Shot of a young businesswoman having a brainstorming session in a modern office

Things To Have Before Approaching Your Web Design Team

by BusinessDigitalMarketingSEOWed DesignWed Development

Things To Have Before Approaching Your Web Design Team

This article will cover a few areas for our readers who are not interested in a do-it-yourself (DIY) project.  

For our article titled Building a Website on a Budget, we covered the areas in building an easy simple website that will cover all the areas of your digital needs. In that, some vital areas may be missed and were not covered as you were focusing on too much as the architect.  

While you are trying to hire a web designing team it can be a bit tricky as you may need to check on some specific areas to ensure they fit your niche.  

In this we will be covering: 

  1. Budget
    • Template  
    • Custom 
  2. Plan 
  3. Goals 
  4. Purpose 
  5. History of Designer Team 
  6. Visuals 
  7. Revision Process 
  8. Involvement Need 

Budget 

In all planning, we always make a financial mapping of where we want to be. With this, you know where you are going and the cost to get there.  

We prepare for it all, in sorting or budget planning you need to research on “rate for web designer”, this gives the added confidence needed to approach your prospect.  

In some cases, you are head set on the individual or company you want to do business with, in that case, contact them directly or via the website to get a possible number.  

It is always best to design on your spending size before approaching your designer.  

Some companies or individuals will post their pricing categories on websites or varied digital marketing mediums. These may also be categorized by tools used or be it a template or custom website.  

Template 

In your daily browsing, you may come across quite a few templates like websites some recognizable others may not be so easy.  

The modern website usually chooses this as it is an easier do-it-yourself (DIY) which result in an automatic lower cost.  

With being templated you may not have much to offer a visitor that another website gives in visiting, this is so there is not much to change with a templated site so your first-time visitor may get the feeling as though I have seen or visited this space before,  

Custom 

Selecting your custom route may mean that your project will take a bit longer this is so as your website will be building from the ground to get to the awesome finished product. 

This will also be a bit more on the costly side and as you were able with the templated version to have a DIY project, without a solid experience in the web designing field you may not be able to take this project on yourself. 

While the look and feel can and may be the same as the template your designer will have much freedom to manipulate the design as seen fit and hence may give your audience a fresh taste when visiting. 

Plan 

Your plan includes it all, from the beginning which includes the budget to the color scheme, number of pages, the audience you will be targeting, and the platform to build on and launch.  

This is the area where you decide based on the service you are providing you ask some of the most important questions. 

  • How interactive my site should be? 
  • What are some of the features my visitors will need? In this, you can think it up based on what you will need, and feel free to ask a friend or colleague’s opinion. 

To ensure you have covered the above questions and you are on top of your planning (crossing all t’s and dotting the I’s), you can make a planning wish list or vision board. 

Play blocks – WISH LIST – on a rough old blue background. Quite even focus.

In planning your marketing, you ask yourself, what are some of the more economical ways to market your website in its space? Some of those are: 

  • Blogs 
  • Emails 
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)  
  • Social media 

The route that is a bit less economical is by contacting a company that uses click-through rate tools (CTR). In this, they simply handle the SEO parts for you. 

Goals 

Remember the wish list and vision board mentioned above? That will for sure have all the goals for your website on there if you are precise in all areas. 

Your goal should be all you know your company or brand needs and with that know how to get there. Before approaching any designer, you need to know exactly what that is.  

Most individuals, are designing a website to boast sales and improve brand awareness and in getting there they will need to generate leads, improve CTR (for existing site owners), and adequate to high CTR for new site owners. 

While it is that a web designer can help you get there we advise you to do your research and while you may not have all questions answered you will have most. Having done your research helps as some designers or designing companies do charge for consultation and brainstorming your ideas. 

Purpose 

The purpose of your site drives the goal and this drive the design which affects areas such as the number of pages, the title of pages, and the content on such page. In the event you are uncertain about the pages or number of pages you want to have, start with the general expectation and then go from there: 

  • Home  
  • About Us  
  • Services  
  • Contact  

In recent times a creator would have created a webpage for you and that is that but now, creators are conscious of the fact of ranker on the varied search engines and in this want to get the best of it over some time. 

It also helps if you go ahead and research others’ work in the niche that you are creating the site for those pages will give you great ideas.  

Your site will best serve its purpose if constantly updated and trending, so be sure to post fresh content as often as possible. This content should never be random but must be associated with what your site and product are about. 

History of The Designer 

There are a few questions that you need to answer before signing off on a designer. Note not all answers may be the ones you want but the designer should check the majority of the boxes. Here are three you can start with: 

  1. May I see the work you have done before? 
  2. Have you worked on projects similar to what I am requesting? 
  3. What is the possible timeline for delivery? 

These questions are usually selected as a starter, if your designer cannot see your end goal and guide you along the correct path in the event you are a bit off, it would not be the correct one. The project would take twice as long if you and your selected design do not see the same finishing line.  

Visuals 

Visuals or images you will need to gather before closing in on your designer, these include, photographs, videos, logos, and animations. Some designers will indeed assist in the event you are using stock images. Stock photo is not the way to go for all as some website needs personal touch dependent on your products and the service you will be offering.  

In obtaining all images for your website always remember the copyright and infringement act. What does this mean? This means your images need to be: 

  • Photograph by you (or you being the owner of) 
  • Created by you 
  • Purchased from a professional site that has the authority to sell images 
  • Created for you by a designer 

Some popular used image purchasing sites are: 

Involvement Needed 

What level of involvement do you think you want to have in the design process of your project (website)? 

You have done your vision board and all plans are clear after meeting with your designer but, you need to make clear what level of involvement you will have. This will also gauge the number of meetings and how often.  

What if there are additional decisions that are to be made? Do you trust your designer enough to level it all up to them? 

