Your web developer is capable of creating stunning websites that will impress your visitors and even help with SEO.

Developers can only do this if you give them a little help. It’s true, you have to help your web developer before they can help you get the perfect site for your needs.

You don’t need to understand programming or how to customise a theme, but you do need to answer a few questions before hiring someone. This makes the process easier for everyone involved.

1. What Features Do You Want/Need?

You might not know the difference between plugin A and plugin B, but you probably know that you love certain functions and features on other websites. Take the time to look at a variety of websites to determine what features you like and don’t like. Make a list of a few sites that you love and a few that you don’t. These will help your web developer better determine which features and functions to add, even if you can’t fully explain them yourself.

2. What Is Your Target Niche?

Different niches require different types of websites. For instance, a news site would want their homepage full of stories, while an car parts business would want images of their shop along with contact information on the homepage.

Take the time to define your target audience so you can fully explain your audience and what you want to achieve. It might not seem important, but your developer needs to know how to create a custom site specifically for your business.

3. Is Your Content Ready?

It’s not uncommon for someone to want a new site, but not have any content prepared. Content, including text and visuals, aren’t just something to add in after the site’s finished. Your developer needs content to provide you with a better site. Take time before hiring a developer to gather all logos, images and content. Your developer will be happier and it’ll keep your project from being delayed over something as simple as content.

4. Do You Need A New Theme?

If you already have a website, you have to think about whether you want a completely new site or a more customised version of your existing site. If you love your current WordPress theme, but need different functions, let your developer know. Instead of having to have an entirely new theme created, your developer may be able to customise your existing one. If that’s not possible, your developer can create a new theme that resembles the old one, but provides the features you need.

5. Are There Any Technical Details?

This is actually a series of questions, such as:

• Do you have hosting already?
• What is your domain name, if you have one?
• What social accounts do you want to connect?
• Do you have your own servers?
• How are backups handled? (necessary if you want a backup plugin installed during the process)
• What analytics code should be used?
• Can your developer login to your host?

Your developer can’t answer these questions for you. You have to provide them with the answers so they can set up your site so it works flawlessly on your host.

6. What Do You Consider Conversions?

It might seem obvious to you, but different sites have different types of conversion goals. For you, it may be sales, but another site might strive for newsletter signups. When it comes to choosing and customising your theme, picking plugins and incorporating features, your developer needs to have some idea of your conversion strategy.

7. What Pages Do You Need?

While your developer can help with this to a point, you can help your web developer by planning out a sitemap before starting the project. This tells your developer what pages you need, how they’ll be organised and even how to navigate between them. Otherwise, your developer has no idea how many pages you need and what the purpose of each page is.

Conclusion

Creating a website is a team effort. You need your developer to handle a large part of it, but you have to provide the developer with guidance so they have a starting point. Be prepared and have answers to all these questions in advance and you’ll have a happy developer on your hands.

Already have all these questions answered? Contact StuartMedia today to discuss your web development project today. 

Image: Rennett Stowe

When you hire a web developer, the last thing you’re probably thinking about is content.

The problem is, content is part of the development process and without it, your developer may have to settle for filler lorem ipsum text and blank image blocks. This only delays your final launch.

The best time to prepare your content is when you first start searching for a web developer. The sooner it’s done, the sooner your developer can add it to your site so you’ll see how the final product looks before launch time comes.

Work With Your Developer

The first step is to talk to your developer. This is a vital part of any web development process as you explain the purpose of your site, what features you want and of course, what the developer needs from you. Describe the pages you want and how you envision the content for each page.

Your developer can then create wireframes to show you how content will appear, showing you what types of content and how much of it is needed for each page. Think of the site architecture and wireframes as your site’s blueprint. While the final site might change slightly, this serves as you and your web developer’s initial guide.

Set Deadlines For Content

You don’t have to prepare all your content at one time. Talk to your developer to work out a content timeline. For instance, maybe your developer needs the content for the Homepage and header first, but doesn’t need the About Us content until a week later. Each type of content, including text and images, should have their own deadline. Establish this in advance so you and your developer are on the same schedule and no one’s left waiting.

Refer to your blueprint along the way to avoid missing any pages. If you discover you need additional pages as you prepare your content, contact your developer to let them know.

Upload To WordPress

Now that you have a guide and deadlines, it’s time to provide the content to your web developer. One method, especially for WordPress sites, is to upload content into a temporary WordPress site. Your developer can then move the content to your main site as they finish each section of the site. Your developer may add all the pages required and all you have to do is add in the content.

Send Via Email

Another method is email. You prepare your content and images in a Word document and email it to your developer. It’s important to label each type of content clearly so the developer knows where it goes. Lay out the content in your document as it would appear on the website. For instance, if your homepage has 10 blocks of text, use a table layout and enter each section of text in a different block.

Use Google Docs

If you’re not comfortable using WordPress yet, you can collaborate and prepare content by using Google Docs or a similar service. Your web developer can provide a list of the pages and sections of content necessary. You create all the applicable documents and your developer can upload them to your site. If any changes need to be made, all you have to do is edit the specific document and your developer can make the change.

Hire Someone

The final option is to hire someone to handle all your content creation. You’ll still need to work with your developer to establish your desired pages and content areas. Some developers may even recommend copywriters and graphic designers to handle your text and visuals.

This approach is ideal if you’re not sure what to add or don’t have enough time to craft the content yourself. The people you hire can deliver it directly to you or the developer. For instance, if using WordPress or Google Docs, the content could be uploaded and you’d be notified. Once you’ve approved it, you could mark the content as Finalized, signaling the developer that it’s ready.

Conclusion

Content shouldn’t be a last minute thought. In fact, 76% of users said a well organized site that makes it easy to find what they need is more important than a beautiful design. Plus, content is what helps you drive new traffic to your site. Give your developer the power to make your site even better by preparing your content early in the development process.

Ready to talk with a developer about your new site? Contact StuartMedia today to start planning and to start prepping your content.

Image: Mårten Björk