When building a new website, you need to make sure you plan for the future, so you aren't wasting money on costly improvements as your company grows. Here are our five important considerations for getting a website build right first time.
11 July 2024
Few phrases send a chill down your spine quite like, "We need to redo the website”. How often does that result in an eye roll and a painful conversation about costs? As long as you plan your website build properly from the start, you may never need a complete redo!
By avoiding the need to constantly redo your website, you can save on costs, direct time and resource to other activity and avoid joining the culture of digital landfill — a pet hate of ours at Branded by Aquila.
And hey, let’s clear up one thing: a new website shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg!
The problem is that most people focus only on their immediate needs when building a website. This might work short-term, but it can leave you stuck when your company evolves.
As your brand grows and customer needs change, businesses often find themselves with a website they can't easily update. That’s why choosing the right company for a website build is crucial. You need a site that evolves with your needs, tech stack, and customer base.
With all this in mind, here are five key things to consider when building a new site.
Ready for your new website? Skip to read more about our three-part process for website design and build or get in touch with us to see how we can help you.
When building a new website, you’ll likely choose between a Digital Experience Platform (DXP) and a DIY website tool. DXPs are much more popular because they offer more control and flexibility. They’re easy to update and add content to, which is especially beneficially for SEO.
Sure, DXPs can be more expensive upfront, but they save you money in the long run. You won’t need to constantly pay someone to edit your site—you can do it yourself whenever you need to, or ask your marketing partner to do it.
The best part? A DXP future-proofs your website. They’re designed to be user-friendly and scalable, so you’re ready for whatever changes come your way without having to shell out for another redesign. So, make sure your new partner can develop both a front and back end to your site to help avoid this problem.
You’ve paid for the domain, hosting, and maybe an SSL certificate if your website company doesn’t provide one free of charge, but there are other outgoings to consider.
What if something goes wrong? Firstly, choosing a partner that is flexible and accommodating is key! You can’t be waiting 2 weeks for a bug to be investigated; it’s just not practical, reasonable or ethical in our opinion. Secondly, do they offer a proper support plan? This helps avoid hefty fix costs and keeps prices manageable, so you’re not constantly paying though the nose for fixes.
Also, don’t dive into a new website without a clear plan. Not having a strategy is a surefire way to blow your budget within a week. Separate the must-haves from the nice-to-haves and apply changes strategically. Have you done a digital audit or competitor analysis to gain market insight ahead of the build? These are all things to consider to make sure you stick to your website budget.
Whether you’re building a website for a startup or an established corporate, research the website company you want to use. They might offer the fanciest website, but have shameful functionality or performance. Check peer review sites like g2.com for honest opinions.
Also, look at their technical expertise. Do they push updates required by Google? Are their pages optimised for SEO? Do they support Open Graph meta tags? Requesting a demo of an existing site can give you the confidence you need to choose the right supplier.
Lastly, consider where your website will be hosted. The domain should be country-specific to your business location for better performance, speed, SEO, and legal compliance. AWS regions can be a good choice for scalability and accessibility across multiple devices.
Scalability should always be a top consideration. Your business won’t stay the same size forever, so your website needs to grow with you. A good CMS can help you implement changes as needed.
Your new website might also need features for future growth, like a CRM and eCommerce capabilities. The goal is to add new capabilities easily without impacting the rest of the website.
One of the ways we tackle this early is by identifying your long and short-term objectives to provide a solution that will help you work towards them. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
If you have data on how users interact with your current site, share it with the company building your new one. Understanding how customers navigate your web pages is key to maintaining a good user experience. This can also help streamline lead generation models.
Your new website should offer analytics and tracking features. This data is valuable for making informed decisions about the site’s future, like creating content that users want and placing CTAs effectively. Making decisions without data is a waste of money, especially if no one looks at the content or features you’re paying for.
At BbA, we create intuitive and engaging user journeys, which sets the stage for an exceptional online experience for your website visitors. Get noticed and get conversions without trawling through hours of data capture.
There’s a lot to consider when designing a new website. Ultimately, you need a company you can trust to cover all the important points and be accountable for the end result. That’s where the passion of Branded by Aquila comes in. We define your objectives, perform competitor analysis, and build your digital brand identity. Starting with a strong foundation sets your website up for success and scalability.
At BbA, we offer comprehensive website design and build services, including discovery workshops, strategic planning, and ongoing support. We focus on creating visually stunning, user-friendly websites. Our team works closely with you to ensure your website not only looks great but also drives results.
Still need convincing? Check out our case studies or get in touch with us today to learn more.
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