Why do I need a Website?

Why do I need a website?

The popularity of 'surfing the web' has made it crucial that businesses use the Internet and its various properties to market their products and services. With all the information that can be found on almost any subject, more and more people are using the Internet as their first choice for research, and the surfing population keeps growing and growing. Businesses cannot ignore this new and vibrant tool of communication between themselves and their customers.

Okay, I've decided to add a website for my business!

Many businesses know that they 'need' a website, but do not have a clear idea or purpose in mind when looking for a design partner. This can result in several scenarios :

Scenario 1 - The customer does not have a clear goal or purpose in mind, and leaves all of the design details up to the design firm.
The Result - The website's design is disjointed from the overall company image that is communicated through their current advertising efforts

Scenario 2 - The customer wants a website 'just like our print brochure', and insists that the final project look exactly like the sample brochure provided.
The Result - The design firm delivers the website, which is an electronic mirror of the sample brochure provided by the client. Visitors complain about the long download times, since the design firm used graphic elements to maintain specific font appearances and page layouts.

Scenario 3 - The customer wants a website, but is not aware of how the medium puts specific constraints on layout and presentation. They do not work with the design firm in gaining a basic understanding of the medium, or perhaps the design firm neglects to educate the client.
The Result - The design firm delivers a website which is different from the end project that the client expected, and the client does not understand why their requests were not executed as they envisioned.

Scenario 4 - The customer is under the conception that 'anyone can put together a website', and works with 'the neighbor's son', or a coworker's relative who 'creates websites in their spare time'.
The Result - The website does not have the degree of polish that is evident in the other marketing pieces used by the business, or has a 'cookie cutter' look. The website visitors do not take the business seriously, and decide to take their business elsewhere.

To prevent these scenarios from occuring, we ask our clients to go through a multiple step preparation process that will provide a foundation and clear definition of the expectations of the project for both the client and designer.

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