Website Planning Tips

For those of you who have never had a web site created before, there are some basic things you will need to know and to get. For those who already have a web site, but want a redesign, you can skip this basic stuff.

1. Domain name-You will need to purchase a domain name at any ICANN accredited registrar. You can check out this site to find  a registrar-http://www.internic.com/regist.html
2. Hosting-You will need a web host to store your web site files on a server and make them available on the internet. Basically you will be renting space on a server and the host usually provides you with an assortment of features that can be used on or with your web site.

So, how do I choose a web host?

1. You will need to determine what features and services you will need such as email accounts, server side scripts, website statistics, databases, SSL certificates, website security features, etc. Talk this over with your web designer to clarify what you will need.
2. Determine the cost of hosting and the features offered.
3. If you are building an e-commerce site (online store), be sure the web host you choose can handle the server load and is compatible with the shopping cart software you will be using.

You can host your site with us (you'll get a discount on the pages by design package) or host with one of our partners.

If you are planning on building an e-commerce site, you will also need a online merchant credit card account and payment gateway (unless you plan on using paypal as your credit card processing gateway), SSL certificate, and a dedicated IP. If you choose a hosted shopping cart such as bigcommerce.com, your cart will already be on a secure server.

The Storyboard

Having some kind of outline and description of what you want your site to have helps solidify what content you will want, who your target audience will be and how you want that content to be arranged. This is where a storyboard comes into play.

Purpose of the Site

Having a purpose specifically written down will keep you focused and on target. Here are some basic questions to address in the purpose:

1. What will my visitors want to know? In other words, what information will you provide that will address their particular need when they come to your web site?
2. What do my visitors want to feel? Generally people act on what they feel. Do your visitors want to feel empowered, successful, better about themselves, informed or ready to take action?
3. What do I want my visitors to do? People go to web sites for a purpose, to fulfill a need. Do you want them to purchase something? Do you want them to ask for more information or contact you? You will need a call to action so that they will do something.
4. What benefits are my visitors looking for? Bascially when people visit your site, they want to know what's in it for them. How will they benefit from purchasing from you, contacting you, receiving services from you? Decide what your unique selling point is. What do you offer that your competitors don't or is better or different than your competitors?

Planning Content

The content is the actual written text and graphics that will address the purpose of your site.

1. Gather the information you will need to put on your site, including any graphics that you want your web designer to use.
2. Sort your information into logical topics or categories.
3. Decide your flow of traffic. Where do you want your visitors to go once they reach your home page? Use a call to action here such as "read More Here", "Contact Us", "Order Now", etc.
4. Create each page's content. You will need to create a title, any headings and/or subheadings and of course, your written content. Be sure to include relevant keywords and keyword phrases naturally within your written content for each page. Include a call to action where appropriate or the opportunity to click on a text link using one of your keywords.

Planning Navigation

1. How do you want your information to be linked in regard to the structure of your site? The structure needs to be logical and make sense to the visitor.
2. How about the layout of the menu? Where and in what order do you want your menu links to be in relation to each other?

Marketing Your Web Site

If you build it, they will come does not automatically apply when you build a web site. You have to plan your marketing strategy and then work on making your site visible on the internet search engines.

These are just some of the elements of a powerful SEO campaign:

1. Researching your keywords for the best ones to use on your site.
2. Knowing where your competitors are on the search engine pages.
3. Knowing what keywords your competitors are using.
4. Having relevant and frequently updated content using the keywords that will help you rank well in the search engines.
5. Social media marketing such a Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and others that direct people to your web site will help bring in traffic.
6. Blogs-provide dynamic content and give your visitors a reason to come back to read interesting information.
7. Having a way to analyze your keywords and how your site is ranking in the search engines.
8. And more.....

You might be thinking, "Wow, I don't have the time or enough knowledge to work on this myself." If you'd like to hire us to do this for you, click here or contact us so we can provide a proposal for you.

Keep in mind search engine optimization is more than just adding keywords to your site in the content and meta tags and then submitting your site to various search engines. We do provide this basic service for all our clients. But an effective SEO strategy is ongoing to make sure you are using the right keywords, have relevant and frequently updated content on your site, tracking the keywords and updating them and your content as necessary. Making adjustments to your site is needed to be sure your website is getting the exposure you need, which in turn drives trafffic to your site and brings in more leads and/or customers.

In addition to web site design and hosting, we also provide  search engine optimization plans. You can read more indepth information on what we offer on our Search Engine Optimization page.