The checklist of a successful website and how its cost is formed

An effectively working web resource is the result of joint work between the Customer and the Contractor.

Their areas of responsibility look something like this:

• The customer determines WHY website development is required. Correctly set tasks are already half the battle.
• The developer determines WHAT and HOW needs to be done. He selects effective tools that solve project problems or develops new ones.

In this article we will not burden you with technical features, but will try to tell you in simple, concise language what you need to know as a Customer.

RULE 1 : Define project goals and objectives

Before starting work, the Customer needs to clearly formulate the tasks that the site should solve. For example, “We have a low trust problem. We want to talk about our high competence” or “We need to promote a new direction in two months and start selling in the central region.”

The formulation of a task like “The site should bring in more money” is not correct. Almost any company creates a website as a tool to increase profits. After identifying tasks and briefing, brainstorming is carried out and technical specifications are drawn up. The entire process can take from several days to a month, depending on the complexity and volume of tasks.

The result of this stage is a detailed site structure with a list of target actions and necessary tools. For example, to demonstrate the competence of a company, it is necessary:

• talk about the high quality of equipment / technologies used / raw materials,
• introduce leading specialists and their professional achievements,
• lead by prof. a blog with unique useful articles,
• post a corporate video about production and its stages,
• create sections about certification and awards,
• qualitatively present a catalog of services or products with competitive advantages, and so on. 

RULE 2 :  Planning the structure and functionality of the site based on goals and objectives, and not fitting them to a standard template

The structure of the site, as well as its visual and technical side, are determined by the assigned tasks. The main question: “What should a website be able to do to achieve this or that goal?” That is, each page, block, plugin should perform a specific function, and not stand for beauty or increase the project’s receipts.

Also, it is worth remembering that the more sites appear on the network, the faster the visitor switches from one to another. Therefore, the site must signal as quickly as possible that a potential client has reached the desired resource without unnecessary “noise.”

Unique visualization and identity helps you stand out from the background of template websites of the same type. If your competitive advantage is defined by your brand and corporate identity, and you are surrounded by an aggressive competitive market, you need to stand out and grab the attention of a potential client.

Websites with template visualizations of the same type lack the quality of a unique identity and are not remembered by potential clients in the total mass of studied offers of the competitive market.

It is important to remember: the key task of any marketing is to stand out from competitors.

RULE 3: The site must be liked by the visitor

The design should solve problems, be understandable and visually respond to your target audience. The visitor needs to feel a comfortable environment and your service, which will solve problems in a way convenient for the client, will speak the same language with him.

What you need to know at the site planning stage:

• Psychotype of the site's target audience, its needs and fears.
• The type of product or sales offer being advertised.
• Corporate identity of the company (to what extent should it be used so that it does not scare away).
• Benchmarking – analysis of experience, successful cases and websites of industry leaders.

RULE 4: Find a competent contractor

By ordering a website in our time of technology, you are ordering a sales tool (even if it is not an online store, but an image site), which can increase or, conversely, decrease the level of the company in the eyes of the visitor. Therefore, it is even appropriate to replace the concept of “Contractor” or “Executor” with “Partner”, on whose shoulders falls the presentation of your company, its products and services.

What you need to pay attention to when looking for a developer:

1. Recommendations from partners and colleagues are the simplest and most reliable search.
2. Portfolio. Study at least 3-4 projects from a studio in your or related area of ​​activity. A company with experience in the same field will implement the project faster and with better quality.
3. Experience. Pay attention to the number, scope and quality of completed projects.
4. Potential developer involvement. Assess the level of involvement at the stages of studying and planning the project by the Developer, make sure that he is deeply immersed in your tasks and wishes. Project briefing and analysis should be complete at the planning stage.
5. Developer's own website. Having a website from the developer is a definite plus. It must be of high quality in terms of marketing, design and technical implementation.
6. One team – predicted result. You will not get a high-quality website if the developer has a one-man orchestra or constant turnover. Only within a well-coordinated team of narrow specialists is it possible to develop high-quality web projects. Do not allow specialists who were not familiar with you to the project before and your project is the debut for a new team.
7. Active and prolonged activity. Study the company's philosophy, get acquainted with social networks. networks. If employees regularly attend forums and conferences, publish articles, and spend time together outside of work, this is another sign that the company is stable.
8. A freelancer is the enemy of a mature company. We do not recommend using the services of freelancers if you are a mature, self-sufficient organization. Freelancers do not provide follow-up service for developed projects and are too free-spirited - today they are here, but tomorrow they will be gone “in English.” Freelancers are a tool for startups where it is necessary to compensate for the cost of services due to increasing risks.
9. Reviews and recommendations. The developer's positive image must be supported by reliable recommendations from trusted sources. The presence of large or star clients. Not every company has enough competence and capacity for large complex projects. Large Customers are often distinguished by scrupulous verification of contractors before starting work, high requirements and strict adherence to deadlines.
10. Active professional position and modern technologies. The developer must use modern tools in production and master current technologies. Have a good understanding of current trends and be able to argue in favor of the right decisions.
11. The developer must understand marketing tools. The website of any organization is a tool for attracting the target audience, often for sales and making a profit. During the process of planning and designing a website, the developer must take into account the planned or possible Internet marketing tools to further promote and attract the target audience.

