain name frequently serves as a prospective customer's initial online point of contact with your business. As a result, it need to capture the spirit of your company and complement the goal of your website. Whether the purpose of your website is informational, e-commerce, or community building, the domain name should align with these goals. A wise choice for a domain name can boost SEO, increase brand recognition, and ultimately help your website succeed.

Choosing the Perfect Domain

When selecting a domain name:

• Relevance: Opt for a name related to your business or activity.
• Memorability: Keep it short, easy to remember, and distinct.
• Uniqueness: Stand out by avoiding generic or overused terms.

We suggest reading this brief LinkedIn post and the incredibly useful Quora community answers—of which we are also a part—to learn more about selecting the ideal domain registration. You can be confident that if you choose to work with us to design your website, we will answer all of your inquiries and offer support.

Understanding Domain Extensions (TLDs)

The domain extension (top-level domain) matters. Here are some popular options and their applications:

1. .com: Originally for commercial sites, it's now widely used across various domains.
2. .UK: United Kingdom's national domain extension (ccTLD), ideal for British-focused websites.
3. .pl: Poland's national domain extension (ccTLD), ideal for Polish-speaking audiences.
4. .net: Initially for network-related sites, but now versatile.
5. .org: Originally for organizations, now common for all types of websites.

Gather Initial Materials for Your New Company Website

Take Inspiration from Existing Sites

It’s also important to research your competitors’ websites to understand what works and what doesn’t in your industry. This will help you to create a website that stands out from the competition. Explore websites you admire. What features do they have? How do they engage users? If you already have chosen specific features, ideas, or colours, share them with us and we will emulate them in your project in a unique way. Otherwise, we provide full creative drive and assistance, from brainstorming, mockups and through all iterations of your project.

Visual Assets are Vital to How Your Website Presents

Once you have a clear understanding of your new website needs, it’s time to gather the necessary materials. This includes your company logo, brand guidelines, and any existing marketing materials that you want to incorporate into the website. The standard industry format is vector images. Files with .SVG format is perfect for use on the site and graphic design. If you don’t have a logo or brand book in this format, we can create it for you.

You should also prepare high-quality images and videos that represent your products or services, as well as any testimonials or case studies that you want to feature. If you plan to have a blog or news section, consider preparing some initial posts in advance.

Visuals play a significant role in user engagement. Authentic materials will enrich the site, so we encourage it above using generic stock images. However, we have direct access to professional stock imagery banks to support any visual requirements of any project.

Do not worry if you miss any of the above - we provide website design services and complementary services like logo design, branding and visual identification, UI and UX, along with other services.

Content Strategy for Your Website

Plan your text content. What pages will your site include? What information do you want to convey? Consider blog posts, product descriptions, and contact details. Will you write it all on your own? Do you have time, knowledge and skill to do this or would it be more cost-effective to hire someone who does this professionally for a one-off fee? At NetSwifter we usually see one of 3 roads clients take:

1. Content is written entirely by the Client
   If you already have good-quality text content, you can provide it to us in the form of text files. This should include at least a description of the company, and product or service descriptions. Usually, more text is required during the website development.
2. We're Editing Content Written by the Client
   When you wrote the content yourself, but need support in proofreading or style improvement, we can edit it. We will improve grammar, consistency and wording to make the content attractive to readers. Together we will discuss any details and issues that require clarification.
3. The client is Ordering Content from Us
   The process of ordering content from us is simple and flexible:

- First, we ask for any text materials you have. These can be old brochures, product descriptions, articles, etc.

- Then we arrange a short call (about 30 minutes), during which we ask a few questions. We want to learn more about your company, its history, values, and business goals.

Summary

A great domain name, quality initial materials, and content strategy for the site are the three pillars on which the process of crafting a great website is based.

Preparing for a website project is a key stage that can significantly affect the final result. Therefore, it’s worth taking the time to prepare carefully. The more materials and information you provide us, the better we will understand your needs and expectations.

Remember, we are here to help you! Our joint work can bring you a professional website that fully reflects the character of your company. If you need advice on any of the above aspects or have additional questions, feel free to contact us.