Steps to start the project Web site

Regardless of size, build a website is like building a house. There are many decisions to make along the way, most manufacturers try to sell the property owners more than they need, and if one is not careful, the project may end up costing more than expected. However, when executed properly, a marketer with little technical knowledge can get away with a Web site effective and appropriate for his / her industry, following a few simple guidelines.

Whether you've hired an outside marketing firm to help with these steps or you are working directly with a Web design firm, as a minimum the following guidelines should be observed when approaching a project Web site

Identify your target market

The Internet is so exciting that we all want to jump on this gravy train and make things happen, but the diamond is not for all markets, and some technologies may look cool, but they are useless for your mission. Taking time to think about who you are targeting with your Web site, and how you would drive to do business with you will help you identify your goals and become a reference point for all subsequent decisions.

Examine your target market approach to Web content.
The Internet offers a unique and intimate atmosphere in which the site visitor chooses the direction of the information in a nonlinear fashion. The site visitor is not bound by the pages of a book. S / he can only make decisions based on the following:

1. What do I need?

2. What are the choices?

3. What is my past experience?

This means that regardless of how you usually consider your product or service offerings, is more important than ever to consider those items from the client point of view. Take time to think about how the various target approaches your website - what information they seek? This is an existing client? A potential customer? What keywords to search for this person? What keywords are relevant to this target group? What is their experience with the Web so far?

Determine objectives and strategies

After completing the above steps, then decide on some reasonable goals for your website. What tactics and strategies you implement to achieve these objectives? For example, a goal might be to provide current information on the departmental website to keep prospective students updated on the latest courses and departmental changes. A college may decide to encourage the participation of teachers as updating the Web site, but other than giving them the technology to do so, as you inspire them and market to this group to make their involvement in the college feel interesting and not just another task? Some of these questions can get complicated, and the project could slow down here, is not funny. However, more time in this area will save you money in the long run and increase your satisfaction with the final Web site.

Get Buy-In

Bring all the decision makers together and let them know what you're thinking. Let me give you their input. If you do not agree with some of your choices, you can back up your choices with something they have not - research. Your ideas are not based on feelings, are based on facts, and this is powerful. However, other stakeholders in the Web site might have some good ideas. Maybe they want to get a greater benefit from the Web site, even as an intranet, or e-mail notifications. Listen to these ideas and consider them carefully.

Assessing the needs

Now that you know what you want your website to do, you can figure out what technology is out there to do with it. This will inevitably cause some revisions to the previous step, as providers of creative applications and will inform you of opportunities that may not have thought of before. Okay - you will not be misled by the temptation of the highway when all you needed was a 2 lane road. But you will be able to appreciate the entry and take time to assess if this option fits your target market approach to your website.

Identify suppliers

If you have been diligent about the process mentioned above, it is time to consider your suppliers - it will be really easy to do, now that you know what you need. Then it becomes a question of comparison made in a matrix - Company X does not provide this functionality or not? At what cost? Then the choice is unless you have a lot of features and more to have the right ones that fit your goals .......