Download So, you want a new website

EJW Associates, Inc. • 1602 Abbey Ct • Alpharetta, GA 30004 • 770-664-9322 • www.ejwassoc.com
A quick guide for planning a new website
So, you want a new website...
What do you want from your Website?
Before you begin, answer:
Why do I want a (new) website?
How frequently will I need to update the site?
Will I sell products from the website?
Will I use the website to attract new customers?
Will the website simply be a brochure for the company?
What will my website visitors expect to see?
How much am I prepared to pay?
Which stakeholders will be responsible for approving development stages?
6 Website Fundamentals
1) Site Look and Feel - Site design that includes the graphics, layout and navigation.
2) Web Page Optimization - SEO (search engine optimization).
3) Web Site Traffic - Includes strategies for getting visitors to your site, directing their
actions through the site, and analysis.
4) Site Content - Images, text and graphics that enhance the site visitor experience
balanced with appropriate search engine indexing.
5) Selling - Commonly know as eCommerce. This may be the sole purpose of your site
or may not figure at all.
6) Site Maintenance - This includes editing content, pages, navigation and functionality.
Decide the Scope of Features
Produce a checklist of web site features you want your web site to have. Visit web sites
of similar purpose to generate ideas for your own. Determine the degree of web site
sophistication needed and the scope of user interaction that will be provided, e.g.,
online credit card processing, shopping carts, bulletin boards, chat rooms, site search,
etc.
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EJW Associates, Inc. • 1602 Abbey Ct • Alpharetta, GA 30004 • 770-664-9322 • www.ejwassoc.com
Decide Levels of Web Site Design Sophistication
Basic - All websites, whether Personal, Hobbyist, Organization or Small Business, have
some or all of the basic ingredients.
Database Driven - Websites can also have a backend database for storing and
dynamically displaying various types of data.
Multimedia - Websites can also have a multimedia enhanced appeal. This is
entertaining but is not always effective, depending on your websites purpose. The user
may not want to be bothered by a lot of intrusive and time consuming flashiness.
User admin and/or WYSIWYG content editing - Website content, navigation and
functionality can be controlled to a greater or lesser degree by users of varying technical
savvy. Depending on the complexity of the site, customization required, and an owner's
willingness to take on another user interface; end user systems can substantially impact
initial site development costs.
Decide Page Layout & Navigation Scheme
Estimate the total number of web pages and name and define the purpose for each one.
Plan the positioning and contents of the pages common areas - headers, footers and
sidebars. Also, decide on a navigation scheme that will be consistent throughout the
website. This may be as simple as a static set of side links on every page or a pulldown
cascading menu system which becomes more detailed as you go deeper into the site.
Visit web sites of similar purpose or surf the internet to generate ideas.
Determine Keywords
Do keyword analysis to list your most effective primary and secondary keyword phrases
for natural search engine optimizing.
Draft Content
Draft the text and image content for each page. Remember, we live in an era of short
attention spans. Images are worth even more than a 1,000 words. To enhance visitor
experience, expect and encourage editing from the website developer. Review the rules
for incorporating keyword phrases into page content and the specific concerns relative
to writing for the internet before beginning.
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EJW Associates, Inc. • 1602 Abbey Ct • Alpharetta, GA 30004 • 770-664-9322 • www.ejwassoc.com
Decide Artistic Elements
Plan the artistic graphics, animations and text appearances:
* Psychology of Colors
* Font Selection
* Performance Considerations
Questions You Should Ask your Prospective Web Designer
Who owns the finished design (It should be you)?
How many pages are included in the price?
I may need more website functionality than I can justify now. Do you have payment
plans that will enable me to get what I need now?
How long will it take? Will you produce a timeline that includes development
milestones?
Is a logo design included in the price?
Will the web pages be optimized for major search engines?
What keywords are they being optimized for and why?
Will the pages be submitted to search engines?
How much will it cost for additional pages?
How will training be accommodated?
Do you offer any guarantees?
Who will be hosting the website and how much does it cost?
How will you provide special scripting for site functionality beyond basic CSS and
HTML coding?
Will the domain name be registered in your name?
Do you offer any support and how much does it cost?
How much do web design changes cost and how long do they take?
Are there any recurring costs and what are they?
When is the project considered complete?
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