1.
Purpose: Why Do You Want to Do This?
You'll
save a lot of time and money by being honest with yourself
right here at the beginning. Just why are you doing this?
What do you hope to achieve? What is your purpose?
I'd
better do it, too, or be left behind ." This may
represent your thinking, but you need more focus.
gain
a favorable impression of us.
develop a qualified list of prospects for our
goods and services.
sell products directly from our Web pages.
Other ,
specifically:
Begin
with patience and the long-term view. Your business results
from the World Wide Web may be immediate and spectacular.
Then again, you may not make much of an impact right away.
Be ready to soar, but realize that some products and
services don't lend themselves to this medium. Talk to your
Web designer about how similar types of businesses are using
the World Wide Web.
Now
state your purpose for developing your website in one simple
sentence:
2.
Index Page and Site Organization
Some
people call this a "home page." I like to think of
it as your "storefront" on the World Wide Web
marketplace. It provides an index to the set of pages which
describe your business or organization.
Your
web-page system will have several main sections, such as:
About
Your Organization . This section may include a vision
or mission statement, history of your business, a
philosophy of how you do business, etc. Sell the
customer on why he or she should do business with you
rather than with your competitor.
Product
Lines . With photos and text describe the benefits to
your customers of your goods and services. You can also
show features, applications, or examples. Use a major
branch for each major product line. You can also use
your Web pages as a catalog, which you can update
easily, inexpensively, and often.
Technical
Support . Some businesses find it useful to provide
technical information, specifications, frequently asked
questions, parts lists and diagrams, troubleshooting
decision trees, etc.
How
to order . This will include a form which e-mail's
your customer's information to you. The form you are
filling out right now is a good example.
Service Section .
This is free information of interest to your potential
customers that'll keep them coming back to your site for
updates. It might be news of your industry, of a related
field, or something unique or interesting. Give some
thought to what service your Web pages will
provide to draw customers to your "storefront"
again and again. What's
New
section is where you put updates or new copies of a
newsletter.
One
of the first things your Web designer will do is ask you
what you want to display on your site. This will help you be
prepared to explain your concept. Take a few minutes right
now to sketch out your thoughts in the four boxes below.
Take all the space you need; the boxes expand indefinitely.
About
our company
Product
or Service Lines
Technical
Support
Guestbook
or order page
Services
to attract customers to our site
Other
3.
Site and Domain Name
Now
you need to determine a tentative name for your website. You
may just want to use your existing business name. But your
website focus may be broader or narrower than your
organization name implies. In that case, look for a name
that is descriptive, unique, short, and memorable. Your
tentative website name is:
Now
give thought to your domain name. You may presently be using
your Internet Service Provider's chosen domain name. You may
be able to select a domain name which is related to your
site name, if the best names are not already taken. You can
find out which names are still available by trying your
proposed domain name on our domain
search . Try the name that you'd like to use and see if
it has been taken. You may have to try several variations
until you find the right domain name or if you can't find
the best of yours, we would strongly recommend to use our domain
wizard tool and it will give you your lists of choices
depending on your desired descriptions, keywords or phrases
that you enter.
You
don't have to change the domain name, but it gives your site
its own identity. Currently, the fee your Internet Service
Provider pays for a new domain name is $70 to cover the
first two years, and then $35 per year thereafter. He also
may charge you a bit more for his trouble. But since you're
here and still reading this article on how to get the best
domain name for your company, we will offer you our low cost
domain name registration for only
$19 per year.
Another
advantage of selecting a unique domain name for your
organization is that you aren't so dependent upon your
Internet Service Provider. Suppose your ISP raises prices
too high, or goes out of business? If you have a domain name
you just have another ISP send notification that they are
now assuming the address from their server. Your viewer base
and links are protected.
I
would like to try to have a domain name like
You
need to plan on four weeks lead time to register a domain
name, so get started with that right away if you're going to
do it.
4.
Main Graphic to Highlight Your Site
Your
"index " or "home "
page needs a graphic to look inviting. Think about it as the
sign over your storefront that beckons your customer inside.
