Once you've decided that you need a new or redesigned website, you need to go through a website design process otherwise you run the risk of either not getting the website design you want or, more likely, getting frustrated and paying over the odds for your new website design process.
Decide what you want your website to do.
If your website design is going to be a replacement for your current brochure then a simple "static" website will be fine.
If you want to be able to add news about your company every now and then but don't want to have to pay your website developer every time you want to add some content, you should consider using a content management system (CMS). This isn't as daunting as it first sounds - the most popular option is to use the free blogging software from Wordpress but host it on your own domain name. It's then easy to add new content whenever you want, without having to worry about affecting your current website design.
Decide what website features you want or need.
Pretty animations designed in Flash can lift a website design but they can also add to the development cost and - more important - the time it takes for your site to load. If you want animations or videos, it may pay to keep them off your main page. Even if your website designer throws a fit at the idea of relegating these cool design features to a sub-page of your website.
Only add pages with content
If you'd like a page about your company's team, make sure you have information about them as soon as you put up the page. Don't add a page that says "coming soon" or "to follow". It will just bug your site visitors.
Keep your website up to date
If you have a news section in your new website design, make a diary note to add news on a regular basis. If it's likely to be several weeks or months between news flashes, work out a different way to work these into your website design.
Stop and think
Taking time to sketch things out and consider how your new website will look is better than continually going back to the drawing board. Follow the simple steps above and the website design process will be more likely to go smoothly.