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Things to think about in advance
before starting on your website.
There are many variables to take into account when planning your website
design. By spending a few moments thinking about some of the basics, we can get
a better idea of what you're after. Please don't feel obligated to come up with
absolute answers; this is simply intended to give us a starting point in our
discussions. We recommend you print
this page out so you can study it at your leisure.
- Who is your target audience? What are
your expectations for having a web site? Are you aiming your site to the general
public? Professionals? The elderly? Artists?
- How do you envision the organization of information; How many
pages? Even the smallest web sites usually require a few pages...a Home
page, About Us page and Contact us page. Perhaps your web site needs a few pages
to display your products, or a Frequently Asked Questions page.
- Text/Content: This one is very important. Do you have text
written for your web site, or at least a basic idea of what you will say on the
various pages? Quite often, this is a stumbling block for small businesses,
since many people are not comfortable with their writing skills. In some cases,
it may be wise to hire someone with expertise in writing web site content.
- Visual Design: Most web sites require at least some graphic
elements. Is there a specific color scheme you would like to use, or a
particular logo? Do you want complex graphics or would you prefer a simple,
sparse look for your site? What kind of "feel" do you want your web site
designer to create for your site?
- Are there other web sites that you like? It's perfectly
acceptable to use other web sites as inspiration for your own. Obviously, we
can't just use someone else's design, but using another design to stimulate
ideas is fine. Keep a list of websites that you like and try to note what it is
it that you like about them. Is it the color? The way the information is
organized? The simplicity of the graphics? The flashy, high-tech look?
- Photos: Do you need photographs of your products,
personnel, facility, etc.? Are these photos already created, or will you need
photographic work done also?
- Forms: Do you need any pages on your web site that collect
information from your visitors and then automatically forward the information to
you in email?
- "Shopping cart": Do you want to sell products online via an
automated "shopping cart"? Or will a simple "fill in the blanks" form work just
as well?
- Number of products: About how many individual products do
you want to sell on your website? Take into account different styles, colors,
sizes of a particular item.
- E-Mail addresses: How many do you need? Which ones,
yourname@, info@, feedback@ support@ etc.
- Client Feedback: Do you have written feedback from current
customers in order to entice new ones.
Send E-mail to
Joanne@JLPrince.com
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