Identify Your Design Goals

Whether you're building a site from scratch or updating an existing site, the first thing to do is to decide on your web design objectives. Simply "having a web site" is not a goal, nor is it a good use of your time and money.  Unfortunately, web projects are often approached as an enthusiastic opportunity to incorporate as much technology—"bling"—as possible (browser plug-ins, Flash, digital media, XML, databases, etc.), not by real human or business needs. People are the key to successful web projects.

Your goals for the site will help determine who you should work with and how much the site will cost. Ask yourself what you want your site to accomplish: