How to start a website design

In this post I will show you how to start the design of a website.
You will know the steps to follow in the development and how you should collect the information of the contents to present them to your webmaster.

Once you have met the Requirements for have a website that I explained to you in my previous article, you will be in a position to move forward to make your website concrete
You may not know where to start and that is why I present you an organization guide that you can follow very easily.

Responsive website

Make sure your designer develops a responsive website, also called responsive web design, adaptive web design or responsive web.
This is a web development standard whose objective is to adapt the appearance of the pages to the device that is being used to visit them .

responsive web design

Today web pages are seen on a multitude of devices such as tablets, smartphones, e-books, laptops, PCs, etc.
In addition, each device has its specific characteristics: screen size, resolution, CPU power, operating system or memory capacity, among others.
In addition, each device has its specific characteristics: screen size, resolution, CPU power, operating system or memory capacity, among others.
Google requires that sites be responsive to be indexed in their search engines, so if your website is not, you are left out ...

The following image shows a display scheme on a phone between a non-responsive and a responsive site, where the prioritization of readability is observed.

comparacion responsive

What information should you provide to your webmaster?

You need to know in advance what you want to communicate and show through your website.
What are the values you want to convey, what target audience are you targeting, who are your competitors and what image do you want to show about your business, activity, or your own person.

You should take a prior time of analysis, which will allow you to "filter" the contents of your website, define the aesthetics and essence of your project, and also at the level of language that you will use in the texts and images.

estrategias y organizacion web

Observe your competition

Surely you are not the only person or company in the world that carries out a certain activity and wants to show it on the web.
I advise you to see similar sites of your possible competitors, and make a list with the web addresses of their respective sites.
This is not to imitate or copy them, but to "innovate" communicational concepts and obtain a better result.
Innovate means "improve what already exists" to obtain a new quality standard.

The following image shows different websites of companies in the "openings and enclosures" category in Argentina.

observar a tu competencia

Each web development requires a prior analysis to obtain a “know-how” (knowing how to do something).
That is why we assume that each site you have visited has already done it previously (good or bad).
This allows you to take already tested starting points and adapt them to your own identity and needs.

Performing a criticism and evaluating the successes and failures of your competitors will allow you to optimize the results you are looking for.
Do not forget to always consult your webmaster about the content, since he will surely have much more experience than you and will know how to advise you correctly.

 

Collect information for your website

This may be perhaps the most complex part for you, as it requires your participation and teamwork with the webmaster.
Do not be discouraged if you do not know how to start, since many times it is very difficult to talk about yourself .
But do not try to delegate all the work to your designer, since he does not know your history, your company, your goals, or your ideas.
In that case I suggest you tell him your needs so that he can draw up an organization chart and they can solve each stage of web development together.
Once you have passed this initial stage, everything will be on track and your participation will be minimal.

contenidos web

Next, I show you some items that you should have before ordering your website.

organigrama diseño web

1. Organizational structure of the website (Sections)

Your website must be divided into sections to facilitate online browsing and organize the contents.
These sections have very general themes, so that the user can find them easily.
They tend to be quite similar on all websites, and it is good that they are, since users are used to these structures.

Depending on the type of site you have, a basic organization could be the following:

 

  • Home Page: Presentation, welcome, general description, offers, promotions, etc.
  • About (Institutional): Who we are, Professional Staff, History, Mission, Vision, etc.
  • Services: Description of services offered to the client.
  • Products: Product catalog with specific descriptions.
  • Publications: Dossiers, brochures, magazines, etc.
  • Media: Photo and / or video galleries
  • Agenda of activities: Events, presentations, etc.
  • News: Launching of new products, services, offers, promotions, etc.
  • Tidings: Related to your activity or your market.
  • Press and Communication: Press releases, gazettes and flyers in graphic, radio, web and TV media.
  • Social media: Access to social networks. All content can be shared directly from the website.
  • Blog: Informative or thematic posts, outstanding information for clients, etc.
  • Customer service: After sales service, technical advice, etc.
  • Downloads: Allows the user to download documents, publications, audios, videos, spreadsheets, etc.
  • Contact: Contact modes, telephones, mail, form, geolocation through Google Maps and QR code.
  • WhatsApp Chat: Allows you to chat directly from the website using an always visible button.
organigrama web

Each section forms a separate page within your site that can contain one or more related topics.
I suggest you keep the section titles very short, as these define the names of the main menu buttons.

