Analysing other people’s websites
No-one starts designing a website on a blank piece of paper. If you are working with a web designer, they will be trying to work out what you like (and are likely to sign-off first time) as well as what is right for your customers. When I’ve worked with companies to plan out their website, one of the first exercises I carry out is getting them to go away individually and come up with a list of 3 websites they really like, and then bring them back together for a group discussion about the sites they have picked (especially if there are a number of people involved who all have their own ideas). Even if your business is just you, or if you already have a website that you’re mostly happy with, I would still recommend doing this exercise yourself. Not only does it give you a starting point for how you might want your website to look, it also busts some myths about what design actually is.
Start by finding six websites that you really like. Three should be from your industry (so if you are a vegan clothing brand go find three other vegan clothing brand websites that you really like) and three should be websites that you just like personally, or that you use a lot and enjoy the experience. Next, from the research you have done with your customers, list the three top websites that you know your customers like and use.
In this exercise, we’re going to look at these websites in detail and evaluate: what you like so much about them; what they have in common; what really works; and, more importantly, what ideas can you steal! For each website you pick, write down:
- What I like about how this site looks:
- What I like about how this site works:
- How this site stands apart from the others:
- What I could take from this website for my own:
Next, take a look at the three sites you have chosen from your own industry and write down anything that is similar between them all. What elements do they all share? Do they use the same colours? Do they all have the same kind of design? Do they all have the same kind of photos? How many vegan companies use green plant leaves on their site? Do you also want to use these same visual cues to stand alongside them, or do you want to do something completely different to stand apart?
Next, go through this same process for the three top sites you know that your customers love. Are there common design elements between them? If you are a vegan clothing brand and you find out that your customers currently shop from ‘alt brands’ or ethical fashion retailers like lucyandyak.com and hippie-pants.com, then do you want to copy elements of their look and feel to make your customers feel at home?
And finally, what ideas are you going to shamelessly steal from this collection of websites?! Don’t ever be worried about stealing ideas, because they will have stolen them from someone else (unless you’re going to ACTUALLY steal their content, eg take their photos and use them on your site – that’s a big no no!). They might have something really cool that would work on your site too, or perhaps they have a great video that you could record your own version of.
When you have reviewed these nine websites you will have a far better idea of how you want your own site to look and will have written down lots of ideas for starting points. You will also have a better understanding of what ‘design’ actually is. If there is a group of people in your company all with their own ideas, this exercise is perfect to help you make these decisions together.
If you are working with a web designer then do this exercise before your first meeting with them. The worst thing you can do to any creative is arrive with a blank sheet of paper. They are talented individuals who will make your site look amazing but they need a starting point, else you are just asking them to guess at what you want. You wouldn’t go to a tattoo artist without having first researched an idea of what kind of tattoo you want, and the same should be said for working with a designer. Going to them having already done your analysis of the sites you like means you will start off on a much better professional relationship. At this point, I would also say that if you are going to use a web designer, find a vegan one. There are plenty out there. Some advertise themselves as such, others may just be vegan personally but work in a design company. Put a call out in your regional vegan Facebook group, or talk to your local vegan cafe (they know everyone in those places!) and ask for introductions. Not only does it help to support another vegan, but it will save you time in the long run. When I first launched a vegan business I used professionals I already had relationships with from my pre-vegan life – and it was a struggle. If you use designers who are vegan themselves you won’t have to keep correcting them if they use a non-vegan phrase, or point out that the picture of a family on a picnic they have used on your homepage has boiled eggs in the picnic basket. They will just know…
