Planning a successful website

I believe that success is in the plan. In everything I do, I always make a plan and then work out the plan. A while ago I stumbled on some  great information and tips to help you on planning a website project…

[Adapted from October Succeed Newsletter] Now is the perfect time to start planning your new website.  A good website can boost sales. If you create a solid plan and hire a good website development company, then you can have a website that goes live early in the New Year.

There are three steps to creating a successful plan: Scout, Sketch and Discuss…

Step 1: SCOUT

The Internet is full of examples of good and bad websites. Before deciding what you want for your own website, spend some time surfing and discovering new websites. Then make notes of good ideas. You can even create screen shots to remind you of how a website did something.

Tip: A great way to get introduced to a wide variety is to subscribe to Stumbleupon.com. This free service allows you to be directed towards websites with a theme of your choice.

Step 2: SKETCH

Start with the home page (the page you first see). Look at what you want to achieve with the site and make sure you have a way to do it on the home page. For example, if you want more sales, then have a great product description and a buy now button or a link to your catalogue.Once you have done the home page, look at what other pages and information your site might need, like contact details or a profile of the company.

Once you know what you want in terms of design and functionality create a diagram of how you would like the process to work as well as a mock layout. This will help you to visualize how your website will work and look and help you to give the website developers a good template to work with. Think of it this way, website developers are like architects – they need a good idea to start with and solid plans in order to give you the best product for you.

Tip: Never buy a cheap website which you cannot add content to without the help of a developer. These sites are built using basic code and are not very search engine friendly. It also becomes a problem when you need to change details.

Step 3:  DISCUSS

It is possible to create your own website, but you will get the most for your efforts and investment by using a professional developer.

When discussing your website needs with the developer or designer always ensure that they have a clear understanding of what your goals are to ensure that you have the functionality that you need.

Tip: Sign a contract stating exactly what you will be getting and what the payment and delivery terms are. Also include a three month period of error fixing. This is very important.