So where to start? From blogs to forums, web based features and mobile applications, there are a daunting number of directions in which to head.

Your imagination is the limit however, you’ll probably soon hit on questions of budget. Luckily, one of the key points is to realise that a large investment, which brings huge changes to your site in one swoop, isn’t actually the only way to go.

Instead, a process that involves incremental changes, features and functions driven by user demand, is the most effective course. Developing in phases allows you to listen to and assess customer feedback before you act on the next step.

In order to help achieve this With Imagination uses Google Analytics on all our client websites. Google Analytics provides an excellent free source of information to help understand how the site is being used and the success of its content.

This strategy makes your website much more agile. This is terrifically important because making the best move at the best time is crucial in such a fast changing space.

Before embarking on your developments, however, you need to make sure the foundations that you’re building on are solid. You need to have a good ‘usability design’ and a design style that attracts your core target market.

Spend some time thinking about your website target market and try to understand their level of internet experience and what features they would be looking for on your site.

One of the most common mistakes we see, particularly by small businesses is basing their website design on what they – or their agency – believe it should look like.

In our experience, this can actually result in a negative ROI; that is, a website with a ‘look and feel’ that serves the needs of the web designer, or which satisfies the desires of business owner, and not the customer, necessitating further investment down the track.

Also don’t forget to consider the latest trends in online activity when designing your website. These are:

1. Greater one to one communication
2. New interactive/social media on the rise
3. Increasing web marketing activities such as search optimisation, webinars and email campaigns.

Need some help with your website design? Please contact With Imagination for some free advice