Where to start
Long before you start worrying about colour schemes, you need to ask yourself a few important questions:
- Why do you need a website?
- Who will use it?
- What will they use it for?
These might seem like daft questions but when you sit down and really think about them, they're actually pretty tough to answer.
Planning for success
What's the purpose behind your new website? What do you want it to do for you? For example:
- Increase sales, bookings, or donations
- Raise your profile
- Advertise new products and services
- Provide information
Think about your visitors
Who is the website aimed at? This has a big impact on the way the site is designed. Some people find it helpful to imagine a "typical" customer, what interests them, what newspaper they read, music they listen to etc.
Put yourself in your customers' shoes - why are they visiting your website? What do they want to do? For example:
- Get in touch with you
- Make a booking or purchase a product
- View your catalogue
- Compare prices and services
- Try out a demo of your product