The following image shows the main menu with the sections of the site, and a drop-down menu for related sections.

menu principal

2. Textual information

It is very important that you spend some time writing the texts that describe your business or activity that you will include on your website.
It will depend on them whether your site is found in content search engines such as Google.
If you really want to have content effective on your website, I advise you to hire a "copywriter" service, a professional dedicated to writing persuasive texts to capture the interest of your users.
You will know translate the textual information for your site and social networks into the correct words, and get the best out of it aimed at promoting SEO.

copywriter

General descriptive texts

Even if you do not hire a copywriter and decide to write your texts personally, I advise you to do it consciously and with criteria.
The descriptive texts will define each section of your website that you have created in the previous item.
I advise you to be short and concise. Do not go too long in telling your whole story unless you think it is essential.
People do not have time to read texts that are too long, especially if they view them on mobile devices.

These texts should not include more than one or two subtitles and a few short paragraphs with generalized information.
In this way, you are showing the user a quick-read overview of what they can find on your website, and invite them to find more detailed information in other specific sections of the site.
Make sure you use language that is clear and without too many technicalities, that it is not boring and that can be understood by a wide section of the community.

textos generales descriptivos

Content or informative texts

Unlike descriptive texts, content or informative texts should be longer, detailed and detailed.
They can contain specific technical concepts and a more appropriate language if you consider it necessary.

These texts are aimed at a more selective target that has the need to obtain precise information about a particular topic.
They can be included in the blog section, product details, modes of use, technical information, etc.

The texts must include phrases and keywords to promote SEO and it is very important that you consider this concept from the beginning of the work.
These key phrases or sets of words are what users type in a search engine like Google to obtain results and thus access your own content, so you should think about them "from the user's point of view" more than from your own gaze.

All texts must be delivered in digital format (Word or similar) already written, corrected and in their final extension, and may be reviewed and corrected by the webmaster to optimize SEO.

The following image shows the technical description of a specific product on a catalog page.
Texts in yellow represent SEO key phrases (words that a user types in Google when performing a search)
Texts in light blue indicate the results obtained by the search engine according to the relevance of those keywords.
This is the reason for the meticulous writing of the contents oriented to favor SEO.

textos de contenidos seo

3. Images and Videos

I advise you to include photographs, graphics and videos of your activity, company, products or services among the aforementioned texts.
Photographic and multimedia images (video and audio) are very important for the composition of your website.
It is boring and tedious for the user to read large extensions of texts without the presence of descriptive images.
I suggest that you always use good quality original photos of your own.

You can also use images obtained from the web that are not subject to copyright , since you could face legal claims from third parties.
The fact that you can download photos free from the web does not mean that you have the right to use them freely.
Make sure to check the copyright-free use of images.
There are several sites that allow you to download these types of images for free, and they are identified as such.

The following image shows original artworks by an Argentine plastic artist on her own website.

Imagenes originales

The professional glance of the seasoned photographer

Try to hire a specialized photographer, who will have a much more effective and professional look to show your work in the best way and create good original content.

If you do not want a professional, try to take your own photos with the best possible quality and taking into account the context and the environment.
Avoid seeing unnecessary elements in the background and always taking care of lighting and framing.

I always advise my clients that once they have their website, they obtain quality visual content of their activities, production, events, etc.
This will be very useful for your website and your social networks.

Read my article How to get the best return on photos of your products to learn more about photography for the web.

 

fotografo

Photo nomenclature

In order to facilitate the work of your designer and favor SEO, I suggest you name the digital files in a logical and concise way, for example: smartphone-samsung-galaxy-s10-black.jpg

Never leave the default name as it comes out of the camera (ex. Pic0024585.jpg)

Your designer does not know your content and Google does not like those names and ignores or penalizes them.

All images must be delivered in digital format (JPG or PNG) in good resolution and size.
Logos are preferred in vector format (AI, EPS, CDR or similar) or in its default in high resolution JPG or PNG.

4. Content optimization for SEO

As I mentioned before, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) consists of the conscious and strategic optimization of the textual contents of a website so that they can be recognized by search engines such as Google.
It is an additional service to web design but absolutely necessary and I recommend you not to do without it.

All content will be configured using keywords and textual definitions that favor the intelligent performance of searches.
For this reason, the designer is likely to adapt the wording of the texts to these requirements.

This does not imply the application of online marketing strategies or advertising campaigns through sponsored links on Google.

Read my post How to improve SEO on your website for information and tips on optimizing your website.

