3 website design questions you should be asking

We take a look at three important questions that any insurance professional should ask before they start building a new website

Marketing

By Joe Rosengarten

You only get one chance to make a first impression - there is surely no cliché that holds more truth. And in the digital age, moulding that first impression has never been easier for insurance agencies. From design choices to font and functionality, there are so many options to consider when building your new site. But before you commission a website designer, be sure to ask these three important questions.

Design from the ground up or use a template?  

“Designers make a website one of two ways,” says Tino Izuora, Design and Media Specialist at ITC. “It is either designed completely from scratch, or it’s designed using premade templates. Both have their advantages.”
Templates can be easily customized to fit your agency’s branding and are a great choice when budgets are tight. Templated websites can be produced quickly and use a form and functionality that has been proven to work efficiently.
On the other hand, building a brand new website gives you complete control over every design and functionality option. “This type of design is great for unique, custom projects,” Izuora says. “If you have a larger budget and want a lot of custom features and graphics, this may be a good option.”

How long will it take? 

No easy answer here. The time it takes to build your site will vary wildly based on a number of factors. Izuora says: “Does the designer have all the website content needed? How experienced is the designer? Are you making the key decisions about your website on time? All these can delay the launch of a new website.”
Before you start any work on your new site, or hire a web designer, be sure to set clear deadlines. Making sure everyone has the same expectations for timing is a must.
 
Once my website is complete, how do I make changes? 

Whether you change the services you offer or some of your information changes, at some point, you’ll need to update your website’s content. To do this, you have a couple of options. “First, you can work out a deal between you and your insurance website design firm; they can agree to complete certain kinds of revisions as requested,” says Izuora.

Alternatively, if it’s only a small update, you can do it yourself. The costs will add up if you have to call in a designer every time you need to edit your content. “It can be cheaper to maintain it yourself, but you should only do it if you feel comfortable doing so,” says Izuora.
 

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