If you know that you want to have a website designed but don’t know how to come up with what to put there, you have lots of company. Since the dawn of the internet explosion, people have asked this question which, as more people want to engage web designers, more people ask.

What do I need to have to get a website designed?

The answer to that can be as easy or as complicated as you make it. I remember a friend who did web design on campus once told someone that all she needed to give him was a case of beer, and she could get a website. (Yes, he worked for beer. When last we spoke, he said he was five years sober – thank you for asking).

In reality, you just need to answer a few questions, and that will help us to get you ready to build your website. Yes, this is shameless marketing. It gets better. All you have to do is fill out the form below, and we can help you to answer those questions too. Yup… no shame.

You Can Work These Answers Out, Or Simply Contact ekrüb

---

Table of Contents

1. Purpose: Why Do You Want a Website?
2. Services: What Will the Website Do For Your Customers?
3. Features: What Will the Website Do For YOU?
4. Company Branding: Logos
5. Company Branding: Colours
6. BONUS! Calls to Action

1. Purpose: Why Do You Want/Need a Website?

This question is phrased in common language. In simple terms, you need to know what the website is for, and how it will help your business, club, society, non profit etc. An answer to this question will help you to put everything else in order, and will even tell you how.

Here are some examples of answers we’ve heard when that question was asked

• The website will be a calling card, for people to know how to contact us.
• We want to sell retail products on the website.
• I want an easy way for people to book my services.
• Our website will be a central hub for members to access our services.

These answers are very general, but they give an insight as to the overall purpose it will serve.

2. Services: What Will the Website Do For Your Customers?

This may sound like the previous point, but it’s a little different. Here we’re asking why should anyone visit your website. To you, a website may tell people how to find you, but most people would more quickly go to Google or social media to find you.

(By the way, you’re on social media, aren’t you?)

Here are some examples of why people may visit your website. Some are for regular/routine visits, some are for occasional visits:

• To read articles or your blog (like you’re reading mine now. Want to read more? Or… Maybe you need help to write blog posts).
• To download forms.
• For updates on company activities.
• To get recipes.
• To purchase items.
• For information on how to book you.
• To assess your ability to get the job done.
• Because they’re bored. You know, like Imgur.
• To log in to access services.

So now you have the general question covered, and you have the visitors covered, but what about your needs?

3. Features: What Will the Website Do For YOU?

This is another similar point, but this time it’s very personal to you or your organisation. While the previous question looks at overall understanding of the website, this one is more what you need it to specifically do, and can include the website backend (aka the behind-the-scenes thingies).

NB: Technical staff objected to the use of the word “thingies”, but management sided with the copy writers after tossing a coin. It was also decided to include this notice to save certain persons’ reputation among other techies. 🙄

This part helps to understand what will happen when people do what you want them to do. This must compliment the users’/customers’/visitors’ actions.

• Do you want visitor statistics?
• Do you need to do inventory management?
• Do you want to capture information into your CRM (Content Relationship Management Tool)?
• Do you want to get a notice when they go through your funnel?

Sometimes your needs precursor the visitors, and that’s also ok.

• You may want to publish public notices/advisories.
• You may want a way to distribute sample content.
• Maybe you want a home for your portfolio.

I must also mention that some websites are almost totally personal, and that’s ok.

• It’s an entry point to your employee portal.
• It can redirect to the extranet.
• It gives access to a data entry/management.

4. Company branding: Logos

Tip: You need high quality logos and logo variants

Whatever the reason for the website, aesthetics are always important. You need to have a high quality version of your logo to announce who you are, and to announce your presence.

Having a high resolution version of your logo makes a significant difference in how your brand will look to viewers on the internet. See the following image.

If you look at the high resolution image on the left, you will notice that it looks a lot clearer, and edges are sharper.

Many people do not actually have a high resolution version of their own logos, and sometimes they rely on individual contractors for tee shirt printing etc to create redrawn versions of their logo. This will come with an additional cost, so if you can get a sharp, high resolution version of your logo, that will be helpful to your web designer.

Take note, adding your logo to a Microsoft Word document is a strict no-no. So also is taking a photo of your logo on a company tee shirt, using a high quality camera.

You should also get the logo on a transparent background so that the web designer/developer can have more freedom to design. Most often, this refers to logos in the following formats:

• png
• .ai (Adobe Illustrator format)
• .eps
• .psd (Adobe Photoshop Document)

5. Company Branding: Colours

Your web designer wants to know what colours you are going to use for your site. This is pretty straight forward, but it gets tricky. You can’t just say that your brand colour is “green”, because of how many different shades of green there are. On the internet, we use codes known as Hex codes to determine colours, but your web designer can determine those from anything you can send them with the colours.

You can feel free to give more than one colour, as a palette to be used on the site. Now, while your palette can have more than one colour, don’t go crazy. I would say that five should be the maximum amount of colours you can use. Some brands use much less.

I once had a client who gave me about 9 colours, and asked that all be used on each page. We had to discuss that, and review the instruction. To be fair, it could have worked theoretically, but then the colours would need to be coordinated, or maybe we would have to have some multicolour graphics that we could place on each page.

Here are some examples of brand colour schemes from some of the largest technology companies in the world.

6. Calls to Action

In point 2 we asked what will your customers do. Your calls to action asks HOW they should do it. If you want them to buy something, should they purchase it now, or do you want them to sign up for a membership first?

These are questions you need to have answers to, so that your website can be designed to do what you want/need it to do.

Here are some examples of calls to action people want:

1. Sign up to the mailing list
2. Purchase an item
3. Purchase a quantity of one item
4. Purchase multiple items (buy a shirt, pants, and shoes)
5. Call you
6. Send you a message (via email/WhatsApp/Messenger etc.)
7. Email the page to a friend
8. Share things to social media
9. Follow you on social media
10. Remember you later when they need you

Conclusion

So there you have it! These tips aren’t an extensive list of things you will need, but they WILL help to create the others. For instance, many clients as whether they will need an “About Us” page with staff bios. Others want to know what they should include on their home page.

Based on what your answers are to the questions above, you can then determine what those answers. For instance, if you do not want visitors to call, then don’t include your phone numbers. If you want them to sign up for a program, then that information will be very prominent on the site.

If you need help to answer these questions, we’re here for you! Simply add your information to the form just below this article, or go to our CONTACT US page, and we can help you answer these questions, and build your website.