How to Plan and Develop a Successful Website

Getting a great website up and running does not have to be difficult. All it takes is a little knowledge and planning. Before looking for a web designer, take some time to understand exactly what you want. Putting together a project plan for your Website will ensure that you get the results you are looking for.

1. Business Needs

Determine if you want an e-commerce site or a site with information about your company. Your website may include the following:

• Informational
• Shopping
• Registration
• Searching a database
• Discussion forums

 

2. Features

What features do you want to add to your website to make it more interesting and interactive? For example, if you want to set up an e-commerce site, you may want to have a shopping cart. Some common features are:

• Forms - allow visitors to easily submit or request information
• Message Boards - visitors can leave or respond to messages
• Photo Galleries - display graphical information on your products or services
• Counters - track the number of times a page has been viewed
• Flash Animation- create interesting animated content
• Search - allow visitors to search for content
• Shopping Cart - software that collects and records the purchases of your customers

 

3. Budget

The cost of a Website depends on the complexity and size of the site you would like. In addition to the cost of designing and developing your site, you need to consider additional costs like domain name registration, site hosting and site maintenance.

4. Planning your Website

Once you know some of the basics, you can put together a simple plan to help you communicate your project needs. When putting your plan together:

• Determine the objective of your website.
• Define your audience.
• Determine what content you will need.
• Look at other sites for inspiration

 

By taking some time upfront to understand what you want, and how to get it done efficiently and cost effectively, your website is sure to be a success. To learn more, contact us at [email protected].

- Nina Menezes

 

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