The following image shows an outline of how a content search engine like Google works.

como funciona un buscador

5. Social Networks

It is important that your company or enterprise has in addition to the website, its profiles and channels in social networks, and that these have the same criteria of design, aesthetics and communication.
Having social networks multiplies the possibilities of visualization and presence of your website.
All the contents of your website can be shared directly on all social networks with a single click, allowing access to your pages from the same posts.

In the following image we can see how to share a page on Facebook from a website and the result obtained.
Note that the posting refers directly to the website, so that clicking on it redirects the user to the website of origin.

sahre en redes sociales

If your website includes videos, I advise you to previously upload them to your own YouTube or Vimeo channel and not to third-party channels, since they will favor user traffic to those channels and not yours.

youtube canal

I recommend that you hire a good «community manager» capable of creating their own and original content on your social networks, taking care of the aesthetics and maintaining the graphic coherence of all your publications, to favor your institutional presence.

6. Google My Business

If your website has customer service and a postal address, I advise you to have a Google My business profile, where you can define days and hours of attention and geolocation using Google Maps , which will provide you with new access channels to your website and will facilitate your SEO positioning.
You will also be able to integrate geolocation to your social networks and your followers will be able to add your location in your posts.

The use of maps helps a lot to locate your web oriented in geographical areas and they are very effective on mobile devices (phones and tablets)

mapa geolocalizacion

7. Web content updates

Finally, I advise you to always keep the content updated, remove obsolete information, renew images and add new sections of content.
This will make your visitors feel attracted to your site, they will return periodically and your site will grow.

There is nothing more negative for users than returning to a website and always seeing the same thing. That speaks of stagnation, a tedious routine, a lack of creativity and motivation.
And not only will your users get bored and won't come back. Google will also lower your ranking and your SEO, since its "spiders" will stop indexing your site by not registering updates and it will not be considered relevant for the results of their searches.

actualizacion de contenidos web

Final conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article and found it useful.
Now you know everything you need to have in order to start your website and how to approach a project with your webmaster

If you wanted to have your website and you consider that I am a suitable professional, do not hesitate to contact me and I will advise you with great pleasure.

In the Related Articles section below, you will find many articles with specific topics that complement the one you just read. Thank you!

adrian pablo conti director

Adrián Pablo Conti

I am a Graphic and Web Designer graduated from the University of Buenos Aires (FADU-UBA)
Since 1993 I have run Web4, my own freelance graphic and web design creative studio, located in the City of Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Me I specialize in the development of visual identity, institutional communication, web sites and online stores, editorial design, catalogs, magazines and packaging design, among others.

All the images shown in this article are their own or were obtained from the web for illustrative purposes and belong to their respective authors.

Let Share:

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Requirements to have a website

In this article I will show you all the prerequisites you need to have your website.
You may not know how to start, who to hire, and you do not know the production costs, the formal aspects, etc.
Here you will know the language related to web design and the steps to follow in the development of your website.

If what you need is an online store, I suggest you also read my article Requirements to have an online store, where you will find more detailed information.

Requirements to have a website

These are the fundamental elements that you have to have to start your business on the internet:

1. Define the site name

The first thing you should do is define what your website is going to be called.
It is important that "googlees" the name chosen to verify that it does not exist, both on the web and in social networks.
Although it is very common for names to be repeated, it is not recommended that there be two identical names.
This, in addition to bringing legal problems, can harm you by taking your visitor traffic to other similar sites that are not yours.

In this case, you can add additional words that have to do with the activity you carry out, the type of company formed, etc.
The name is directly associated with the domain , which I will explain to you in the next item.
Therefore, you should also think about it strategically to favor SEO (search engine optimization like Google)

 

Complementary aids

If your website represents an activity, type of product or service, it is advisable that the keyword that represents it is part of the name.
Also, if your site is Developed in WordPress, it allows you to add short secondary text as a description or slogan that complements the title.

 

Example: FVA Packaging. Printings for gastronomy.

 

In the previous example, the name is “FVA” , the activity is “Packaging” and the brief description is “Printed matter for gastronomy”
And so, in a few words, 3 very important elements for online search are resolved: the name, the activity and the description.

 

Optimize web positioning

This favors SEO since the search engine tracks keywords in the title of the pages, in the domain name, in the headlines of the articles on each page, in the texts and in the names of the images.
The more times these keywords are repeated, the higher their search engine performance.
In this way, whoever writes the name in the search engine, will also obtain results relevant to the activity and will filter it among several similar options.

