Checklist: have your website made (15 tips)
Do you want to have a custom website made? What do you have to take into account? This website checklist is for starters, SMEs, entrepreneurs and multinationals. If you want your business to be successful, a professional website is indispensable. This website checklist will help you make the right choice for a suitable web design agency.
This is a list of tips of the most important things to keep in mind when you want to have a new website built. This website checklist helps you with the conditions that your website must meet; your objective and ambition, budget, technical conditions and the choice of the right web design agency.
1 – Purpose of your website
Know what you want, why you want this, and for whom do you want your website made. Is it about bringing in customers, announcing an event, or selling a service or product? The objectives are many.
A well-thought-out custom website can help you with this. A professional website is tailored to your needs and helps you to achieve your goals in a number of ways:
- User Experience design (user-friendliness)
- Storytelling (Brand Story)
- Customer Journey
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
2 – Determine your budget in advance
What budget have you released for creating your new website? Do you want your web designer to place the content for you on the website (content integration), do you do this yourself or your employees? Do you have sufficient knowledge of Photoshop to create web optimized images? All these questions determine the final costs for your website because these activities will have to be done.
Everything stands or falls with your intention; what should the website yield you and what is it worth to you. This determines whether you go for a one page website, a custom WordPress website or a standard theme.
If you search for web design prices in Google, you will already be offered a theme website from € 500. The professional custom marketing websites are at € 6,000 or more. So ask your web design agency in advance whether you will get a custom website or a WordPress theme.
Do you want to have a new website made and do you want to know this costs? You can request a website estimate here without obligation.
3 – Choose your Content Management System (CMS)
Do you want to manage your website yourself and do you prefer a particular CMS? Do you have a team of people that will be working on your site? Do you want to create external technical links? It is good to discuss and work this out in advance. The choice of the CMS depends on a large number of criteria. WordPress CMS is one of the best and most used systems for websites. But Drupal, Typo3 and Joomla are also widely used. Your web design agency can help you make the right choice.
4 – Choose a web design agency that suits you
Do you want to have a professional website made? Then the web design agency does not have to be large. The size of the web design agency says nothing about the quality. A dream team of 2 design superheroes is usually sufficient;
- An experienced web designer
- An excellent programmer
A good web designer doesn’t just make a beautiful design. He / she helps you make the right strategic choices so that your website becomes successful.
Do you want to work locally or remotely?
Where should your web design agency be located? Do you want an office where you can quickly walk in, or are you savvy enough as a company to work remotely? Our experience shows that many web designers like to work remotely and that the average client has no problem with that at all. In times of the Coronavirus this went fine, so consider working remotely with your web designer more often.5 – Experience in web design
How long has the web design agency been around and how much experience do they have with web design and web techniques? A good custom website is much more than just a beautiful design. Do you want a modern one-page website, a more extensive marketing multisite, or do you work for a multinational and do you need a reliable enterprise website? Will your website soon be used on smartphones and tablets? Specifically, ask for a responsive website based on the Mobile First Webdesign principle.
Not every web design agency has experience with these different website types and UI / UX expertise. Always have a detailed look at the agency’s portfolio and ask specific questions to make the right choice.
This checklist will help you if you want to have a website made.
6 – References for web design projects
Does the web design agency have an overview of reliable references from web design clients? And what do these clients say about the agency and their professional website? Do they have a business LinkedIn profile, or have clients even given a Google Review?
This gives a good impression of client satisfaction and it gives you a good indication of the result that you can expect for your new website.
7 – Own input vs experienced advice
Do you have to give a lot of input yourself or do you get good advice from your web designer about the design, strategy, and implementation of your design website? Guidance from an experienced web designer is essential for a successful website.
As a client, you do not have all the knowledge and you must be able to rely 100% on the expertise of your designer. So if you have to give too much input yourself without getting good advice, then it may not be the right agency for your needs.
8 – Only web design or also corporate identity design?
Do you need more than just web design? Do you already have a good corporate identity that the website must match, or do you want to have it designed right away?
Ask your web design agency if they also have experience with Brand Design, because someone who can create a website cannot naturally also develop a good logo or brand identity. Consistency in corporate identity management is extremely important for a healthy brand image.
9 – External service partners
Do you get access to external partners such as copywriters, SEO specialists, photographers, etc? Usually, you need it to make your website complete and really effective. The bottom line, your new website must generate customers and revenue. Your web design agency must therefore have the right people in its network and manage them for you.
10 – Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Of course, you want to have a website made that is optimized for search engines such as Google and Bing. What do you have to take into account and how do you best approach this? How do you increase your chances of getting a spot on the first page of the Google search results?
Your web designer must take this into account in advance technically and set it up in such a way that your website is easily found. Together with the external service partners, he ensures a strong SEO.
11 – Modular price offer
If you have made a choice for a design agency, then you want to know what a website costs. Do you receive a quotation that consists of individual items, so that you can clearly assess what the individual tasks cost? Collective items or bundled costs are not clear. You want to be able to see details to assess what the web design agency is going to charge.
Our tip for choosing your web design agency
Look for a web design agency with years of experience and good references. It is important that you have a good feeling about the future collaboration. This is not a guarantee, but it increases the likelihood that they will still exist in 5 years to continue developing your website. Build a trusting and friendly relationship and anything will be possible in the future.12 – Debugging: your site perfectly online
Web techniques are very complex. It requires an experienced web designer and careful programmer to get your professional website perfectly online. Is your website delivered completely flawlessly? What should you as a client pay attention to when debugging a website before it goes online?
13 – Instruction & training
Do you receive an explanation about the CMS used so that you can independently manage your website? This instruction is usually not included in the costs for the web design. Coordinate in advance when, and for which website managers, you want to receive instructions.
14 – Maintenance contract
When the website is completed, will you be offered a maintenance contract? Websites are always on the move and absolutely need a maintenance contract for updates and improvements. When you buy a car you don’t expect anything else and the overhaul is not free either.
Ask us for more information about our maintenance contract.
15 – Extensions in the future
How does the web design agency deal with future extensions to your website? Many cheap internet providers do not provide a service anyway or no longer exist after a year. Or worse, they have used a standard theme that can no longer be updated properly and you run the risk of it being hacked, with all the risks that entails.
Redemption of source files
If you want to be 100% sure, you can negotiate with your agency about the buyout of the source files. This is sensible if you want to manage the website yourself or transfer it to another agency in the future.
Not every agency is open to this. Some by definition don’t sell source files and others charge hefty fees for the buyout. That is different for every agency, there are no standard regulations for this. Our experience is that the redemption can amount to 300% of the original rate. You then have the right to modify the files and transfer them to third parties.
Do you also want to have a new cool website made?
Stoere Binken Design is a web design agency with 25 years of experience. We develop unique and distinctive custom websites. Request a quote without obligation if you want to have a new website made.
Request website estimate