No
graphic . Just use headline text. This is the easiest way
to go, but dull. If this is a do-it-yourself project, begin
but don't end here.
Clip
art graphic . Perhaps you have access to black-and-white
or color clip art from a program such as Corel Draw®, or
Word for Windows®, or Microsoft Publisher®. Make sure your
image is copyright free; you don't want your company to be
sued. Check first! Then convert it to a GIF image. JPEG
images are often larger than GIFs for clip art.
Scanned-in
graphic . You may already have a company
logo or an artist's drawing. You can scan this in and
convert to a GIF image. Use your own scanner, or have a
local computer service bureau (or Kinko's®) do this for
you.
Customized
Type Fonts can be developed from programs such as Paint
Shop Pro®, L View Pro®, or PhotoShop® to save as a GIF or
JPEG image.
Scanned
in photograph with type superimposed . You can find some
great sky collections on the Internet, for example. Download
one of these and superimpose your company's name over it.
You can do this using of Paint Shop Pro® or Adobe PhotoShop®.
Or you can let your Web designer do it for you.
Customized
computer art by a computer artist . This may cost you a
few bucks, but the right graphic sets the tone for your
site. I have computer artists I work with who can produce
beautiful work tailored just for your company's needs, all
for modest rates.
Image
map combined with customized computer art . The customer
clicks on the subject in the graphic which interests him or
her. Image maps are cool, but start to get expensive, since
they take more programming skill, and require a special
interface with your host computer. Your best bet is to leave
this one to a professional webpage designer.
A
few pointers:
Try
to keep your images under 40K, or your customer may lose
interest. I've found that at least 75% of my site's
visitors come with "auto load images" on, that
is, they're waiting for your pictures to download.
Not
all your viewers have 256-color capability, but only 16
colors. What does your graphic look like with 16 colors?
Test!
Using
interlaced GIF images helps keep your customer's
interest as the graphic gradually displays over four
"passes." The total time is about the same for
interlaced or non-interlaced images. However, Netscape
browsers have some kind of bug that sometimes makes hash
of interlaced images. Be careful and test extensively!
The
best combination is a single sparkling graphic combined
with text.
The
overall look of your "home" page needs to be
graphically balanced, pleasing, informative. Your
"index" or "home" page functions as
your storefront. It needs to entice the customer in the
door to look at the rest of what you have to offer. This
is where a professional writer can help, too.
Okay,
let's get back to the hard decisions which face you.
5.
Background Color or Texture
You
want to set your website off from all the rest. One way is
with a well-designed graphic. The other is with a background
texture and/or color.
Plain
gray . This is your entry-level color scheme. All
browsers can display it. The novice HTML writer can do this
without even trying. I don't know why anyone uses gray when
they can choose something brighter. Gray is ugly (IMHO).
Colored
background and lettering . If you know the right codes,
you can easily change the background color. Make the letters
a contrasting color.
Textured
and colored backgrounds are proliferating on the Web.
This is really pretty easy, like the tiled wallpaper used in
your Windows® desktop. Both texture and color will make
your site special. But you have to be very careful
that your text is easily readable when you're finished. If
they can't read it they won't stay. Don't let the background
overwhelm the text, but subtly complement it. Consider
white.
6.
Basic Page Elements
If
you have lots of information you need to choose between long
or multiple pages.
Long
pages. These are good if you expect people to print out
or download your pages for future reference (like this
document, for example). You can index these to internal
"bookmarks" to help your customers find their way
to needed information. Netscape's "Handbook" is a
pretty long file treated this way. The drawback is that long
pages of 40K or more may be more than you customers will
want to wait for. Webmasters mutter words like
"bandwidth" and shake their heads.
Multiple
shorter pages . Here your index links jump to many
shorter pages that treat just one subject each. It doesn't
take as long to view, but if you think people will want to
download or print out 10 different pages, think again.
Check
below the elements which you want to include on every page:
Page
title which displays at the top line of your Web
browser is very important because it often shows up
in search engines such as WebCrawler®, Infoseek®, and
AltaVista®. Make this descriptive, using key words that
people might use to find your page.
