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20 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Website Redesign
How to Get
What You Want from Your Website Designer
By Angela S. Charles
President, Pilot Fish
Copyright 2008
If you've been involved in the design of your company's web
site, you probably already know how difficult it can be to convey
the type of website design you want.
Website design is a matter of personal taste. What one person
finds attractive and professional, you may not and vice versa.
Oftentimes, what you want is a matter of "I'll know it
when I see it," but unless your graphic designer is a mind
reader, that's not enough information to assure you'll get what
you visualized in your own head.
Below is a list of 20 questions to help you solidify in your own
mind and communicate to your website designer the look and feel
you believe would best represent your company.
Website Design Questions
- Do you prefer website designs that
contain many different colors (http://www.reductionengineering.com
as an example) or designs that use
fewer colors (http://www.reissbuilt.com,
for instance)?
- Do you prefer bright colors (as on
http://www.hmroyal.com)
or muted colors (as on http://www.reissbuilt.com)?
- Do you prefer website designs that
have white backgrounds behind the text (like http://www.isternplastics.com)
or colored backgrounds behind the text (such as http://www.purgeusa.com)?
- Do you prefer sites with black type
for the main text (such as http://www.reliable-resins.com)
or those with colored type for the main text (like http://www.naturalgas-electric.com)?
- Do you prefer website designs with
a horizontal layout (such as http://www.rotomachines.com)
or a vertical layout (like http://www.elmonteplastics.com)?
- Regarding navigation, which button
locations do you prefer - horizontal across the top, down
the left (as on http://www.dbi-global.com)
or the right side (http://www.elkayplastics.com),
in blocks (as on http://www.be-ca.com),
or a combination of some horizontal and some vertical (as
on http://www.jomarcorp.com)?
- Do you want a straightforward, rendering
of the logo, or would prefer something with more color gradation
or artistic treatment (http://www.utility-savings.net
as an example)?
- Does your company have a motto or
tagline that should be incorporated into the design?
- If yes, do you prefer the site tagline
in a straightforward, headline-style format or do you prefer
a more stylized format (as on http://www.evidencebags.com
or http://www.tecpapersdigital.com)?
- Some sites have faded terms related
to their businesses embedded in images (http://www.unitedpolychem.com
and http://www.pilotfishseo.com,
as two examples) -Do you like this technique?
- Do you prefer sites with actual product
images (as on http://www.elmonteplastics.com),
or those with stock photographs that evoke specific responses,
such as a sense of dependability or professionalism (http://www.hmroyal.com,
for example)?
- Do you prefer website designs with
straightforward, realistic photographs of products or those
that contain artistically altered images of products (http://www.airpowerusainc.com,
http://www.rotomachines.com
and http://www.evidencebags.com
are examples)?
- Do you prefer to have your product
images on the left side (as with http://www.firestonepolymers.com),
along the top (as with http://www.polysort.com/ntm/index2.html)
or down the right side (as with http://www.airpowerusainc.com)?
- Are there any logos for industry
quality, certification programs or association memberships
that should be part of the site's design? (See http://www.hmroyal.com
for example)
Of the sites you viewed above, please provide feedback on the
following questions:
- Which sites from the list of examples do you like best?
And why?
- Which do you dislike the most? Why?
- As you review the sites, which company logo placements
do you feel are the most appropriate for your company?
- Which color schemes do you prefer, as you look at these
sites? And why?
- Which color schemes do you absolutely hate? Why?
- Are there any other web sites that you have seen that
you like or feel demonstrate the style of design you prefer?
In each of the web site design examples above, Pilot Fish has
designed the site and optimized the site for performance on
the major search engines like Google and Yahoo.
For assistance with your website redesign and search engine
optimization project, contact Pilot Fish at 877-799-9994 ext.
2104 or fill
out this form.
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