What You Need to Do Before (Re)Launching a Smart Website

The next step is to prepare all your assets in an organized and accessibled format.

This includes passwords for hosting, analytics, plugins, high-resolution product pictures, icons, badges, and vector logos. If you are an older company, this information may take some time to gather. However, without this information, the agency is limited in what they can accomplish. We suggest compiling this list before meeting with your agency.

If you don’t have any of these things, i.e. no website at all, that’s totally understandable, we can create these things for you. However, we do ask that you be clear from the beginning of what you do and don’t have to avoid confusion and unnecessary expenses.

Be 100% clear on the deadline.

If you need to meet a certain date, that deadline needs to be explicitly expressed. Your deadline will depict our deadlines to make sure everything is completed in time. For example, if you’re launching a product on 1st of September, then that is YOUR deadline; however, that is not OUR deadline. For a site that has to be completed by September 1st, the 10th of August is our ideal deadline for your site to be up and running.

Be Realistic About Your Budget.

Money can be a tricky subject, but the budget is an essential piece of information that needs to be thoroughly discussed. It’s not about giving away a secret or showing all your cards – it’s about pointing out a direction. Your budget establishes an expectation. Are you expecting a Mercedes or a Chevrolet? A Caviar or a Tuna sandwich?

If your budget and expectations do not line up, trust us, your Web Agency will tell you. We want you to be as happy with the final product as possible. If you tell us your budget is $2000, we can tell you exactly what you can expect from that money (it’s not a lot).

Alternatively, if your budget is too large then any reputable Web Agency will tell how much you actually need for your proposed project and what extras you can get if you decide to keep your original budget.

Your budget will consist of:

• Instruments: identity work (logo, content, imagery, videos), hosting, domains purchase
• Development: getting the website coded and working properly.
• Launching: investing in kick off promotions and fixing any bugs that naturally pop up
• Sustaining: monthly payments for updating, promoting, evolving and growing the Website (SEO, inbound, digital actions).

Finally, be open, answer and ask questions, get quotes, make a decision.

Your website is a substantial investment. Take the time to listen to other people’s ideas (especially the professionals in a Web Design Agency), make sure you are clear on all terms and clauses and shop around until you find an agency you are truly comfortable with.