RULE 5: Website without sales = car without wheels

The site must attract the target audience and sell if you are a business representative.

For business, the idea of ​​creating a website is justified by direct sales using the Internet. Developing a website without further planning to attract the target audience is a common mistake of an inexperienced customer.

If you have no idea how your planned website will bring you sales and attract your target audience, you need to devote more time to marketing or seek help from online marketers.

It is ideal when the Contractor can provide the developed website with marketing solutions and offer the Customer subsequent work to attract the target audience and organize sales funnels.

Planning a future website should take place in conjunction with the task of subsequent sales and attracting the target audience - the main task of a website for any organization.

Less common are non-directive sales tasks - where the website plays an indirect role in increasing profits and the company’s image, and its loyalty among the target audience.

RULE 6:  Only real content - photos, texts, videos

Photo and video. The visitor can easily distinguish stock media materials from real ones. This decision greatly reduces trust in the company. Questions arise: Does this company have an office? Will I really receive a service or product of appropriate quality? How many employees actually are there?

The use of other people's materials is permissible during startup only as a temporary solution.

Give preference to more abstract videos and photos, and also pay attention to the nationality of the models. 

Texts. There is nothing better than succinctly written texts (without water), which really help to understand the specifics of the company and its activities. There is already enough boastful blah blah on the Internet. Be honest!

Also, many disadvantages can be described as advantages. For example, in our studio there is no sales staff; clients communicate directly with the performers. Yes, because of this, it is not always possible to answer the call immediately, but our clients do not pay for this “connection”, and the information in full reaches the developer from the Customer himself.

RULE 7: Create a unique selling proposition (USP)

The fundamental right of the consumer is the right to choose. In order for the choice to fall on you, you need to make the best offer. A unique selling proposition is what sets you apart from your competitors and increases sales. After reading a well-formulated USP, the thought should arise in the client’s head: “Wow, what an offer!”

This will help point your advertising strategy, website and other marketing tools in the right direction. For example, the USP and slogan of the Aviasales service: “Aviasales - cheap air tickets.” When entering the site, the first thing we see is: “Search for cheap flights.” It couldn’t be clearer and there’s nothing more to add.

Very often, a proposal that is clear and understandable to the target audience is already an effective solution, compared to competitors who were unable to present their USP with sufficient quality.

RULE 8: Don’t be shy to talk about yourself

A website is most often the first acquaintance with a company, so it is necessary to competently and concisely present your company and its activities on it.

How to do it correctly:

• tell us about your advantages that others don’t have or haven’t talked about,
• Tell us reasonably about the features of your business. For example, you can tell the same positive story to a company with a large call center and without one at all. The first one doesn't
• queues for processing applications, and the second - the Customer immediately communicates directly with the developer without losing important information.
• use different formats for filling pages: photographs, videos, iconography, concise texts, lists, diagrams, diagrams,
• Follow the rules of printing text layout for easy reading.

RULE 9: Convenient and competent CMS – content management system

If you plan to manage your future website yourself, take care of a convenient management system that will allow you to fully manage the project.

If you do not have enough technical knowledge to manage websites, get training or delegate this task to a specialist. Managing a website often requires special technical knowledge, without which it will not be able to promote effectively and be convenient for the target audience.

The worst and most offensive thing is that without technical knowledge you will not notice problems that will lead to problems with indexing or site operation.

A correctly chosen content management system will help greatly reduce the time spent working with the site and make this process technologically advanced even for a technically savvy specialist.

RULE 10: A website is only a tool to help business

Remember, no matter how beautiful the website design is, and no matter how effective the advertising is, the most important thing is the quality of your products, services and services.

Bring quality and goodness to the world, and competent promoters will always help spread it!