Getting Started
The first thing that you will want to do when starting the website creation process is to put together a strong plan. You need to think about every aspect of your website in as much detail as you can to come up with the best formula for success. When planning your website it will be good practice to ask yourself the following questions:
- What is your goal with the website?
- Who are your target audience?
- What should your website look like?
- How are you going to use content/features? Why?
- How do you plan to advertise your website?
Once you think you have a successful plan, you should document it and bring it to a web developer. I provide a form which you can fill in to document the details of your brief - it is better that you fill this in before making contact with me so that your ideas can be clarified in advance. I will take a look at your web design brief, endeavour to suggest any improvements that could be made, and get back to you ASAP. Remember that planning is key to success, so try to think about these key areas in as much detail as possible. You can read on to understand what they mean.
What is your goal with the website?
The first task is to identify your objectives. What are you trying to achieve? Why is a website appropriate to help you achieve those goals? You could have some business you wish to promote, or perhaps you aim to sell a product or service online. A website is essentially a platform for information sharing, so how can such a platform suit your needs?
Who are your target audience?
Everybody is different, but often it is possible to identify groups or organisations who you want to attract to your website. Identifying a target market can allow you to adapt your website to appeal to these groups, which in turn may help you to capitalise on the traffic your website gets. In non-commercial terms, identifying a target audience can help to ensure that a larger portion of visitors to your site get the most out of their experience.
What should your website look like?
First impressions are priceless. The look of your website creates an atmosphere for the reader and it's true that different layouts will have different effects on your users. You may want to look at the websites of your competitors to get an idea of how they present their information. Perhaps you can exploit their weaknesses. You need to identify the type of design you are going for; creative or corporate? light or dark colours? trim or expansive?
How are you going to use content/features? Why?
When we say content we are firstly talking about written prose (which you will draft and give to the web designer) such as a biography or a pricelist. We could also be talking about images, photos, media, games, maps, downloads, or anything you want to be available on your website. You should know about the bulk of your content very early on, and usually it means at the very least drafting some text to be displayed on the website. You should also think about the website structure - do you want seperate pages for each text? If so, think about the page hierarchy of your website - a family tree format is good for planning.
When we talk about website features we generally mean a mechanism by which we present the content in a certain way or interact with the user. We could be talking about slideshows, blogs, visitor counters, forums, databases, RSS feeds, advertising, ratings/reviews, and so on. You need to think about how you will be collecting your content, and then about which features would suit the content you are presenting. There are lots of cool features which could be coded into your website, but you should know exactly why each feature deserves a place on your website - visitors don't respond well to a cluttered surfing experience.
How do you plan to advertise your website?
This is something for you to think about once the rest of the plan has taken shape. If hired, I can offer advice at this stage.
