So, you’ve been looking at your website, and although you were very pleased with it when it first launched, you’ve decided it’s time to refresh your online presence.

Perhaps you want to add a shopping cart so that people can purchase items directly from the site in addition to being fully informed about your organization. Or maybe you’ve merged your company with another and need to build a new website that covers the entirety of the combined operation.

There are many reasons for wanting to create a new or upgraded online presence and all those reasons are valid and should be fully explored prior to hiring a website designer.

The first and most important question to ask yourself and your team is;

What do I want this website to accomplish?

As surely as form follows function (said every engineer, ever) websites must respond to the needs of the site owner and to the needs and wants of the site users and readers.

This overriding vision should guide every decision that is made about the final design of the website.

Start With a Clean Sheet

…and work from there. Simply sketch out the website of your dreams and attach a couple of URL’s of sites that you like (for whatever reason) and add notations in the margin about elements in those sites that you want to see on your new site. This will be a great help to your website design team as they move through the process of creating a model of the site you hope to build.

Remember to convey to the designers which elements are must-haves. In fact, it can be useful to have a checklist to work from.

Website Brief Elements

• e-commerce ready
• a mission statement page
• product or services information pages
• a weekly blog (very good for SEO purposes)
• a forum for customers or others to discuss industry-related topics
• a ‘Portfolio’ page that can showcase your work to its best possible advantage
• case studies or book and article reviews that are relevant to your organization
• a ‘Photo Gallery’ to display images relevant to your organization and its projects
• a review page for customers to rate your products or services (or of your competitors)
• an ‘About’ page, a ‘Contact’ page and an ‘Emergency Hours’ page (for veterinarians, etc.)
• colours and styles: what to include in the footer, what kind of widgets in the sidebar area etc.
• an interactive Google Maps widget visible on each page with your hours, address, and more
• will you allow other contributors to post articles, blogs, news, or other information to the site
• other interactive pages that may apply to your organization (such as weather advisories, etc)
• legal information about quote or image usage, including copyright and trademark information
• will you have advertising? Will you allow banner ads, Google Adwords, affiliate advertising, or will other businesses (like your suppliers or customers businesses) advertise on your site?

By asking yourself these question in advance and taking the requisite time to research and decide what you want in the way of content, and look and feel of your new site -- and what you don’t want on your site -- you’ll be better prepared to discuss with your website designer exactly what end-result you hope to achieve.

It doesn’t matter what type of website design you want: from chiropractic to gardening, from the local plumper to an international recruitment firm. You need to start with a clear, concise and consistent brief to shine.

In that way, you’re far more likely to get the results you’re looking for

And because a website is a living, breathing entity (it’s not a static place on the web, it’s a dynamic presence on the internet that tells the world who you are, where you’re going, and what you’ve accomplished so far) an entity that needs to be constantly updated – your organization will thrive accordingly, and because of, your new website! And isn’t that what it’s all about?