Website Design Checklist

Published On: October 26th, 2022Categories: Website DesignTags: ,

Here is a list of items you will need to start your new website design project:

Domain Name:  The first step is to see if the domain name you want is available or already registered. We usually recommend registering a name that is as close to your company name as possible. There are a lot of domain registrars to choose from.  Private registration is an option that hides your contact information from spammers.  We recommend Hover.com.  Their pricing is competitive and they offer free private registration. Hover.com also offers email accounts.

Branding Guidelines:  These are the elements that make up your company brand so that your brand stays consistent across all media.  These include:

  • Logo artwork: Vector artwork (.eps) is preferable
  • Brand colors: Typically there is a set of primary colors used in fonts, buttons and backgrounds and a set of secondary colors used for accents or specific purposes.
  • Icons
  • Graphic elements

Copy for pages: Organize content by topic. Make sure all copy has been proofread and is free of spelling and grammatical errors.

Images and other media: High quality, professional photography can make all the difference. Stock photography is always an option to fill in the gaps but we always recommend you use your own photos. This will convey value to your image. Check that all stock images are properly licensed.

SEO: Define key phrases and words and make a prioritized list. Define your geographic area. Are you a local business with a defined service area or do you sell your product worldwide? Here is a great SEO Starter Guide provided by Google.

Social Media: Make use of the social media outlets that apply to your business and focus on establishing a robust presence.  Don’t spread yourself too thin on social media platforms that do not pertain to your audience.

Website Hosting: In order to publish a website online, you need a Web host. The Web host stores all the pages of your website and makes them available to computers connected to the Internet. All website hosts are not created equal.  Shared hosting is the least expensive. You are sharing space with hundreds of other websites on a server and security risks are higher in this type of set up.  If one site gets hacked, the others on the server are more likely to get hacked. Read our article for more detail on this topic.

Analytics: Make sure your website is set up to capture web data and analytics. This valuable information will allow you to continually improve your website going forward.  Analytics will provide data on who is visiting your site, where they are located, and what search terms they used to find you. Google Analytics is the leader in this arena and is a free service.

Security & Backups: You can prevent loss of data and protect against malware and other damages by properly setting up site security and regular backups. Again this depends on your hosting provider. A good hosting company will provide security and daily backups for no additional charge.

We can answer any questions you have on building a new website for your business.

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About the Author: Carla Baldwin

Carla Baldwin
Carla is the owner of Baldwin Web Design. She is the lead developer and project manager with over twenty years of professional experience in web development and digital marketing.