How to Plan
for your Website
Haven't a clue how to get started? Don't worry, you're in good company! :) Planning out a successful website requires thought and a decent amount of work. It can be pretty intimidating, so I've put together a basic "How-To Guide" to help you hit the ground running. If at any point in your planning, you have questions that are not answered here or need other assistance, please don't hesitate to email me, or give me a call at 1.204.293.0383!
Do I even need a website?
It's a fact that—regardless of what kind of business you're running—you NEED a website. Why? Because clients expect you to have one. Let's face it, the Yellow Pages' glory days are over and the first thing people do when they need information is Google it. And if they can't find you, you'd better believe that Google pulled up a handy list of all your competitors! Unless your potential client already has a vested interest in using you, you just lost them.
What will my website do for me?
What do you want it to do for you? What do your clients, both potential and current, expect from your website? You can do just about anything you want, but these are the main purposes websites serve:
- Informational: Simply to provide clients with information about the who, what, why, where, how.
- Showcase: To showcase your products/services/accomplishments.
- E-commerce: To sell your products and/or services.
- To collect potential/current client information.
- To communicate with potential/current clients.
Of course, many websites serve several if not all of these purposes. Which categories do you see your website in?
How many different pages or sections do I need?
This depends mostly on the purpose of your website. What kind of features and functionality will best showcase what you have to offer and best serve the needs of your clients? Check out your competitors websites—what do they have in place? Is there something lacking that you could implement?
The most common pages or sections of a website are:
- Home
- About/History
- Photo and/or Video Galleries
- The Latest News
- Blog
- Resources and Other Links
- Contact Information
- Feedback Form
- Social Media Links
How should it look?
This depends entirely on the personalities of both your business and of your target market. You may already have a brand developed with a logo, colours, a font palette, a photographic/graphic style. If so, great! Your website's style will simply be an extension of your brand.
If you're starting from scratch, you have a lot to think about! WOW Branding, based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, put together a very comprehensive guide to their branding process and graciously offers it online! Take a look here, WOW Branding Process, to get information.
What about images?
There are many options in terms of imagery for a website, including:
- Hiring a photographer to shoot your own location and employees.
- Hiring a designer to create custom graphics.
- Hiring an artist to create custom illustrations.
- Using stock photography, graphics or illustrations from websites like www.istockphoto.com.
What about text?
No doubt, preparing the copy (text) for your website is one of the most daunting tasks. But it's a good bet that you've already got a fair chunk written down in other places, for example in previous promotional materials—like brochures. Your business plan will likely provide most, if not all, of the information that you need.
It is important to rework the text that you have so that it fits into certain sections of your website. Keep in mind that the website offers pretty much unlimited space and much more movement, direction and freedom than a piece of paper. Don't be afraid to make the most of it!
Where do I keep this thing?
Web hosting is comparable to renting an apartment or buying a house—except that for most websites, buying a house (dedicated server) is overkill. Your most cost-effective solution will probably be to rent space with a hosting company. There are many out there and they aren't all created equally. You are more than welcome to do the research yourself, but if you plan on being a client of mine, you can leave this part to me! A few companies that I personally recommend are Netfirms and GoDaddy. I've also had positive experiences with a company that offers free hosting, DotEasy, which is a good option if your hosting needs are simple.
When you are setting up your hosting, you need to assign an address to your space. This address, or domain name, can be nearly anything you like. Your best bet is to stick with whatever your client would logically use to look you up, like your company name. If your exact company name isn't available, the next best thing to do is use slight variations, perhaps incorporating abbreviations or hyphens.
You also have the option of choosing the end of your domain name, like .com, .ca, .biz, etc. Most people automatically think of the domain .com when looking for a website, although if you are a Canadian business, research shows that Canadians react positively to .ca addresses.
So what's next?
Once you've put together your plan, you need to find someone to wave their magic wand and make it a real, live website. If you have a good feeling about me, why not drop me a line?
2012 Janelle Desrosiers Graphic & Web Design in Winnipeg, Manitoba