The most common problem of all is CONTENT.
Content, quite simply, is TEXT plus IMAGES.
The role of your web designer is to take this content from you and create a series of pages that are not only easily understood and navigated, but are also appropriate to the identity and essence of your business.
DESIGN is often quite distinct from MARKETING which can be the examination of raw content, refining it to be most effective in context to a specific audience. We find that this distinction is not often understood, and hence a website can "stall", with insufficient momentum to develop an internal energy of its own.
However, we have found that by starting with a very simple website structure (focussing on a modest number of FUNCTIONAL pages at your site), in a very short period, it becomes clearly evident where the gaps are and this marketing edge can be acquired as a progressive series of "tweeks"... it seems that when the website materialises, even in a modest format, all parties, including yourself as the client and the target audience start to respond in an intuitive fashion.
Therefore our suggestion to you is to "start at the start"... again, a simple recommendation, but one that has proven successful in all cases. If you are finding it difficult to progress, then it is best not to look too far ahead as this will simply bog the process down in the details that will be much easier to address when there is a working model online.
So, identify your SHORT TERM NEEDS, and seek to gather the content that satisfies them.
Perhaps this is easier said than done.... you can try writing out your thoughts as bullet points, rather than as paragraphs, which can then be padded out when time permits. Photographs and other imagery can be tricky, as we are spoilt by a multitude of advertising that surrounds us, and we can therefore spot amateur photography quite easily. This is particularly difficult with indoor photography which can look dark and confined with a standard lens, and food photography.
At this point of greater awareness, it is also very helpful to check out the competition - identify the facets of other websites that appeal to you and combine them to create your own unique and progressive identity. You simply need to compile your thoughts on these matters, add a few links as active references, and email them through to your designer.
The other benefit of starting simple is that the web design fees can be kept to a bare minimum, while also ensuring the most efficient use of future design time, based upon feedback and awareness that you will acquire.
Website design is best described as an organic process, with evolving structure and content that shifts to meet demand. We find that most healthy websites need an overhaul every 6 to 18 months, usually in response to the internal changes that I have described above, but to get to that point, the client must be adopting some simple strategies.
Firstly, you must FEED this organism - most websites need fresh content to continue evoking the desired response from the audience. You must instigate this process, by directly placing information at your website using a CMS (Content Management System) and/or sending new information to your website designer. So, as images and photos start to look tired or out of date, seek out some replacements, and similarly with the "pitch", be sure to regularly critique the information you have accumulated or better still, send the site to your friends and associates for greater perspective.
Secondly, you must PROMOTE your online identity - you must allow your clients and suppliers to know that your website exists. Your web address should at least be included on all stationery, and where possible, branded throughout your shop or on your product, not to mention at the bottom of every email (try creating a signature that has all your business contacts included).
These simple steps should kick start the growth of your website - be sure to nurture the seedling as it grows, as you will then surely enjoy the fruit of your labours.