In addition, the set of the name and the description is the one that is displayed in the following places:

  • Google search results.
  • Web browser title bar.
  • Favorite bookmarks, along with the site avatar.

Always consult your webmaster before choosing the name of your site, since it will surely know how to guide you and prevent you from making common mistakes.

Nombre en resultados de busqueda

This is how the name is displayed in Google search results

Nombre en el navegador

The name of the site is displayed in the title bar of the web browser

Nombre en el navegador

This displays the name in Favorite bookmarks, along with the site's avatar.

Unification of criteria

If you want to achieve a better presence of your brand on the web, I advise you to unify the name criteria, and use the same name both for your website and for your social networks.
This will make it much easier for users to locate you quickly and avoid confusion with users with similar names.

Just as the name should be unified, the design criteria and general aesthetics of your site and social networks should also be unified, helping to position your brand and strengthen your visual identity on the web.

Diseñador web

2. Web Domain

The domain is your web address, something like your postal address.
It is what we all know as www.yourcompany.com.ar, and it is the type in browsers to access a website.
This domain is unique and unrepeatable. There cannot be two identical domains, although they are similar.
Generally, your domain will be the same or similar to the name of your website, so you should check the availability of your domain name provider (Who is).

In the example in the following image we are looking for the availability of the domain idiliocrepuscular.com.ar

Dominio disponible

A legal issue

The fact that a domain name is available for acquisition does not mean that you also have ownership of the brand or the name of the site.
They are very different things, and if you want to register your name as a brand, you should do it first in the corresponding entity, and then register the domain, to avoid third-party property claims.
It is likely that there is already a trademark with your name or similar and that it does not yet have its website.

Always consult your webmaster before registering a domain, as they will surely know how to guide you and prevent you from making common mistakes.

 

Locate on the map

The national domains (.com.ar) refer to Argentina, they are acquired through NIC.AR and you must previously be registered in AFIP to qualify and be the owner of a domain.
They have a valid for one year and are renewed at each expiration.
The lack of domain renewal will make your site go down and remain offline, with all the consequences that this may bring you. Therefore, I recommend that you schedule the expiration dates.

Being the owner of a domain certifies that you are a real natural or legal person, with a verifiable postal address and that you are authorized to carry out safe commercial activities protected by the legal regulations of your country.
In this way, profiles and companies are avoided "Ghosts" that abound in social networks, where users can be scammed without the possibility of claiming anything.

empresa fantasma

An international domain (.com) does not refer to any country and is acquired through companies or websites that sell domains.
You do not need to register in AFIP and they are widely used by multinational companies .

 

Ownership and possession

The owner of the domain must always be the client.
Never accept that someone acquires your domain in their name, since in the future you could have legal problems of ownership or commercial use.
You can ask your webmaster to advise and guide you in the acquisition and renewal of domains.

dominios web

3. Graphic and Web Designer

Once you have decided to have a website, the first thing you have to do is to hire a good graphic and web designer, who is capable of developing a customized virtual business, with efficiency and responsibility.
I advise you to be your designer web is also your webmaster, since you will have a global vision of the development of your website and its correct operation.
The designer must be able to advise you at each stage of web development, content presentation, choice of images and structure of the site to do it correctly.
Never dispense with the work and professional look of a good web designer.

 

Very tempting offers and the myth of self-management

There are dozens of online platforms (free and paid) that allow you to build and manage a website yourself, with little knowledge and at a very low cost.
They are really very easy to use through pre-designed templates where generic elements are replaced for your own content, as if it were a puzzle.
What these platforms do not tell you is that you need to have knowledge of web content, digital image editing, web positioning, etc.
You also do not have a personalized and human support to resolve your queries and concerns.

Surely you have already tried and carried it out and you will feel very happy about it ... at first ...
Things do not usually work very well in "automatic pilot" mode, at least for a long time, much less when you involve your customers in your online business.
Making an analogy with everyday life, a site with these characteristics would be like a prefabricated house .
On the outside it seems a house, but the living experience is very different from one designed by an architect and built with materials that will last over time.

diseña tu propia web

The professional glance of the graphic designer

A website is much more than what is seen online.
A good site must be functional and effective, compatible with mobile devices, social networks and must answer all the technical questions of the Internet.
The contents must be strategic and original, the images must be optimized for quick download.
The texts must be relevant to be found in search engines, the internal organization of the site must be pleasant and dynamic, etc.
In addition, there are many elements Internal that are not visible, but are essential for the proper functioning and security of the online site, and that only a professional and experienced designer knows.

