Getting Started

Here are some items to think about before you get started on your new website. Don't worry if you don't have answers for everything, it's not a test. These are just things that will help you organize your thoughts and solidify your vision of what your site will be and what you want to accomplish with it.

Audience – Much of the design of your web site depends on who you are trying to reach.

Number of Pages – Most websites have at least 3-4 pages. If you have more information to display than will fit on one screen, it’s a good idea to create a separate page for each topic. Visitors to your website may miss important information if they don't realize they need to scroll down.

Users generally expect more than one page, and some may actually be confused if they don’t see any navigation controls.

Content – The content of your website is extremely important. Visitors to your website need to be able to find the information they’re looking for quickly and easily. Content is also a major factor in search engine ranking.

For many people, content can also be the most difficult part of a website. If you’re not comfortable writing your own copy, it may be worth it to hire an outside professional who has experience writing web content.

Design – You’ll want to think about how your website will look. You may want such things as a color scheme, backgrounds, logos, or you may want bare-bones pages with nothing to distract from the textual content.

Examples – You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Make a list of websites that you like and note which elements attract you to them, such as color combinations, content layouts, etc. This can provide a good starting point for designing your new website.

Photographs – If you plan on using photographs on your website, consider either purchasing them from an image service, or, if you need custom shots of products, places or people, hiring a professional photographer to take them for you.

Collecting Information – If you are collecting information from visitors to your website, you will probably want some sort of form that either stores the information in a database or directs it to your email.

E-commerce – There are a variety of options available for websites that offer goods and services for sale. If you’ve just got a few items for sale, a simple site with links to a PayPal account might be perfect, while a large store with lots of products and high sales volume will require a much more complex solution with an integrated shopping cart and a secure control panel to manage items, track sales, and manage customer accounts.