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| Article: Preparing a Web site - the basics | ||
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Preplanning a Web site is perhaps the most important, and most overlooked, part of the Web site process. Careful planning on your part can save you time and money. Here are some site-planning considerations: Who is your audience? Are they your customers or is this site for internal use? Deciding this aspect determines how you will 'talk' to the viewer. The language you use and the tone you take will be considerably different if you are talking with someone in your industry than if you are talking to a novice seeking information. For the purpose of this article, we'll assume the audience is a customer who knows little about your service or product. What do you want to say? Immediately, you'll tell them about your product or service. You'll be telling them this with graphics and words, and you have about eight seconds to grab their attention. No pressure here, right? |
The fact of the matter is that people want information quickly when they’re searching the Web. They tend to glance at pages, determining their value. So, you'll want to keep you message to the point. You can, and should, offer links to pages on your site with more in depth information. What is the function of your site? Are you planning to have an informational site or one that is interactive and allows your customer to purchase items or services online? Perhaps you want a combination of several features. Your site can be anything from a simple brochure to a more elaborate e-commerce site. It's really determined by your needs and budget. What do you want the site to look like? This decision may be based on logos or other materials you have already developed. Keep on mind that materials prepared for print advertising may not translate well to the Web. I'll be addressing the use of color and graphics in another article, but for now, think about the feeling you want to convey in your visual presentation. |
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