So, now you're ready to plan your more ambitious Web site. Many factors go into building a strong and engaging Web site. You have to decide what you want to achieve with your Web site. Is this for personal use or do you have a business goal? The two styles utilized for each type of Web site are very different from each other.
If you wish to share photos and stories from your family with relatives and friends, then your pages can be much more informal then if you are building a site to sell your services. If you are looking to build your business using the Internet, then your site should look professional since it will be representing your business. In many ways, your site will become the first impression that a customer will have of your business. So, it should look as polished and as professional as possible.
The Internet is a huge collection of both personal and corporate Web sites. Take some time to surf the Net and take notes about the sites that you really like (or those, for that matter, that you don't like). Figure out what about the sites are interesting. Is the site all bells and whistles or does the site offer great content?
Here is a checklist of things to consider before you start making your Web site.
Why am I building a Web site?
More and more people are building personal Web sites so that they can share important events with others. The Internet is an extremely convenient, inexpensive medium to use and you can reach anybody who has Web access.
At the same time, small businesses are also building and posting Web sites for many of the same reasons individual users do. The Internet is a very easy way to publicize products and services. The combination of graphics and text make the Web a powerful agent for a small business, provided they design a clear, informative Web site.
Who is my audience?
This is an important consideration because the tone of the Web site should reflect the tastes of those who you want to visit the site. If your site is a personal site, make it very friendly and informal. Those who visit already know you so you can afford to be more "familiar" with your content and design. If your site is business oriented then you want to maintain a formal, professional tone throughout the pages on your site. You want to impress your visitor with your site, as it is an electronic representative of your business. It is essentially your electronic front door.
Do I want the visitor to interact with my site?
This is an important question concerning e-mail hyperlinks or feedback forms that may be placed in your pages.
An e-mail hyperlink is a great thing to include in your family home page. With a click of the mouse on the E-mail button, the e-mail software will bring up an e-mail with your address already in the "To" text field (see graphic). All the visitor has to do is type their message and click "send!" You will get considerably more feedback by including an e-mail button on your page than if you don't include it.
Feedback forms are essentially short surveys that a visitor can quickly fill out and submit that provides you with any information that you are interested in gathering.
"Do you like my site?"
"Are you interested in my service/product?"
"Any suggestions for additions to the site?"
Answers to these questions can improve your site and business as well as help your Web site be more of an asset to you.
What do I want to share with my visitor?
You purchased Web Studio with a Web site in mind. What do you want to put on the Web? Photos of your new baby? Do you have a hobby you wish to share with the world? Or do you want to build a tribute site for your favorite celebrity? All of these are easy and possible.
If you are a small business user, you are going to want to put information about your service/product on the Web. You will want interesting images and informative text. Think about how you want the overall theme of your site to match your business.
What do I not want to share with my visitor?
This is important. Consider what not to include in your Web site. If it is a personal site do you want to include your address? Or any other personal information, say, about where you work? Remember that the Web can be viewed by anyone and any information you upload becomes part of public domain. Don't place anything on your Web site that you would not feel comfortable placing on a community bulletin board. It really is the same thing.
For a small business site you should consider how much information about your product is enough and how much is too much. Pricing is often a sensitive issue: do you want to make price quotes over the Web? Do you have a special skill? You might not want to share too much information about how you achieve results. Remember, if it is on the Web anyone, including a competitor, can read it.