SITE PLANNER

Getting a website that WORKS FOR YOU !! 

Creating a web presence or internet site is more than taking your company brochure and having it coded. The site development process should include a number of stages in each phase of development:

• planning
• design/development
• and promotion/update.

Planning

Before looking for resources to create your site, you should spend some time thinking about your site goals, and how your site will fit in with your overall marketing and communication plan.

Site Audience: What kinds of customers is your company looking to attract to the web? Mainly current customers? Competitors' customers? New customers? Are your customers likely to be internet gurus? or will they be relative newcomers to the web?

Company Objectives: How can the web site support company objectives and strategies? Does the Internet provide new opportunities for your business? How will the Internet affect the company's short and long term goals? Define what the internet can possibly do for the company image, customer service, lead generation and sales. We can help you with these questions but we need your input.

Using a New Media : What can the web do for your company that other media cannot do? How can the web be integrated with other forms of marketing and distribution? What other internet tools should you consider?

Internal Resources Required: Decide who will oversee the web development project. Organize a team from your company to contribute ideas, including people from: marketing, communication, sales, support, shipping. Decide who will answer email, fill orders, and update the web site.

Find a web developer and an internet provider:

Look for a web developer that:

1. understands all aspects of web development (ie. not just someone who can code a page)
2. understands your company and/or is willing to ask questions until they do
3. has an overall knowledge of all the internet services you require, and can provide at least most of those services themselves
4. has a good background in the internet (not just web pages), computer consulting experience, knowledge of various hardware and software packages, networking experience. A professional with well rounded experience will be better able to guide you when looking at the various options.

1. you can talk to on the phone (not just voicemail)
2. can provide the kind of services you require
3. has an ongoing plan to add new services and technologies as they become available.
4. offers short term plans so that you can try them out before making long term commitments

Create a Budget: Set a budget for initial development, ongoing connection costs, ongoing updates, and annual or semi-annual site reviews and redesigns.

Set Time Frames: Set time frames for each phase of the project and stick to them. If changes are required part way through the project, carefully look at their impact on cost and completion dates. Is it better to stick to the plan and make the changes later or to implement some changes during the development phase?

Once you have answered these questions, you will have a focused objective and will know:

• Why your company is creating a web site
• The web site's objectives
• How much it will cost you
• Who is responsible for every aspect
• The intended target audience
• How visitors will use your site.

Designing the Site

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