Every client that is getting their website redesigned wants it yesterday and it’s understandable but as you and I know, redesigning a website is a process.
Websites take time, the more work that goes into them, often the better they will be. As marketers and strategists we have a lot of control over the process until we hand the website off for development. It’s when the behind the scenes work is going on that we tend to see restless clients.
There are a number of things you as the marketer or designer can do to help along and shorten your website's development timeline.
Do research, set priorities, complete content
Let's break this down. Do research - know what CMS you want to build on, know what functionalities you need for your website and search out existing templates or plugins that can help you achieve this. Engage you developer in this conversation, they will know what's easiest to work with and may have some recommendations. Set priorities - in other words again, know what you need. If your website needs ecommerce functionality or a booking function determine how will this be accomplished, how can it best be accomplished. Complete content - write your content and optimize it during the design, this will help fit your needs for the design and can help you avoid drastic design changes after the site has been developed. If you do have booking or ecommerce needs, this will help reduce load-in once the pages have been developed.
Organize your design files
When you are creating a design mockup for your web page it is so important to organize the sections of your website into folders and name these folders appropriately. Your developer will thank you, think of this process as a step by step explanation for your developer of what design needs to be accomplished. When you do send the design files to your developer ensure that any functionality needed is detailed in your email. Click here to learn more about the website mockups your developer wants to see.
Choose template over fully custom
Many website platforms offer a library of cutomizable templates that allow you to translate your design from Photoshop to website. Take WordPress for instance, there are a number of templates that you can work off of to help you develop your site. Theme's are supported by their own development team and come with various additions like ongoing support and cutomizable dashboards. When you need a fully custom website, fine but it's almost always easier and faster for your developer to work from a template.
One last recommendation we have, is to find a successful development partner. Whether that means your in-house team member or outsourcing web development to a team or agency. When you find a developer that you can communicate well with and trust to lend technical recommendations you've found a partner who can help you move through projects more successfully. Always remember that the final development timeline is dependent on the size and complexity of the website you have set out to build.
Looking for a website development partner? Take advantage of the Computan website development free quote and learn what's like to work with a partner who is focused on your success.