A good designer must have a perfect knowledge of graphic design, web design, WordPress, Photoshop, HTML5 and CCS3 programming, databases, hosting servers, web security protocols and, above all, must know how the site works online from the user experience and know in advance what the user expects from your website.
These are vitally important factors that make your site effective and avoid complications that surely you will not know how to solve and lead you to the failure or abandonment of your online venture.

Diseñador web

4. Webhosting

Webhosting is an outsourced service.
It is a virtual space that is contracted on a server to host (host) a website and it is who allows this site to be active.
It is generally paid in advance and periodically (annually, semester, monthly , etc.) depending on the company.
The web hosting provider also provides you with various tools related to your domain: create custom email boxes (eg info@yourcompany.com.ar) , create sub domains, databases, obtain statistics on your website traffic, technical service, etc.

Magic solutions

NEVER choose a free web hosting service if you want to have a professional, reputable and secure website.
These sites offer you very large spaces (in megabytes) where you can upload whatever you want without paying anything.
In exchange for That, they bombard you with advertising banners, which in addition to being very annoying and unprofessional, take you to unknown sites, unsafe and vulnerable to viruses.
In addition, they will obtain private information both from you and from your followers that favor spam, hacker attack, identity theft and many other computer crimes.
All this is considered a terrible Internet practice and Google will block your site from their search engines.

Going back to the prefab analogy, web hosting represents the terrain where you will build your house, and you wouldn't want to do it on a swamp or unstable ground.

 

Other tempting options

Many telephone companies, TV or Internet providers offer an "additional" web hosting service.
In my professional experience I have had clients who opted for this, but they have never been effective, since it is not a "dedicated" service but "additional" to the company that offers it.
The problem arises at the time of technical inquiries due to malfunctioning of the site, server crashes, etc.
These are not answered as soon as possible by qualified personnel, and the client does not understand what they are talking about since they do not understand the terminology.
In addition, these companies only offer the web hosting service and not the webmaster service, and the client does not know that, and when it comes to adding costs, it is much more expensive than hiring a professional dedicated web hosting service.

hosting gratis

Always prioritize quality

It is very important to hire a "dedicated" webhosting service that is of very good quality, compatible with WordPress, and that provides SSL (https) security protocols that will allow you to carry out commercial transactions safely through your website.
Secure sites that comply with these standards are identified with a padlock icon and the “https” protocol in the web browser.
You can always trust them sites that meet these characteristics.

sitios seguros ssl

The following image shows what the servers of the web hosting providers look like.

Detalle de pagina de compra de productos en tienda

Unify maintenance tasks

I suggest that your webmaster is also the one who provides you the webhosting service, since he will surely have experience working with such a company and there is a communion of teamwork between the two endorsed by years of experience.

5. Webmaster

A webmaster is a graphic and web designer who designs your site or your store, manages the contents, updates the templates and plugins so that your site is always safe and solves technical problems that may arise.

Never think that your designer is a multi-tasking kiosk that solves everything, and although we have global knowledge on many topics, we are not competent in all areas. In design there are also specific tasks for each need.
In design there are also specific tasks for each need.
Seguramente no le pedirías a tu médico cardiólogo que te recete gafas para ver mejor. ¿Verdad?

Do not confuse Webmaster and Community Manager, since they are two totally different tasks.
The first handles the design of your site and all the administrative and technical issues, while the second creates content for your social networks and serves your followers.

Once you have met all the requirements, your designer is ready to start working on the design of your website.

I also advise you to read my article How to start designing a website? to know all the stages of design and what information you have to provide to your webmaster to design your site.

Final conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article and that it was useful to you.
Starting a project on the Internet for the first time implies having a basic knowledge of the web design language and multiple technical and functional aspects.

If you wanted to have your website and you consider that I am a suitable professional, do not hesitate to contact me and I will advise you with great pleasure.

In the Related Articles section below, you will find many articles with specific topics that complement the one you just read. Thank you!

adrian pablo conti director

Adrián Pablo Conti

I am a Graphic and Web Designer graduated from the University of Buenos Aires (FADU-UBA)
Since 1993 I have run Web4, my own freelance graphic and web design creative studio, located in the City of Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Me I specialize in the development of visual identity, institutional communication, web sites and online stores, editorial design, catalogs, magazines and packaging design, among others.

All the images shown in this article are their own or were obtained from the web for illustrative purposes and belong to their respective authors.

Let Share:

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