We always advise all clients and prospects that when we leave that meeting understanding your goal a mutually beneficial contract is drafted which set the base of our relationship going forward.  

Your budgeted your finance for the project also budgets your time and ensures you invest in a design that respects that.  

Revision 

Ensure you review all that is needed for this project before approaching the designer, this gives the assurance that all that is needed for this meeting is there. Do not pressure it, it is just as simple as going to another meeting and you want to ensure all files are there when you are called on (only that you will be doing the calling). 

Revision is also a must as, you and your designer of choice should also have an agreement on what this process will be (weekly, biweekly, …).  

A full walk-thru of the project must be done prelaunch. 

Now that you have all the vital parts all the best on your new creation or plan. I hope these pointers give you all you need for the new step. 

Hacker and Cyber criminals phishing stealing private personal data, user login, password, document, email and credit card. Phishing and fraud, online scam and steal. Hacker sitting at the desktop

5 Ways To Avoid Phishing

by BusinessDigitalUncategorizedWed Development

Modern-day “scamming” as we so casually call it has been plaguing us for some time and have peaked in 2020 since the onset of Covid-19. 

Have you ever wondered why or how your email, banking, or other private account gets tampered with? This article seeks to explain what it is, the possibility of how it is done, and how to avoid such in the future. 

Definition 

According to Webster’s dictionary, phishing is the practice of tricking internet users (as through the use of deceptive email, text messages, or websites) into revealing personal or confidential information which can then be used illicitly. 

How Do You Recognize Phishing? 

It is usual for phishers (scammers) to contact and use trickery and in this, you will be tempted to hand over personal sensitive information (this includes but, is not limited to banking credentials, emails, and even social security numbers). These attacks are launched multiple times daily and in this, the success percentile is usually high.  

Examples of messages: 

In this listing, you will see a number of errors or simple messages that may be used in phishing. Some you may have seen multiple times others are not so commonly used. 

  • This may take place in login into a bank account, email, or otherwise. The error message may be, “We’ve seen some suspicious activity and ask that you change your account password/login credentials.” never attempt if you believe otherwise. 
  • Getting a coupon for something you’ve never entered (this in most cases may be prompted based on your browsing and sometimes gives you a notification with a link to click), became more popular during Covid-19. 
  • How many times have you gotten an email or text message that said you are eligible for government funding or gifts? 
  • For a claim, you need to confirm payment by entering your credit card information.  

These are only a limited amount of messages you may see. 

Types of Phishing: 

There are varied types of phishing, however, we are going to make mention only four (4): 

  • Spear Phishing: done through sent emails 
  • Whaling: this type of attack is aimed at higher profile targets 
  • Smishing: this usually gets done through SMS or text messages 
  • Vishing: attack via voice calls better known as scamming via calls 

Ways To Avoid Phishing: 

1. Get antiviral software: 

 Why get this you may ask? In getting such software it aids in protecting you from possible viruses or spyware that can be downloaded from any virus that may be planted. Antivirus may be defined as application software that protects your devices from any possible viral attacks.  

The antiviral software when installed can start the scan and rid your PC of the possible virus at the point of installation. There are other benefits to installing hence the reason most retailers sell computers with a trial period of the software.  

Use of antivirus software 

Some use of antiviral software are: 

  1. Identifying spyware  
  2. Find and delete viruses 
  3. Viral prevention
  4. Scan for viruses and malware 

2. Website Security Verification: 

It is almost impossible to not share personal sensitive information online currently, this is so as most business places go e-commerce on their businesses. It is also natural if you must say that one can be a bit taken back from providing such sensitive information on any website as your information can be captured.  

Being skeptical to submit your information online is quite understandable but, there are things that you can look out for to be on the safe side. Some of the items to look out for are: 

  • Ensure “HTTPS” begins your URL 
  • Look out for the closed lock icon near the address bar 
  • Check site security certificate also known as secure socket layer (SSL) 
  • Never open files/ download files from emails that you are not aware of or have done business with. 

3. Use Firewalls: 

Why use a firewall? Using a firewall serves the ultimate purpose of shield for you and your computer from malicious attacks and even unwanted visits from the outside world.  

Types of firewalls: 

  • Desktop firewall: these are usually software types firewall 
  • Network firewall: this is a hardware-type firewall 
  • Cloud or hosted firewalls 

If these firewall types are used together, they then of malicious attacks on your systems.  

4. Avoid Handing Out Personal Information: 

This is to be the first rule in the book. Sharing personal sensitive information (PSI) in modern times is somewhat unavoidable, however, this should be closely monitored, if you have never done business with the company or website avoid sharing. As was stated earlier PSI includes but, is not limited to social security number (SSN), full name and identification (ID) number, debit or credit card information, and the list goes on.  

In the event you are doubtful of the website that asks for this personal information, one of the best thing to do if the checks recommended in pointer two (2) fails, do adequate research on the company in general. In some cases, you will need to go through their social media pages and even contact information (leave no stone unturned).  

As for phishing via email for PSI, selecting a link from the email or file download aims to capture. Links will take you to a page to enter this information and the files usually attach malicious ware to your PC or device. 

5. Online Accounts Check: 

It is recommended to check online accounts on a regular basis, in avoid visits to online accounts which could hack and taken over by other users. The use of your account is then at the liberty of such users and malicious users’ acts are limitless.  

For financial institutions, you will find them getting into the habit of prompting you to change passwords ever so often and if the user name is used rather than generated there will also be a prompt to update that as well. These are great practices to adopt for other online accounts that need to be protected based on the content that it holds or the purpose of the account. 

Conclusion 

Always remember to practice proper security to your online presence in doing so you will in turn naturally protect your sensitive information while being online. Also, a lack of protection can lead to full-on identity theft.