5 Tips to Creating Your Dream Website
We’ve heard from many physicians that their website is currently being worked on…for a long time. Many people find long lead times, frustrating communication, design that wasn’t what they imagined or certain functions or links that just don’t work.
We’re here to offer 5 tips on getting your dream website when working with a web creator. Whether it’s with our company, or someone else, we want you, our devoted reader to have the best website possible. Here’s how:
1. Chart your project. Make a flow chart on what your website will look like and what topics your pages should include. Think about the audience you would like your website to communicate to, and think about your branding. You don’t have to be an artist to draw a flowchart! At this point, even jot down the date for when you would like your website to be finished by and communicate any other pertinent details.
2. Check out previous WebPages your designer has created and check into testimonials from previous clients of theirs. Ask questions about budget, timeliness and changes. Make sure that your agreement terms are in writing and solid. Ensure that this essentially your website and not to be held hostage, meaning, you have control, flexibility, editing ability and control to pick up the pieces and have someone else update your content as needed and if desired. This is to make sure that you’re not stuck for the life of your website with the same company and only one person able to fix or make changes.
3. Content Management. You want to have control and be able to update your website at anytime. We hear many people stuck in situations where they will submit changes to a company who will only update once every 30 days and so on. This is your website and make sure your changes are just as user friendly as you want it to be.
4. Be part of the team. Ask to be part of the testing team so that when a prototype is available, you can be part of the testing process. Many times you can see the details and specifics since the website is essentially your project. Website designers are fantastic at taking your vision and making it a reality, however, it is essentially your vision and you can provide the most important feedback during the testing phase.
5. Communication. Building a website involves creative ideas, design, communication, photos and lots of two-way communication. Make sure you have a solid contact person and readily available phone number and e-mail address for the team working on your website. If you have questions about the progress, timeline, quality or functionality, you should be able to simply pick up a phone and ask these questions. If your website designer is not readily available, know that this can cause issues with the creation process and the end product.