The idea of starting a website is often fun and exciting, especially for people who have never created one before. Sometimes, the thought of it can be overwhelming, depending on what it is you want to achieve.
In this post, I'll share with you some questions you need to ask before creating a website.
Yes, before you say "Hey! I'm going to create a website", you need to know why. What is it to want to accomplish with this website? A website must have its primary role. For example, we visit youtube.com to watch videos. That's its primary role.
Before you create a website, you need to know what its primary role is. There are many things websites can do. A website can enable people to communicate with each other. It can be used to advertise products. It can be used to create awareness. Websites can practically be used to do anything. But before you venture into creating a website, you need to define what exactly it's contributing to society.
Your website needs to stand out among its competitors. That's what branding is about. What makes your website unique? What's so special about your website that sets it apart from others? What's going to be your online identity? How do you want users to remember you? These questions are critical to making your website stand out.
You will also need to figure out its domain name. If your website is for a company, it will need to correspond with your company name to make it easier to find by people and search engines. Even if it's not for a company, it needs to be something memorable. Something that resonates with your brand. Something users will easily remember.
You will need to plan the structure of the website. Think of it like drawing a blueprint for a house. But in this case, you're drawing the blueprint for the website.
Everything needs to be planned. The way your website looks needs to be put into consideration. Its inner workings also need to be put into consideration. You'll need to figure out how each component or module is going to work.
You'll also need to figure out whether you want it to be API-driven or Monolithic. The former is better suited for larger, customer-focused applications, while the latter is usually better suited for smaller applications. This leads me to the third question.
By tech stack, I mean the technologies that will be implemented when building the site. These are the languages, frameworks, plug-ins, or platforms your website will be built with.
You can use sites like WordPress and Squarespace to build a website easily and in a shorter amount of time. Sites like these also allow you to build a website without really knowing how to code. But if you want more control over your website and its functionalities, I suggest using programming languages and frameworks. These include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, .NET, PHP, and so on.
Before creating a website, you must know what technologies you will be using to create your website so you can plan accordingly.
Do you need a team of experts to make your website? Is it something you can create yourself? Once you know how you want to structure your website, you need to know who is going to be involved in its creation.
Usually, if you make a website with platforms like WordPress and Squarespace, they make it possible for individuals to be able to create websites on their own, with little to no knowledge of programming.
If you figure you need to make it with programming languages and frameworks, more often than not, you'll need a team. This is unless it's something you can do on your own.
Having a trained professional to talk to about this is usually a good idea. It will give you perspective and makes it easier to decide on what you're going to use to build it, and which personnel are required.
This is a huge one. Once you know how it's going to be structured, and what tech stack you're going to use, you need to figure out how long it's going to take to create it.
How long is each aspect of it going to take? How long will the planning take? How long will organizing the data models take? How long will the design take? And so on. This is essential to know before you kick off the website's creation.
This is another huge one! Every website NEEDS to b hosted for users to access it. This is a big one for a variety of reasons.
For one, you need to choose a hosting platform that is compatible with your chosen tech stack. Your hosting platform of choice needs to be able to integrate seamlessly with your chosen tech stack. If you're using Django, you need a site that handles Django with relative ease. If you're using WordPress, you need one that can easily handle WordPress and all its functionality. Do you see what I mean?
Another thing to consider is the pricing. You need to figure out one that is compatible with your tech stack and is also within your budget. This leads me to my next question.
Ah ha! The main elephant in the room. How much will the entire process cost?
How much will it cost to set everything up? How much will it cost to pay the members of your team (if you're using a team)? How much will the hosting cost? If third-party tools are being used, how much are the licenses? How much will it cost to secure the website? And how much will it cost to maintain it and keep it running?
All these and more should be part of the budget. It is important to plan it out so you will have a good idea of what you're getting into. It also helps you to use the money wisely.
If you are working with a team, it is often advised that you draft a contract that will be agreed on. If you are drafting a contract, you should consider the things discussed above. These things should be clearly defined and agreed upon in the contract.
The contract should be written in simple, concise language. It should also be as detailed as possible. Also, note that the contract should be drafted in accordance with the law.
Remember that the contract should also state what happens in case of issues or disagreements that may arise between the team members and their clients.
The idea of creating a website can seem fun, or overwhelming. Regardless, it is important to plan. Now, you have a relatively simple guide you can follow. You can add extra steps you feel are important. All that remains is to put your plan to work.