Building a new website: Answering your most asked questions!

Embarking on a new website project can be a daunting task, filled with technical complexities and strategic decisions. How do you know if you're choosing the right platform? Can you edit and control your content? I've been working in the web world for a decade now, and these are the most common questions I get asked.

"What features and functionalities do we need?"

To really get to grips with this, we need to understand the primary goal of your website and your target audience. Whether it's to increase sales, improve brand recognition, or disseminate information, the objective will guide the website's functionality. List down the must-have features you feel you have to have as a business and additional features can be developed over time in order to achieve your website's goals.

"How much will the website cost?"

This is probably the most common question I get asked. Unfortunately, there's no simple answer - how long is a piece of string?  My pricing model varies depending on the scale and complexity of your project, including design, development, hosting, and ongoing maintenance. When we understand the scale of the website and all the additional functionality, it's much easier to provide an accurate costing.

"What is the timeline for the project?"

I always say that setting a realistic timeline is essential. A simple website job can be as quick as a few weeks but with added complexity and scale this timeline will increase. Typically, most projects last somewhere between 6 - 9 weeks.

"How do we manage content?"

Luckily, Webflow has one of the best CMS (Content Management System) on the market. It makes it managing and updating content a breeze, enabling non-technical team members to update content for items like blogs, team listings or events without needing to understand code. For everything else, Webflow uses a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. You simply click on the item you want to change, make your edit and then click publish. All done!

"What do you use to build the website?"

I use Webflow for all of my non-commerce builds. Its balance of flexibility, ease of use, and control over your site's design and functionality is the best on the market and can grow and adapt to your business without being constrained by templates that other popular providers use.

"How will the website fit into our broader marketing strategy?"

One of the greatest benefits of designing in Webflow is that we can create a digital set of 'brand guidelines' for your business. This 'kit' contains all your typography, buttons, input fields, etc, designed to represent your brand's look and feel. Having access to this kit enables us to very quickly create key pages for your marketing efforts. We can create key landing pages for your campaigns and use the latest SEO techniques to make the most out of your content. Plus, we can directly measure how successful each campaign is by tracking the traffic coming in and out of the site.

"How do we ensure the site is mobile-friendly and accessible?"

Everything I design is mobile-first. It ensures your site will work across any device your customers use. All my design practices pass AA accessibility guidelines and all images will have alt-text applied during upload. Having said that, I provide training for those managing your website's content in order for them to adhere to these guidelines.

"How will we measure the success of the new site?"

Again, this really depends on what you're trying to achieve! Webflow integrates with tools like Google Analytics to help us measure success through traffic, conversion rates, user engagement, and feedback. These insights are crucial for ongoing optimisation and ensuring your website meets its objectives.

"Who will maintain the website after it goes live?"

In terms of hosting, that's me! I'll deal with the hosting process and you can rest easy. In terms of managing content, I offer competitive support retainers to manage and update your content for you or provide free training to your team so you can manage and update the site post-launch. It all depends on what you'd prefer!

"What kind of security measures will be implemented?"

Security is a top priority for any website. Webflow provides robust security features, including SSL certification, constant monitoring, and regular updates to protect against threats. Webflow itself is an ISO27001 company, so it's passed stringent checks. You can read more about Webflow's security practices here.

"How can we make the site SEO-Friendly?"

Webflow is designed with SEO in mind, offering clean code, fast loading times, and easy management of SEO fundamentals like meta tags, alt text, and more, directly from the platform. Again, this is all accessible to you, so you can directly update and manage what Google will index if you're so inclined.

"What kind of hosting do we need? Is it extra?"

No! Unlike WordPress, Webflow's hosting solutions are part of the fee we pay. They're powered by Amazon Web Services, so they're extremely reliable, fast, and safe. Their hosting plans are designed to scale with your business, accommodating everything from small personal projects to high-traffic enterprise sites.

I hope these help you in your quest to embark on a new website. If you've got any additional questions, let me know! I'd be happy to share any advice or tips.