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ENVISIONING
YOUR WEBSITE
Your Goals
Before you start working with a designer, you should have a clear
idea of the goals of your Web site. You don’t need to worry at this
stage over what font or color schemes you will use. Instead, ask yourself
what kind of Web site you want. Having a clear purpose for your site,
whether you’re starting from scratch or updating an existing one, will
ensure more accurate estimates for the cost and duration of your Web design project.
If you aren’t sure how to categorize your site, use this list to help you
describe your goals to a Web designer:
|
Type
of Site |
Purpose |
Typical
Features |
|
Brochure |
Potential customers from around the world can learn
about your company. |
Some graphics (logo or photos)
Description of your company
E-mail link or guestbook form |
|
E-commerce |
Customers from around the world can purchase your
products or services via the Internet. |
Features of a brochure site, plus:
Customer shopping cart
Credit card processing
Customer security functions |
|
Marketing |
You can increase consumer awareness of your company
or your brand or services by strategically linking and affiliating
your site with related sites. |
Features of a brochure site, plus:
Advertising (e.g. Banner ad exchange)
Marketing (e.g. Affiliate programs )
|
Database-
driven |
You can allow your customers to access their account
data, search for documents that support your product, or learn
more about products or services you sell off-line. |
Features of a brochure site, plus:
Custom database design
Search tools |
|
Extranet |
You can use your Web site to share sensitive or
confidential information with your customers or suppliers in a
secure fashion. |
Similar to a database driven site, plus:
Password-protected access
Data security functions |
Your Competition
One way to help your Web designer understand and estimate your needs is to provide a list of your competitors'
Web sites. And be sure to let your designer know which things you like and don’t like about these sites: your
firm will use these preferences to develop a list of features, an idea of the look and feel of your Web site,
and the scope of your project.
The Best of the Web
Don’t stop at your competitors when mining the Web for ideas. If you have a favorite site or even a site
you think is terrible let your designer know. Knowing your preferences for features and styles of sites
throughout the Internet will help your designer tailor a Web site to your company’s image and audience.
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