I’ve built and managed a lot of websites over the course of my career from simple to complicated with a wide range of requirements. I’ve consistently seen the same mistakes made over and over again. Understandably, most startups are working with a limited budget, limited resources and limited time. But budget, resources and time don’t need to be constraints against producing a beautiful, functional and optimized web experience. Below are 7 critical steps to ensuring you have a great website now and in the future.
1. Start with requirements
I put this as number one because if you only choose to do one thing on this list, do this one. Your ideas and expectations can’t solely exist in your mind or the mind of your marketing team. Requirements are critical to the success of any website build for the following reasons:
They set the expectation. Requirements define a clear objective and goals for your project - no one should ever be asking, “Why are we doing this?”
They move the project forward. What if you or your team were gone tomorrow? Would the next group of people be able to pick up where you left off? If you have a well-structured document, anyone should be able to pick up where you left off.
They help enroll stakeholders. Most executives (and boards) like it when you’re organized with a plan. Requirements help you communicate your ideas, plan and timeline in a clear and logical way. They also let people know what’s expected of them and when.
They hold you and others accountable. Bottom line, no one likes to miss a deadline.
They ensure you don’t forget anything. Analytics! Navigation! SEO! And the list goes on. There is SO MUCH TO REMEMBER but you won’t forget it if you write it down.
They help you iterate. You might not be able to get everything for the launch of the site and that’s ok. Your requirements document can help you identify what’s critical for launch and what can be rolled out in subsequent versions of your site.
Requirements don’t have to be complicated. Check out this template from Demand Metric to help get you started.
2. Select the right CMS
I mean, just select a CMS! One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen startups make (especially tech startups) is that they have their product team build a static website. While this might seem like an efficient solution, it’s not. Websites are not inherently static, and any good marketer knows that content and SEO play a huge role in success. Without an easy way to update or add new content to your site, it will be impossible to scale and maintain. OK, fine, I sold you on the CMS but which one is the best? Really it depends on the capabilities of your team. Check out this article for a more in depth breakdown on the pros and cons of a few of the most popular CMS platforms.
PRO TIP: WebFlow is an up and coming CMS that I’m particularly fond of. Learn more here.
3. Think beyond your current website needs
It’s easy to get caught up in the now but remember to plan for the future state of your site. For example, maybe you only want one page to start with but in six months, you might want to add additional pages and a navigation. Or, you might want to add a resources section with forms. Build with this in mind.
PRO TIP: You’re a startup. Your business will and should change quite frequently in the first few years. You probably do not know what you will want in the future. So save yourself the chaos and just know you will need more at some point soon.
4. Design for the end-user
Everyone has an opinion but remember, the site isn’t for you or your CEO or your marketing team: it’s for your customers and prospects. Part of your planning process should involve identifying your website’s potential visitors are, and why they might be there. Your site should be constructed in a way that makes it easy for everyone that visits to find what they are looking for. I wouldn’t be a good demand-marketer if I didn’t say you also want to make sure there is a clear path to conversion. A good way to get started with user journeys is through a card sorting exercise.
5. Design with mobile in mind
Almost 50% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. You probably know this already but I often see confusion between desktop and mobile experiences. Think about how people interact with content on a desktop versus on a mobile device.
6. Don’t forget analytics
Measurement and tracking are necessary for to success. Google Analytics is free and takes less than 30 minutes for any individual to implement. Do you also have other systems that track data from your website? For example, most marketing automation systems ask that you had a universal tracking script to each page for conversion tracking and the same goes for most advertising platforms. A simple way to manage tracking scripts is through Google Tag Manager which I recommend implementing as part of your initial site launch.
7. Put together a “how to” guide
Make sure your web developers provide you with a user manual and/or training. You want to make sure you and your team feel empowered to begin updating the site immediately. Make sure they include things like how to update images and text as well as how to create new pages.
If this feels like a lot, that means you’ve read through it all. Which means you are ahead of the game! Honestly, when you keep these things in mind, your website will be amazing. If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, we’re here to help! Contact us today for a free 30 minute consultation.