 Here are some things to think about when planning your web site or re-designing your existing web site.
- Purpose of your web site
Will your web site be static or dynamic?
A static web site will display text, information and pictures about you or your product or service.
A dynamic or interactive web site will also display everything a static site can but the content can also change based on other factors. The content may change based on products you display and sell, or information a visitor submitted using a form on your site. For example, if you allow visitors to post comments, you may choose to display them on your web site, and your visitors will see these additions and changes as they happen. This may also be referred to as a database driven web site.
- Target audience
Decide what your ideal or typical visitor to your web site will be. This might include age, gender, income, nationality, occupation as well as other characteristics. This will help provide the direction needed to design and market your site.
- Web site perception
Describe how you want your web site to be perceived. Some adjectives are - Classic, contemporary, emotional, wild, fun, serious, artsy, simple, sophisticated, professional, neutral,
popular, intellectual, expensive, affordable, etc.
- Accepting credit cards online
If you plan to sell online, will you be selling many items that need to be changed regularly or will you be selling only one or two items?
Will you accept sales Nationally and Internationally? There are several options available to accept credit card payments on your site. Some methods of accepting credit cards online, such as paypal, are fairly easy to implement making it simple to sell online.
- Content on your web site
- Logo - If you have a logo, it can be used on your web site. If you're not happy with it, please explain what you don't like about it and what you'd like changed.
- Text - The content of your site is very important in that it tells your visitors about you or your product and it can also help sell to your visitors. The content is also important to search engines. Search engines look at the content of your web pages and use it in the ranking of your web site.
- Images, Pictures - Good quality pictures can add great visual appeal to your web site.
Remember the phrase? "A picture is worth a thousand words."
- Animation - Adds movement and excitement to your web site. If animation will help get your message to your web site visitors, go for it. We recommend using animation/movies in moderation, since it can detract some visitors experience and slow your site down if used in excess.
- Information about you and how to contact you
Always provide your visitors information about
how to reach you, which could be by email, phone number or address. This might mean displaying your phone number or email address on each web page of the site, or by providing visitors with a "Contact Us" page.
- Web sites you like
Find some web sites that you like and explain what you like about them.
This will give your web designer some direction in the design of your site.
- Budget
What is your budget for your web site? Static web sites vary in cost depending on the number of web pages, amount of content and complexity. Dynamic web sites generally cost more, but you may be surprised at how affordable a web site can be.
- Ways to attract people to your web site (This is a biggie)
I say this is a biggie because you can create the greatest web site in the world but you really need to find creative ways to let people know it’s there.
There are many ways to drive traffic to your web site, which can range from making your web site search engine friendly using search engine optimization (SEO), marketing your web site using email newsletters, and online advertising to name a few.
When creating or re-designing your web site, keyword phrases that are relevant to your business should be built into the content of your site. So if your business is kitchen remodeling, and you think your prospects may search using the phrase "Michigan Kitchen Remodeling", then this and related phrases can be built into the content and Meta tags of your web site. There are tools we use that analyze keyword phrases and generate similar phrases. We take the keyword phrases our clients think are important and provide the number of times the phrases have been searched for on the Internet in previous months. This helps us take advantage of the phrases that are searched for most, and are relevant to the companies business.
The more links to your web site from other web sites can mean improved ranking in search engines. If your business works with, or has partnerships with related businesses, then have those businesses link to your web site and vice versa. This can give higher relevancy to your site in the eyes of search engines.
We can answer any questions you may have regarding planning your web site.
NJE Design will work closely with you in all aspects of your web site project.
From advice on design and marketing that will help bring out the best of your product or service,
to implementing online credit card transactions, we make the process simple, smooth and affordable resulting in your total satisfaction.
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