Top-of-page
graphic . A small graphic at the top of each of your
pages helps unify your Web pages. You can use a smaller
version of your main "index page" graphic. Or
perhaps a band at the top of the page with your company name
and a small logo. I always call this something like
"page-top.gif". That way if I want to change it, I
don't have to alter every page. Just upload a new image with
that name.
Do
you want this top graphic:
Page
background . Textured and colored backgrounds unify your
pages. I call this something like "page-bak.gif"
so it can be changed easily. Alternatively, you can specify
an RGB color for the background. Many Web sites today use a
simple white background for readability by many Web browser
and monitor configurations.
Headline
Type . Decide what size to use on these
"sub-pages" and use it consistently.
Text .
Go very sparingly on the headline typefaces. Use the normal
typeface instead. It looks more modest. There is such
a thing as overkill.
Last
update . If your site features up-to-date information, an
update date is helpful. But if you don't do much updating,
leave the date off or the site will look untended.
URL
address . You don't have to include this, but consider
including a line like "The URL of this document is http://www.i-sitesolution.com/planning.htm " or some
such. That way they'll know from the printed page how to get
back to your website.
Jump
lines . If you have a complex site, you may want to have
one or two- word designations which will allow your customer
to jump to another section of your website. Most common is a
"home" or "top of page" jump, sometimes
using "clickable images" or "buttons."
Links .
The power of the Web is its ability to link to any other
page in the world. But be very careful. You've just got the
customer in your store. Don't quickly send him away. Resist
your impulse to show off your knowledge of cool sites until
you've got your customer's name, address, and hopefully his
order. This is business.
Signature .
Sign your pages so the author is apparent (e.g. Designed by
Ralph F. Wilson).
E-mail
address , which when clicked takes your customer to a
"mail to" form which allows him or her to send you
e-mail, such as "E-mail feedback to arj@i-sitesolution.com "
7.
Finishing touches
Horizontal
Rules . These don't take any extra time to download. They
can be varied in length and width if you know the codes.
Just like what I use here.
Colored
Lines take a few seconds, but can spice up your page,
especially if they are coordinated with the color scheme you
have designed. Don't overdo it.
Bullets
are available as an HTML option to set off lists.
Colored
balls, arrows, and pointers are also available. But be
careful. A little color goes a long way. Don't just add
these to show off.
Colorful
"New" or "Updated" markers draw your
customers' attention to items you may have added recently.
How about "Sale" or "Special"? Again,
don't overdo it: only one or two per page. More than that
defeats the purpose.
8.
Photos and Graphics
You'll
want to illustrate your products or services to help tell
your story. Or you may want to put your whole catalog
online. Remember to use the <IMG
ALT=>
tag so customers who don't have graphics will know what the
image shows. Here are a few decisions.
Black-
and-White . These may be a bit less expensive, and are
within the range of most hand scanners using gray-scale.
Black-and-white images can easily be tinted slightly blue or
brown to give an antique flavor.
Color
Images . Color grabs people. Tell your story through a
few pictures. Obtain professional-quality photos of your
products locally. Then send your Web designer the photos.
You can also obtain stock photography from inexpensive
CD-ROMs from Expert and Softkey, or professional stock
photograph on-line from PhotoDisc
(http://www.photodisc.com).
In
my area I can get a color scan of an 8-1/2"x11"
page for about $8.00 (but 8-1/2"x11" is way too
big to display). Keep the size of these down so that your
customer doesn't have to wait all day to be able to see
them. He may just click to another site and be gone. 20K to
40K is the acceptable range for people with 14.4K modems.
You need to be able to resize or crop as needed so your
photos are sized appropriately for the page, and don't take
too long to download. Or hire someone like me to do it for
you.
Clickable
thumbnail images are one compromise. You show the
picture in a thumbnail size image. If the customer is
interested he or she can click on it to display the larger
photo. You can also give the image size, such as 57K, so the
customer has an idea of whether or not he ought to choose
this option.
