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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:
- Dispense
information? (Note this is
okay! Many businesses need
a site that just provides
basic contact information,
directions, and hours. If
that's all you want, you will
save yourself quite a bit
of money.)
- e-Commerce—one
that handles online transactions?
- Gather
data for sales or marketing
purposes?
- Provide
customer support or customer
service?
With your goal now established,
you can address more specific
questions about what you want
your web design project to include:
- What
topics do you want in your
site? (Information page about
your company, product pages,
executive bios, discussion
boards, customer service information,
press releases…)
-
About how many pages do you
want?
- Do
you already have a logo, or
do you need your site designer
to create one?
- Does
your site need to have any
dynamic information or interactive
capabilities? (e.g., database
connections, order tracking,
login or password-protected
areas, on-site games, calculators,
or anything else that enables
visitors to interact with
your site.)
- Do
you need secure connections?
Your web design project can be
as simple, or as complex, as your
imagination and/or budget allows.
Having answers to these questions
will help you quickly set expectations
with potential vendors.
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