Note: This article was originally published in The Greeley Tribune, Sunday Business Section, January 18, 2004
DaGama Web Studio, Inc.If you don't already have a web site for your business, chances are you'll soon be joining the millions of people predicted to get their businesses online in 2004. If you don't know how to begin, here's a general overview to help guide you.
Let's assume you've decided you don't have the time and patience to learn how to build your own web site and want a professional to build it for you. Search online or ask friends and colleagues to refer a web professional. Be sure to view previous work and ask for references before making your final decision. Next, be prepared to do some homework. A good web designer will ask you many questions to help you focus on your web site's goals. Just like sailing a ship-you need to plot your course or you'll never arrive at your destination.
The web site process can be broken down into four broad phases: Discover; Design; Develop and Deploy. Within each phase detailed planning and project management occurs.
Discover: You and your web designer uncover the goal of your web site and discover other requirements. You'll also decide what your web site visitor's needs are. After you understand your visitors' needs, you can define how you'll satisfy them. If this sounds like building a relationship, that's exactly what you'll be doing.
Design: By putting yourself in your visitor's shoes, you'll provide User-Centered Design, which is so much more than creating a "look-and-feel." Site content and how your site should be organized for your visitors is finalized during this phase. Then your web designer creates a homepage and sub-page layouts.
Develop: Programming and testing happens in this phase. Testing the site with people gives you a preview of how your visitors will interact with your site. Your web designer observes the usability testers and makes changes before deployment.
Deploy: Your site launches onto the web. But how will people know about it? Publishing your site to the web is like throwing a bottled message into an ocean unless you implement proper Search Engine Marketing. After bringing traffic to your virtual door, be sure to track statistics so you'll know how many visitors are coming to your site, length of stay, which pages are viewed, and many other details that can help you revise your site and make it even better.
Online retail spending will increase 24 percent in 2004 to reach $65 billion, and will experience a compound annual growth rate of 17 percent through 2008, according to JupiterResearch.com. With careful planning and by keeping your visitor's needs in mind, you'll significantly improve the success of your web site.