I Want a Website - Where Do I Begin?

Here is an overview of where to start when you decide that you want a website.

Purpose
First of all you need to decide what is the purpose of your site?  Is it to promote your business or professional skills, for entertainment, recreation, cultural or community, sports, family or personal information sharing?

Your Audience
Define your target audience.  Put yourself into the shoes of your audience and think about what you would like to see as a customer.  Fulfil your customer’s needs by making sure that information is readily available and easy to find.

Overview
Give a brief overview of your company, the services you have to offer, or your purpose for information sharing, on the front page and more details in subsequent pages.  You want to "capture" the interest of your visitor when they first visit your site and entice them to look further.

Content
This can be the most time consuming part and often the hardest.  List your existing information, for instance, you may have a company brochure or other written material.  Think about how you present your business when speaking with someone and write these details down. Collate all the information, including any logos and pictures you may have, into categories.

Next page:
Making your site pleasing to the eye with pictures can make it more inviting, however, don't over use photos as they can detract the reader from the relevant information about your services.

In summary, your site should:
•    be a good reflection of your company/sporting club/family
•    be Informative
•    be easy to navigate
•    respond quickly