An underperforming website can cause issues such as declining sales and a failure to hit growth targets, and so we know that launching a new website or rebuilding an existing one can be an important, but daunting task. If not done correctly, it’s easy to fall into potential pitfalls that can impact many areas of the business. But, with the right approach to your website project, it's possible to navigate challenges to achieve a successful outcome!
Building an impactful website is essential to any business’s digital marketing strategy. In this blog post, we focus on insights from Pete Hibbard, Operations Director at Innovation Visual, who has extensive experience of delivering website projects from scratch and managing website re-builds for clients.
This blog content is based on one of our Digital Marketing Answered™ episodes which you can watch or listen to below. We will explore the key factors that contribute to the success of web projects, to help you on your way to a winning website to compete against your competitors.
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The Importance of Pre-Build Planning
The journey to a successful web build begins long before any coding starts. Pre-build planning is a crucial part of your project management, which involves:
- A detailed assessment of the project's aims and how these fit with business goals.
- Reviewing your technology stack.
- Getting the backing and involvement of stakeholders.
Understanding the purpose behind your website and aligning it with the business’s objectives, sets a solid foundation for the project. In the long run, investing in these steps up-front will help to save time and money.
Identifying Stakeholders
Involving relevant stakeholders from the beginning of the website project is critical to forming a cohesive development team. This could include; marketing managers, your web designer, developers, and any other key personnel who will contribute to the project. Ensuring that everyone is on the same page with the project's objectives and technology choices, prevents misunderstandings and sets the stage for efficient processes and a more seamless project.
Defining the Project Scope
Defining exactly what will be built is an important step. This involves many considerations, including SEO, user journey mapping, and establishing the information architecture of the site. Whether migrating from an existing site or starting afresh, it’s essential to assess and improve the current setup of factors like these, to meet the new project's objectives.
The Impact of Clear Briefing
Clear briefing documents for design and development teams are vital. These briefs should detail the project's aesthetic and functional requirements, including UX design, accessibility, and mobile responsiveness - which is especially important as more than 60% of global website traffic is mobile! Ensuring all stakeholders agree on these briefs before development begins is crucial for a smooth process.
Design and Development Phases
With solid planning, SMART goals and clear briefs, moving into the design and development phases becomes more straightforward. Regular communication, iterative feedback, and adherence to agreed key milestones help keep the project on track. It's also important to consider ideas for the content strategy early on, auditing existing content, and planning for new content as needed.
Managing Website Projects’ Scope and Budget
One of the biggest challenges in web projects is controlling scope creep. It's essential to stick to the original plan and budget, with flexibility to accommodate minor changes without derailing the project. Clear documentation, agreed milestones, and regular stakeholder communication are key to managing expectations and keeping the project on course.
Launching Successfully
A successful launch requires careful timing, thorough pre-launch testing, and post-launch checks to ensure everything works as intended. Planning the launch during low-traffic periods and conducting a final review of SEO and technical aspects can help avoid last-minute surprises.
Learn how to use SEO to future-proof your digital marketing
Achieve Website Success with our Experts
Web projects aren’t just about technical excellence; it's about thorough planning, clear communication, and stakeholder involvement throughout the process. By focusing on these areas, web projects can overcome common hurdles and reach a successful launch, setting the foundation for future digital success.
Contact our team to find out how we can help you with your website project.
We have been working with IV since the spring and they have taken over the management of our SEO campaigns and produced a new website for us.
They have been a pleasure to deal with and have created a highly proactive and clear strategy for us which is showing good results.
[…] we have worked with Pete in designing and creating a new website for our business and he has taken all the stress out of the process and seen it through to completion in a hassle-free manner.
We can't recommend them highly enough and our only regret is that we didn't engage them sooner!
Bob Mathias - Mathias Nurseries
