| 1.
Determine your goals |
| What are you company's goals for your web
site? Do you want to introduce new OR existing customers
to your products? Do you want to promote your newsletter,
schedule demos, increase sales leads, or collect customer
email addresses? What are the action items you want visitors
to take before they leave your site? Decide your goals
before building your Web site to avoid costly revisions
later. |
| 2.
Define the scope of your project |
| To get an accurate bid you must clearly
define your web site needs such as the size of the site,
HTML development, logo development, search engine optimization,
accessibility options, etc. Any bid you receive from a
web designer will change if you alter the scope of the
project. |
| 3.
Have your content ready |
| Get your content finished early. Give your
web designer a copy of your logo, artwork, and photos,
and have all text for your site written ahead of time.
Not having content completed before your web designer
begins work can cost you time and money. Whenever possible,
your content should be in electronic format. |
| 4.
Avoid unnecessary frills |
| Look at your goals again. Do you need a
Flash presentation to accomplish them? If not, resist
the urge to add Flash. It is a little more expensive to
create, can cause a few problems for search engines, but
can increase the value of your site if used correctly.
The same goes for music, video, and "browser tricks"
that don't add to your content. |
| 5.
Think about the mood of your site |
| Do you want your site to look global or
local? Do you want to look solid and conservative, or
hip and cutting-edge? Before you meet with your designer,
try to identify at least 3 other sites that clearly define
the look and feel, content, and company image you would
like for your own site. |
| 6.
Plan for growth |
It is easier and cheaper to add content
and sections to a Web site if you plan for them in advance.
If you expect to expand your site in 6 months to a year,
be sure to ask your Web designer to help make it easy
for you to add in new sections instead of starting from
scratch.
TIP: While your site is being built you will need a place-holder
page. Use this page strategically. DO NOT use an "Under
Construction" graphic. Your page should include 25
words about your company, contact info, careers info,
and an email sign-up to announce your launch. |
| 7.
Have a team leader |
| By streamlining communication, you can
avoid costly delays and confusion. Assign one person in
your organization as the primary contact and decision-maker. |
| 8.
If you build it, make them come |
| Don't fall into the trap of thinking a
few meta tags will drive thousands of visitors to your
site. Only FULL site optimization services, starting early
in the design process, will raise your search engine rankings.
Click here for more information about site optimization.
|
| 9.
Integrate your site with your marketing program |
| Your traditional marketing programs should
integrate smoothly with your online efforts. The look
and feel of your Web site doesn't need to match your print
collateral, but should maintain consistent branding. By
creating "landing pages" you can also use your
site to help test the effectiveness of your marketing
messages. |
| 10.
Check your site in several browsers |
| Before you
launch your site, your design firm should review EVERY
page and test EVERY form in several browser versions.
However, it is up to you to check everything again when
your site is complete. A few days for corrections and
small revisions are usually included in the project bid;
if you wait too long to review and test your site, it
will cost you additional money for revisions.
|
