In this section:
Web Site Design
In the Beginning
The Internet Backbone
What is a Web Site
What is a Web Host
Search Engines
Plan your Web Site
Recommended reading
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New Hampshire Business Web, LLC
Planning your Web Site
My Goals
While there are no set rules to planning a web site, there are some good points to consider which will help you get started. When I designed this web site, I had in mind the goal of letting people know what I could offer for services. I created a skeletal web site or a template and filled in the information according to a basic plan. Two parts are not finished yet though they are still in my plan. To me, that's ok as a web site is like us in that it evolves. (I've since gone back and finished them but now there are other ideas I'm thinking about). After the basic web services section was done, I felt there was something missing and I searched the WWW for other web designers and looked at their web sites to see if they could give me an idea. I've read a lot of books on coding a web site and they too left me with the same feeling that something was missing. It's the idea and goal that this site must be more than just an advertisement of my services. This site must be an extension of my services in that it must leave you, the reader with more information than you had before visiting this site. After all, the best part about the Internet is the dissemination of information. If I can provide you with the information you need to get your business started on the WWW, then I will have made an impression on you and will be remembered for that. When it comes time for you to implement your web site, I hope you will remember this web site enough to come back and seek out my services.
Understanding
Before you start to plan your web site, please read the following:
While, they may be brief, these pages will give beginners an insight into the Internet and how it works.
Relax and think
Sit down in the evening when you are relaxed and have a clear mind. With a notepad, jot down ideas about who you are (your company). Make some notes as to your company's purpose. Think about your intended audience, characterize them. When they call you, what do they look for and what do they ask?
Purpose
Make notes about the purpose of your web site. What do you want to do or show? Sometimes this is easy as your company may be a Real Estate Office and you want to display the listings of your houses. Maybe more? Here, you could think about informing the perspective buyer what it takes to buy a house or programs which are available to help the first time homebuyer.
INFORMATIONHere's where you can set your web site apart from others. The person just reading about the first time homebuyer program will realize that they can afford to by a house. Where do you think they will start looking? The average person browsing on the Internet is looking for more than a catalog. You are dealing with people who need information and providing them with their needs makes your web site stand out from other web sites. They will be more likely to bookmark your web site and return. Return visits will most likely be a customer.
Expectations
What do you expect from your web site. Your expectations determine if your web site is a success. Set a time limit on meeting your goals. Make sure your goals and expectations are realistic. If you expect 1000 new customers to be brought in by your web site in the first month, your goals may be a bit too high. Likewise, if you decide you need a web site just to have a web presence, then your goals may be a bit too low. A membership organization may want to reduce the printed material they send out every month so they put their newsletter on the web for their members to read. Others see the newsletter and join. So while they met their original goal, they had a secondary benefit.
Measure your success
If you are going to set expetations for your site, think about how you are going to measure it's success. Is it the number of new customers brought in by the web site? Do your members find they read the organizations news on the web and don't bother with the print? You do have an expectation so you must figure out how to measure success or you'll be chasing it forever.
Cost
How much should you expect your web site will cost. There are two parts to this, the setup and development cost and the monthly charges for hosting and maintainence of the web site. Since you are reading this, it is easy to figure what it would cost for NHBweb to provide the initial setup and monthly hosting of your web site. Development and maintainance charges are the unknown. Development time depends a lot on you, the customer. If you have a concise plan as to how you want your site to look and you have all the graphical images along with a document of the wording, the site can be put together fast and without much expense. If you have a basic idea and you want a lot of neat graphics but aren't quite sure just what and you don't know what to say, then it is going to cost much more.
Commitment
Need I say more?
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All rights reserved.
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