Nowadays, it is fully expected for a business to have an online presence – a website works the best for it. If you are a business owner or a responsible manager – that is your primary interest to build online brand awareness. However, you have a lot of other stuff to take care of. And as always you want to keep your hand on the pulse and figure out the best possible solution for any of the tasks or goals set.
The main idea of this piece of advice just below is a try to simplify and clarify as much as possible the process of the website (or online presence) creation from scratch, in case you are doing the management and looking for someone (regardless if it is an individual or an agency) to deliver this job for you.
Fortunately, our development process in Skynix is well established and we are happy to provide more context of what pieces of information you need to gather beforehand and how to pick the right development partner to work with.
We are happy to share our experience based on hundreds of successful cases.
First things first: what kind of information do you need to know before reaching out to the development agency?
– Set the meaning of your website – which goals should it serve in both contexts: to the business and to your client
In other words, what problem should the website solve? What is the purpose of your business? What is the challenge? Is your goal to inform people that your business exists or to sell your services online? Having a clear aim and focus will help you as well as encourage your website visitors to turn into potential customers and then to regular clients.
-Analyze your niche
Take a look at competitor’s websites is a must. However, while reviewing, make some notes: Who are your competitors? What are their pros and cons? Who is your target audience? Are there any examples that you like? Why? What was convenient? Are there any examples that you do not like? Why? What was inconvenient? These questions help you to identify what style you like and give you an understanding of what encourages competitor’s customers to return.
-Tech stack preferences: Magento, WordPress, etc.? What CMS to choose? (bear in mind, it is ok if you are not aware yet, what is a tech stack…)
Without a functional program taking care of the backend, your website would not have a wow-effect on your website visitors. There are two possible pills to select from: a blue one and a red one, or in other words, Magento and WordPress. Well, to be honest, there are also many more, just those two mentioned are the ones we are best in.
With Magento, you can build everything. Now it is one of the worlds leading and the most featured eCommerce platform. WordPress is a customizable CMS ideal for informational sites.
What CMS to choose is depends on the aim of the business/number of products/perspective of your business in 2-3 and 5-10 years.
-Put everything together
What are the development requirements? Are there tech specs? – that is what an expert will ask. It is the most common question we ask our customers too.
Having a clear technical specification is crucial to successful development. You need to outline each page of your future website, address technical problems by providing a solution, describe features as detailed as they can be. It can be a complex task, the best option is to describe as much as you can by yourself and then continue developing a specification with the expert(Business Analyst, Project manager, etc). Think wisely about what do you need and do not need:
Do you need integrations with third-party services? Integration with social media is no longer a new thing – it’s a nowadays’s requirement.
Do you plan to use payment systems(PayPal, Stripe, etc.)? Is it multi-currencies or USD only?
How many user types would you like to have? Admin, user? What access levels do they have? What different user group members can and can not see?
Once you have a clear understanding our your business needs, aim, and requirements you may proceed further. Another way
Second things second: How to choose an agency?
Selecting and hiring the right development agency is a way that nearly guarantees success. But what is the right development agency?
A right development agency is the legitimate one with a proven record of experience.
We strongly recommend doing some research before reaching out to make sure it is trustworthy:
-browse the company’s website
Company’s Vision/Mission/Company’s size
How many years are they on the market already?
Pay attention to the portfolio
What tech stack do they work with?
What areas are covered by them(do they cover your area or work worldwide?/What payment methods do they use?/Do they have a physical office?
-browse reviews (Clutch and LinkedIn, etc.)
To see samples of previous works and feedbacks from the customers on the independent platforms is a must before jumping in the signing contracts.
-A good agency will tell you if you miss something or is a better solution you are not aware of.
You may know all specifics of the website development, and when it comes to questions like what licenses/extensions to be bought you certainly need expertise. With a team of professionals, you will save both: time and money, they point you in the right direction and provide a consultation.
–Web Development Warranty: are there any guarantees?
Specific website warranty details can vary with each solution and contract. If you pay for development work, you will own the Intellectual Property in the work -that is why discuss everything before the actual development is a must, as well as NDA, NCA agreements.
With the Skynix team, we guarantee that all coding is done according to international standards. Also, you will have a 6-month warranty for our code. If you decide to terminate the contract, you will receive all accesses back at your first request, as well as an archive of the code.