Type
of image is important, too.
GIF
images can be viewed by all Web browsers and work best
with images created in a graphics program.
JPEG
images compress better for photographic graphics, or
those with color gradients, and thus load faster.
Clickable
images which offer a choice of JPEG or GIF are another
way to go.
Here's
another decision. Do you want ...
A
rectangular image with color to the edges.
Transparent
areas around your graphics. Your Web designer will know
how to make transparent backgrounds which make images appear
to "float" over the page. Do-it- yourselfers can
accomplish this using L View Pro® or Adobe PhotoShop®.
Multimedia
is getting more common and more Web browsers and computers
support it, so you might want to include:
Sound
Animation
Video
clips
For
now, however, the "bandwidth" or modem speed of
14.4K or 28.8 bps is really too slow for much except perhaps
Real Audio®.
9.
Forms to Get Orders or Customer Response
You
need to connect with your customer. These are options which
return information from your customer to you by e-mail.
Guestbooks .
You can entice potential customers to sign your guestbook
and perhaps receive a free gift. Their answers to key
questions help you qualify them as a prospect to pursue by
telephone or direct mail (or e-mail, for that matter).
Requests
for Information . Have a place for name, address, phone
number, etc., as well as check boxes to request information
on certain products or services.
Order
Forms . Ideally, you take the order right on-line. Since
people are still concerned with security of their credit
card information on the Internet, consider using a
combination of an order form and an 800 number. Former
customers could order on the basis of credit information
they have previously given you. Or you might have a page
which contains an order form your customer can print out,
fill out manually, and mail in with a check.
Shopping
Cart Program . If you are selling a number products
directly over the Internet, you probably ought to invest in
"shopping cart" software, so people can put
multiple items in their "cart" from any number of
product pages. Upon "checkout," they have a total
of their items, as well as tax (if any) and shipping charges
included.
Secure
Server . If you're serious about selling directly on
the Internet, invest in the extra cost of putting your pages
on a SSL-secure server, which encrypts the information quite
well. Perception is the real issue, not stealing of
information. The padlock icon is worth the extra money
you'll pay.
Your
choices will also include how you get the information sent
to you by e-mail. This requires CGI (Common Gateway
Interface) programming-- that is the really tricky part.
Adapt
CGI scripts which you find on the Internet. This takes a
bit of programming savvy. You also need to befriend your
host computer's system operator to let you have your own cgi-bin
file.
Write
your own CGI scripts . This takes a lot of
programming savvy.
Hire
a computer science grad student to write your CGI script
for you.
Employ
your Web designer to take care of this for you. Some Web
designers have highly tuned programming skills. Others
develop partnerships with programmers to get your job done
the way you want it. Your designer will also work with your
host computer system operator to set up the program in a cgi-bin
directory.
10.
Uploading and Testing Your Pages
Once
you finish designing your pages, you need to upload them
(probably using Zmodem) to your Internet Service Provider's
Unix-based computer. You need to know the basic Unix
commands and directory structures. You can ...
Upload
the pages yourself. You'll need to do this repeatedly as
you test and adjust your pages. An helpful tool is WS_FTP,
available in both Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 versions. You
can use this shareware to upload files to your website.
Send
the pages to your Internet Service Provider on a diskette to
upload for you . He may do this for you once or twice.
But when you find the need for repeated changes to correct
errors, he won't be happy.
Have
your Web designer upload and test the pages for you . If
he is worth is salt (or her salt, as the case may be), he
will ask for your approval at key stages so you are fully
satisfied with the final product. You know: "Delight
the customer."
11.
Registering and Advertising Your Site
If
you build it will they come? Only if they can find you.
There are several ways of registering your site. You'll want
to use all of these approaches, or pay your Web designer to
do it for you.
Or
as I say, our company has it all, so you can simply
click the link on top Web Submission
to promote your site without doing something just paying a
nuts of bucks on your pocket, and I will sure you it will
cost a big boost traffic on your site.
Signature.
