Creating a new website can be exciting, but it’s important to approach it with careful planning and consideration. Your website is often the first impression your potential customers have of your business, and it can make or break your online presence.

Building a website is a big job. However, below is a checklist of the key considerations to keep in mind to ensure a smooth process and a great result!

1.     Define your purpose and goals
Before diving into the design and development process, it’s important to define the purpose of your website and set your goals, e.g. are you looking to sell products online, provide information to potential customers, or showcase your portfolio?

Once you have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve, you can create a website that is tailored to meet those objectives.

2.     Know your target audience
Understanding who your audience is and what they’re looking for will help you design a website that appeals to them. Consider their age, gender, location, interests, and online behaviours when creating your website.

3.     Choose the right platform
There are many different website platforms to choose from, such as WordPress, Shopify, and Wix. Each platform has its own pros and cons, so it’s important to do your research and compare them before making a decision. Consider factors such as ease of use, flexibility, and scalability as well as what you want to achieve from your site.

4.     Develop a clear navigation structure
Clear and intuitive navigation is essential to deliver a great user experience and a successful website. Your visitors should be able to easily find what they’re looking for, whether it’s information about your products or services, your contact information, or your blog posts.

Consider using categories, subcategories, and drop-down menus to organise your content and make information easy to find.

5.     Consider Search Engine Optimisation
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the practice of optimising your website for search engines, such as Google, so that you appear as high as possible in search results to attract more organic (non-paid) traffic.

This includes things like using appropriate keywords, ensuring your media (images and videos) contains alt tags, and using words in your copy that are relevant to your business and also trending on Google.

6.     Compress your images and graphics
Visual content is an important part of any website. High-quality images and graphics can help to engage your visitors and make your website more visually appealing. However, it’s important to use images that are optimised for web use to avoid slowing down your website.

7.     Ensure your website is mobile-friendly
In Australia, mobile devices make up over 55 percent of all internet traffic[i]. It now almost goes without saying that it’s essential your website is mobile accessible; responsive to adjust to different screen sizes and loads quickly on mobile devices.

8.     Safety is smart
Cybersecurity is important to ensure that your website is protected from malware, viruses, and other security threats. Not only are you protecting your information and any data you collect from customers, but you are also protecting your business’ reputation! Use a secure hosting provider, install security plugins, and ensure your website software is up to date.

9.     Update and maintain your website regularly
Websites are not set and forget – once your website is live, it’s important to continually update and test it to ensure superior performance. This includes staying on top of your plugins, monitoring your website analytics and speed, as well as making updates and improvements based on user feedback.

10.  Create a content strategy
Finally, it’s important to have a content strategy in place for your website. This includes planning out your content, creating a content calendar, and ensuring that your content is optimised for search engines and your target audience. Regularly updating your website with fresh, relevant content can help to attract more visitors and improve your rankings in search engines.

Your website is an important marketing channel and it’s a significant investment, however, taking into account these key considerations when building your website, you can deliver a positive user experience, achieve your goals and ensure a great first impression every time.

[i] https://www.similarweb.com/platforms/australia/