Why do you have to do all this first, why not just start creating a new website?
The first step to take when you need a new website is to sit down and think about it. In our strategy meetings with potential customers, we go through these points to determine whether we are a good match for the customer and whether we are the right people to deliver the project.
If you do this yourself in advance, you'll be better equipped to start the actual process of planning and building your new website.
With these points in place, you'll save time and money, and get a better result. Last but not least, this makes the choice of who you should work with much easier.
1. What is the goal of a new website?
Before you do anything, you need to identify what the goal of the new website is. The goal shouldn't just be a more modern design.
Why do you want to build a new and more modern website right now? Is it necessary to get more enquiries from potential customers? Will it lead to new sales?
The answers to these questions are the most important things that need to be in place if you want your website to be a success. If you're aiming to double the number of new customer enquiries, you need to actively measure whether or not it was a success. Can you measure it if you're only aiming for a better design - which is ultimately a matter of taste?
2. Who will be responsible?
One person should be the main person responsible internally. This person doesn't have to do everything that is required from your side or do it alone, but this person should be the project manager who pulls the strings together with the agency, freelancer or internal resource who will produce the new website.
In cases where communication doesn't go as well during a project, it's almost always due to the lack of a single internal project manager.
The reason is so fundamental that you save time on double communication, misunderstandings and you develop a greater understanding of each other along the way.
3. What is the budget?
Regardless of whether you're creating a new website in-house, working with an agency or a freelancer, you need to set a framework for cost and time.
If you want to increase sales by 100 million, it is unrealistic to expect a website costing 100,000 to do it alone. If you have a specific budget, you can often expect to have to invest between 10-20% in advance of the project, divided between internal and external costs, marketing, planning and construction, etc.
What if you need to put something simple together yourself to achieve the goal of "the first online presence?". To put it simply, how many hours can you afford to spend on something you're not the best at? How much do you lose in sales, for example, by having one person focus their time on this?
All in all, it's about having a clear budget. If you have a budget of, for example, NOK 500,000, this does not mean that the money must necessarily be used up, but that this is the leeway you have. If the goal you're aiming for can be achieved for 250,000, that's great, but you still need to have a clear framework.
Try our calculator: What does a new website cost?
Many people are nervous about giving their budget to agencies or other external service providers, but the vast majority of serious agencies won't abuse this figure. They want to build something long-lasting. The reason agencies need the budget for the project is to be able to deliver the best possible service. Some obvious examples are those who get in touch to build a competitor to Finn.no, but have a budget of 100,000. It's entirely possible to build a simple platform for that, but it has no chance of scaling or competing against Finn.no in any way.
If the agency knows what you want to achieve, while knowing how much you're willing to invest to get there, it's much easier to find the best way to achieve your goals.
In some cases, you may find that the budget is too low compared to what you want to achieve, and then you have to make a judgment call: Should we increase the budget or lower the target?
The choice of publishing solution is also linked to budget. Read more about choosing a CMS here.
If you want to go even more in-depth, you can read about headless CMS here.
4. When do you need a new website?
We always appreciate projects that have a clear and realistic timeline. All too often, we get customers who contact us at the last minute or don't have a clear timeline for when they want a new website launched.
There can be many reasons for a lack of perspective, such as not knowing how much work and time is actually required to create a good website. All too often, we see that potential customers also forget their part of the cake.
They will gather information, attend meetings, and in some cases deliver or produce content such as text, images and video. Content is by far the most common reason for delayed deliveries with us.
Tip: Is it important that the deadline is met?
- Make sure you have all your content ready before you need it.
- If necessary, use a professional copywriter, photographer or videographer to deliver the content.
- Spend plenty of time planning ahead. An hour spent on planning saves a minimum of two hours of work, but often much more, up to 5-10 hours.
A good partner will be able to tell you whether it is realistic to deliver within your timeframe and what measures you need to take to get there. They will also be able to tell you if this is too little time and help you create a more realistic timeline for the project.
5. What does success look like?
Success can be quite similar to a goal, but this is a question of definition. The question I like to ask our customers is; imagine that we're sitting here in 12 months' time looking back over the past year and checking the figures that have been delivered - what will it take for us to celebrate that the project has been a resounding success?
Some fall back on the goal being met, while sometimes other factors need to be considered as well, because a new website is only part of the goal. Should the website account for a clear percentage of the final goal?
What will define whether the new website has been a success or not?
Some things a new website can do while you're done for the day
- Nurture the relationship with existing customers in the form of e.g. a knowledge database or other information.
- Bring in new leads, ready to be contacted the next day.
- Show job seekers that this is a place they want to apply.
- Make sure your message shines clearly even when you're not there to communicate it.
6. What makes you unique?
We recommend that all companies know what their "uniqueness" is, regardless of website projects and marketing, because it quickly becomes clear that it is needed during a project. Let's say your company is very customer-oriented with fantastic customer follow-up, but your website is difficult to navigate and it's hard to find your contact information - then we have a mismatch.
What if you differentiate yourself by being a small business in a market dominated by the big guys, and based on that, provide a sense of personality and being cared for, while building your website as "one of the big guys?"