Subscribe to mailing lists and news groups likely to include
potential customers. Actively involve yourself in the
discussions, but don't overtly "push" your
product. Let the "signature" at the end of your
e-mail message do that for you.
Participation
takes some time and work, but it's worth it, since you are
targeting your marketing efforts on those most likely to
purchase your product. This is your job, though your
Web designer can help you find the right mailing lists and
news groups.
Web
search engines . There are half a dozen important Web
search engines for the Internet: Lycos, WebCrawler,
AltaVista, HotBot, Excite, and Infoseek. The most important
directory by far is Yahoo. Register your "index"
page with each of these. Or have your Web designer do it for
you.
Links
from Related Pages . You may find some people in a
complementary business who will agree to reciprocal links
with your page. Or one-way links for a modest fee. You know
your industry better than your Web designer. You need to
explore the Internet for yourself.
Links
from Industry Index pages . There may be an
"advertising" page which links all related pages
at no cost. Tell them about yours. Again, this is your
job.
Send
brief "press release" announcements to
services which announce "what's new" on the
Internet. You just might hit it lucky and have hundreds of
people see the announcement and flock to your site--if
you're selected for the weekly "scout report." You
can send these announcements, or have your Web designer do
it for you.
Print
your website address or URL on all your display ads,
literature, stationery, and business cards. This will
attract customers to your site to learn more about your
business and your products.
12.
Maintaining Your Site
Once
you get up and running, after testing all your links and
correcting the inevitable errors, you need to keep your
Web-site current. You'll need to think of how to handle:
Price
changes
Product
changes
Adding
pages to describe other parts of your business
Updating
links which have become obsolete
Updating
images Re-doing
the "look" of your pages when your spouse
grows tired of it.
You
have choices here, too.
Do
it yourself . If you have developed your pages thus far
by yourself, it'll be a snap.
Have
your Web designer train you or a staff member how to update
files . You might want to write this ahead of time into
your agreement with your Web
designer , especially if you have some computer talent
within your company. With this option, you'll need to use
the Web designer in the future only for major changes.
Keep
your Web designer on a retainer to maintain
your pages monthly or as needed . This saves you or your
people from having to become experts on HTML. Your Web
designer becomes part of your team without being on your
payroll; hire him or her as an outside contractor.
Ignoring
long-term page maintenance is not a realistic option
Determining
Cost Ranges
Do
it yourself is, of course, the cheapest so far as cash
outlay. You need a word processor that will code HTML
documents. However, the hidden cost is your time. To be any
good, it will take you at least 20 or 30 hours of study and
practice to get to the basic level. And there is quite a
learning curve for the finishing touches. Expect to be
constantly tinkering to improve your website--or leave your
site forever mediocre. Time is money! When you
finish, will the website really look professional? To do a
really professional job takes professional-level graphics
software and a great deal of experience. The improving HTML
editing software makes it look easy, but professional sites
are worth what you pay for them if you're really serious
about attracting business with your website.
Small
businesses and organizations . Simple
web pages with modest graphics and a guestbook will
probably cost you $100 per page or more when averaged over
the whole job. Many Web designers, however, won't give you a
binding estimate, since each project has its own unique
challenges. You may be able to cut costs by supplying
diskettes to your Web Designer of materials you have already
typed into your computer. For an outlay of $300 to $1,500,
you can get a set of professionally-designed pages. You'll
save time up front by sharing this Web Design Decision Sheet
with your Web designer, since you will have thought through
the basic questions already.
Small
companies may spend from $2,000 to $10,000 on setting up
an online store.
Medium
sized companies may spend from $1,500 to $10,000 on
webpage design. They are probably paying for the
expertise--and overhead--of an advertising agency
specializing in webpage design. Custom graphics, image maps,
and CGI programs can be expensive.
Larger
corporations may expect to spend from $10,000 to half a
million or more. Sometimes you can see the difference,
sometimes you can't. Animation, video clips, and sound can
cost a pretty penny-- but they can attract people who might
be your customers.
»»» Compare
our Web Design Rates or check
our package promo .
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