You might not yet have a website, you might need a brand new one or your existing site might just need a refresh. Whatever your journey, you can’t really get to the destination without a map. When it comes to websites, your map is your Website Brief. This is the document you will use when you work with the designer to create the website of your dreams. So, in simple terms, what should you think about, and include, when writing a website brief?
- Start by jotting down, so that the web design company has plenty of information about you, what your business does, what your ethos is, what makes you unique etc.
- Think about whether you just need a website or whether you also need a brand/logo (new or refreshed) for your business?
- Do you need a new domain name or do you already own the one you wish to use?
- If you have an existing website, jot down what you still love about it and what needs to change (think about things like the look and feel, ease of use, ease of updating etc.)
- Try to gather as many stats as you can about your existing website so that you can see where traffic is coming from and what people do when they arrive on your site.
- Write down all the requirements of your new website. What does it need to do for you? Who is your audience? What do you want them to do (and to feel) when they visit your new website? What are the key messages about your company and products/services that you want customers to see on the site?
- Do any of your competitors have particularly good (or bad) websites? What other similar type sites have you seen and admired? This is all useful information to give to your designer so that he can set your needs and desires into context.
- Do you have an idea of budget? This is often very hard to know exactly until you have discussed your needs with the designer but make sure that, as early in the process as possible, you discuss it and are on the same page!
- Likewise, think about who, once the site is live, will be responsible for updating it because this can impact on your overall budget/expenditure.
- Content is king! It’s important to make a note of what key content you need to have on your site and what others will expect. Then have a think about who is going to be writing the copy. Likewise, think about photos and imagery – will this need to be created from scratch and who is going to be responsible for sourcing or creating it?
- Think also about SEO (search engine optimisation). You will need to maximise this in order to be found more easily (see last week’s email, or our website www.sceneandherdpr.co.uk, for more information on SEO)
- Once you have a website, sadly it’s not often that people just simply find it. You will need to promote it across all types of media in order that the right kind of customers or clients find you.
Hopefully, this gives you a good start but of course, if you need help with any of this, please just get in touch. Scene & Herd can help you to build (your brand and) your website itself from start to finish. We can design the brief, create the site, do the copywriting, assist with ongoing maintenance – essentially help you with whatever you need to make sure that your website is SUPERB!Check out a couple of the most recent sites we’ve built: www.thevenisonfarm.co.uk and www.douriefarming.co.uk. Both of these sites are very different and serve very different purposes, but they both meet the specific needs of the client.I look forward to hearing from you.anna@sceneandherdpr.co.uk
