How to Prepare for your Web Site!

Web site design is a balance between what purpose the web site is to accomplish and the preferences of the person/company requesting the design.

In order to get the web site exactly or as close as technically possible to what you want you need to be prepared.

Preparing for your web site requires you to organize, research, and critique.

1.) Organize your information on your computer by creating a folder for your web site; “mywebsite.com”, then create subfolders for two categories; “images” and “docs”. As you research and develop ideas for your web site you will have a designated place to save information.

Your “images” folder should have logos, product images, conceptional photographs, etc. Your “docs” folder should have an “outline” of your web site, “keywords and description”, and content files. The outline document conveys the exact name and level of each web page on the web site. The “keywords and description” is 25 words in list/phrase format and sentence format. Each content file should have the exact name as mentioned in the “outline” file and should contain the text information for that page along with a description of images in parenthesis.

2.) Research is a fundamental part of defining who you or your company is. Use search engines to find web sites of your local competitors or simular business in other geographical areas. Also, find web sites that are complementary to what you or your business needs. You will need a minimum of three references in each group to difine your personal preferences and functions of your web site.

3.) Critiquing your competitor's or favorite web sites allows you to bullet point the different aspects of what your web site will contain. Read and follow the “Web Site Critique” process mentioned in this blog.