Advance Web Group

Thinking About Your Website

Objectives and Strategies

The first step in creating a website is for you to be able to communicate to us your goals. You need to think about the why, what, how and who - all of which determine the look and functionality of your website.

Here are a number of questions you should be able to answer before our first face-to-face discussion:

Why do you want a website? What do you want it to do for your organization: Generate income? Be a service to organization members? Communicate information? Educate people? Build brand awareness? Which is the most important function?
What style and tone will best represent your business or organization? This is the "look and feel" question. Strictly business? Fast-paced? Stylish and artistic? Simple and elegant? Visually arresting? Playful and fun? High-tech? Cool and clean? Warm and friendly? Colorful and bright?
How much effort will you be giving to updating content? What new information can you give visitors on a regular and ongoing basis? What specialized information do you know that you could share with visitors?
How much can you spend?
How soon must it be completed?
Do you want to sell anything on your website? Do you need online payment processing?
Who is your target audience? Who do you want to attract? In what age range do they fall? Women or men? Business people? Families? Consumers? Members or prospects? Some or all of these?
Can you give examples of websites which you like? How about certain features of specific websites? What do you like about your competitor's websites?
Do you have any marketing ideas to use on your website? Seasonal specials? Coupon redemption? Online giveaways or discounts?

Web Page Details

A typical website page includes 500 words (the average internet attention span is pretty short). It should be centered on one topic, idea, or function - not to overwhelm a reader with options. A logical menu is used to direct visitors to the specific areas of your website in which they are interested. Here are some types of pages you could include in your website:

Splash page
Home/introduction page
Product information page
Biography page
Survey form
What's New page
Newsletter page
Contest page
Awards page

Comments form
Service information page
About you / your organization
Online order form
Informative article
Tips, hints or useful information page
Links page
Contact details / map page
Literature page

In addition, there are many other options that could be included in your website design. These tools and enhancements are things that could make the difference between a "ho-hum" and a "wow!" reaction from visitors. Don't sell yourself short - be sure to check out our list of enhancements to see what makes sense for your website.