7. Who is the target group?
Let's start by saying that small and medium-sized businesses are not a defined target group. Women are not a target group. Men are not a target group. And I'm not talking about the definition here, I'm talking about what is required to be defined as "a target audience" for the website to be a success.
The target group for a new website should be defined down to user level. Create a profile of the 2-3 ideal customers you want to reach. What are their names? Where do they live? What is their story? What challenges do they face? What keeps them up at night? What is their goal? Do they have goals at all? What do they believe in?
There are two "main ways" to go: you can either rely on facts, i.e. the type of people your company has attracted in the past. Or you can base it on the customers you want to attract in the future. Who is your dream customer?
8. Which method?
It's not necessary to get very technical, but it's good to have some ideas about how you want to proceed.
There are several ways to create a new website, these are some of them.
Does it have to be quick? How about testing a budget-friendly website in a short amount of time?
Project
This is by no means the worst method, but it is the most common. This is the method where you have a process where you plan, build and finally move on to operation and maintenance. Small changes may be made here and there, and some functions may be added over time, but essentially it is a project model.
The important thing to consider is whether you have enough information to build in this way and achieve the best possible result.
Growth-driven
Popularized by Hubspot to create a model where you have several advantages over project-based websites. In short, you build a simple foundation, measure as much as possible along the way and continuously build on it every single month. This is not meant to stop, because the website will be constantly optimized to provide an even better customer experience and even better results.
Growth-driven is a good model for many, but it requires confidence in the figures, greater ongoing costs/use of resources and a lot of communication. It is recommended that companies have been involved in a process or two before, or that a lot of time is set aside for consulting if they wish to use this method.
The combination
This model combines project and growth-driven. In short, you have a larger project at the start, but instead of just building a simple foundation, you will gradually expand the site to a greater extent based on the hypothesis you have in advance, knowing that in the worst case scenario you may have to make major changes.
"A lot of projects end up here because you eventually realize that you have to work on the site continuously to get the best results. It's not that they're bad, but there's always room for improvement.
Soooo.... What suits you best?
There is no fixed answer, but something you should think about and consider. It will also depend on who you work with and which method they recommend based on your requirements. Which method are they most comfortable with? Should you consider others to be able to work with the method you want?
Many variables and questions, which is good to address before starting a new website.
9. How will you get traffic?
You don't need a detailed marketing plan, but you do need to have a basic idea of how to get visitors to your website. In many cases, it's enough to research where your visitors come from today.
Why do we mention this? Because one of the traps is that you expect to increase your company's turnover tenfold, but do not take into account that you have little or no traffic on your existing website. It also doesn't take into account that you need to focus on creating traffic via search engine optimization, advertising and/or other marketing initiatives.
One question that needs to be asked is whether the result you want is consistent with the goal, or whether you need to take measures to increase traffic as well. Which measures are not yet important, but do you need to do something about traffic?
10. Who will create the new website?
Are you expecting the big pitch where I say that Fjellvann is so fantastic and great that you should work with us? Then I have to disappoint you, because even though we at Fjellvann are skilled in our profession, and you as a customer may think that we are a good match, we are not right for everyone, and we may recommend you to others.
So what's important to consider when choosing someone to work with?
First, it's a good idea to find out if you have the budget to actually work with an agency or freelancer, or if you'll get a decent result by doing something yourself.
What is the most important thing for you? If it's to get a new website up and running quickly, you may be able to spend a few thousand on a freelancer or student, but if it's crucial to reach the goal of increased sales of, say, NOK 5 million, you may want to consider a larger agency.
It's also good to look at what kind of expertise your supplier has. Are you looking for groundbreaking design that looks like a futuristic action movie? Are you looking for advanced development that requires niche expertise in selected systems? Or are you looking for a strategic partner that can deliver more than just code and pretty design?
Do you trust the supplier? Do you like the way they work? Do they understand what you're looking for at a deeper level? Are they committed to what you want to achieve?
There are many questions to consider, and no one answer fits all. But please take the time to consider who you choose as your supplier, and don't jump at the first and best. We recommend that you consider at least 2-3 players to be able to compare, and we're talking about everything, not just price.
Bonus: Everything you don't have to think about yet.
If you've read this far, you're probably getting ready to contact an agency, a freelancer or start planning internally.
All of the points below are important when creating a new website, but something that should definitely be done together with the supplier you want to work with.
- Colors
- Text type (Fonts)
- Design
- Images, video and content in detail
- Functionality in detail (The basics are fine, e.g. it's good to know if you're going to have an online store or a website).
- Server, domain and other technical
- Detailed customer journeys
- The marketing of the site in detail, as mentioned further up in the post, so you should have an overview of the process, but the plan doesn't have to be in place yet
- The text on the different pages
- Which tabs and subpages you should have
Next steps
The first step is to set aside an hour or two to review the 10 points above - either alone or with the rest of the team to get one step closer.
If you find it overwhelming, or you're stuck, we'd love to have a chat to find out if we're a match for creating your company's new website.