Really, you only need one step for a successful website project: clear communication between you and your web designer. The problem is that that is easier said than done.
Many projects have been derailed by poor communication whether in the form of muddy expectations, too many points of contact, or one of many other misunderstandings.
But never fear, Thrive is here. Through our years of experience, we’ve figured out how to guarantee great communication with end results that speak for themselves.
Now, we’re sharing that formula with you.
Never assume your web designer knows what you need your website to do. While we can sometimes work what seems like magic, we do our best work when we know what you want and need your website to do.
These requirements can be anything from specific features you want to results you want your website to bring. Whatever they are, share them with your designer. They have the knowledge and experience to know what’s possible.
They may even have some great ideas you never thought of. They can even tell you what’s feasible based on your budget.
Speaking of...
Listen. No one likes thinking about spending money. We understand that. That’s why we encourage you to think about the money allocated towards your website as an investment.
That’s because a well-made website is something that will make your business money. It can help your business grow and bring more customers to your door. The money you spend building your website is money you are investing in growing your business.
While you’re thinking about your investment and outlining your requirements, you and your web designer may come to the realization that your desires outstrip your investment. And that’s ok! You can work with your designer to move some of your requirements to a second phase of development that can be completed at a later date.
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How will you know if your website (re)design is a success? You set SMART goals!
Specific.
Measurable.
Achievable.
Relevant.
Time-bound.
Setting goals in this way allows you and your web designer to come up with a plan that will end with a website that can achieve them. It will also help you easily track the website’s success once it goes live.
SMART goals are also important to set for the project itself. Having specific, measurable goals throughout the build process will help you and your web designer communicate about the progress that’s being made.
The BEST way to ensure good communication between your team and your design team is to outline HOW you will communicate before development begins. There are two things you need to cover.
Who the points of contact are. Ideally, there are only two points of contact: one person from your team and one person from the design team. That’s it. Any more and you risk people over-communicating and annoying everyone, under-communicating and missing important memos, or miscommunicating and sending mixed messages.
There will probably be more than one person on your team who will have a say in the website design process. Before the project begins, identify those people, and schedule a regular meeting where everyone can work together to respond to questions, provide feedback to drafts, and decide on requirements and priorities.
That way, your one point of contact will be able to speak with the design team with the confidence that comes with a team decision.
(On our end, one point of contact makes it MUCH easier to know who we need to reach out to with questions.)
Best ways to contact each other. Some people are best over email. Some people want a text message. Others are still very connected to the phone. We all have our communication preferences and communicating outside of those could have a negative impact.
A person may prefer email because they are away from their desk a lot and don’t often check their voicemail. Someone may prefer text messages because they get WAY too many emails and only go through them once a day. Whatever the reason is, a person’s favorite way to communicate is usually the quickest way they communicate which is great when it comes to staying on time.
We know that emergency situations pop up and a call is needed or something really needs to be documented in an email and that’s fine. People are flexible and will adapt as needed.
Ok. We know this has nothing to do with communication. But it is VERY important and we would do an article about ensuring a great website a disservice by not mentioning it.
Your website could be the most beautifully designed website in the world, lovingly made with no communication hiccups between you and your ideal design team and it still wouldn’t give you the results you want if the words on the page weren’t up to par.
Working with a skilled copywriter can take your website from good to great. Working with a skilled copywriter can help your customers identify with your product in a new way. Working with a skilled copywriter can take your ideas and make them shine.
Featured Reading: Top 10 Things Every Website Needs
There is a lot that goes into making a website great. It’s time-intensive work that requires a high degree of collaboration between a business and their chosen design agency or team. Good communication is a must if you want your website to be the best it can be. This process is a great way to lay a solid groundwork for that communication to blossom.
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Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design and marketing agency from Seattle. Contact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCity, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Category: Web design seattle