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Planning your site should be an easy process. Most businesses already have an introductionary letter,
and/or a brochure which describes your services and products. This is an excellent starting point for me to build on.
It normally contains your color scheme, your business tone via your fonts and images (professional, relaxed, color scheme, logo).
If you have a brochure or introductionary letter, than your work is more than halfway completed!
If you already have a web site and are looking to enhance, upgrade or project a different image, then your job is more than 75% complete!
Contact me to view some of my clients original and present web sites, or current clients still in the design phases.
Below
are some of the questions you should ask yourself. If you have any
specific requests for the questions below, then we can discuss and
incorporate them into your web-site. If you do not have any preferences,
and would like me to design the layout, that is where I become very creative for you. I will create a professional, clean yet colorful web site to enhance your current (or new) business.
Even if you are a home-based business, your web site will present the image of a fortune 500 company, so you can compete with your competition.
If you don't believe me, contact me and I will point out which of my clients in my portfolio are home-based businesses. More importantly, they are competing and succeeding successfully.
Expand and enhance your business now!
1. What do you want to name your site?
The name of your site should be unique, produce
a desired image in the mind of the potential client, and be memorable.
If you already have a business name, then you should try to register
the same name as soon as possible. The approximate costs of registering
your site name would cost $10 for a one year.
2.
How much information will you present on your website? This will determine
how many pages your site will need, and the structure of your site. Will you be selling your products via credit card orders?
Will you be presenting pictures of your products?
This is the most important task you will have
in helping me design your website. After all, this is your business
and you are in a better position in describing it to your potential
customers. Are you going to have a customized form for feedback or
requesting information, or just use a simple email link? Are you going
to provide your history, point to other sites that will help your
customers? Once I know your business, I will be able to help/advise
you on what I think would be advantageous, but ultimately, this is
your business and you will have the final say in all content/wording
and pictures on your website.
3. Do you envision a specific background
color or design of your site??
If you are displaying pictures, they should compliment your site as well.
Remember that loud colors and busy designs tend
to reduce the readability of the text. Pictures will be converted
to "jpg" or "gif" formats. If you already have a brochure, business
card or stationary you should try to compliment these colors, if you
don't want to stick with them. If you already have a logo, it should
reflect the same design and colors
4. Do you
want to have any external links in your site?
Examples of external links would be the local
chamber of commerce and the city's web site. Directions if you have a business/store location.
5. Have
you thought about the descriptive words and phrases that people would
use when searching for your site on the internet?
The search words
and phrases are called "meta tags". For example, if you are selling
candles in New Jersey from your home, some search words/phrases that
people might use would be: "Candles for sale, Candles in New Jersey,
Vanilla, Blackberry, etc.” These descriptive words and phrases also
allow the search engines (such as Yahoo, Google, Hotbot, AltaVista,
Excite, etc.) that use robots or spiders to find and index your site.
6. Have you
thought about methods to promote your site?
Will you be submitting your site to the search
engines manually or will you be using one of the many websites that
will automate the process for you. Will you be adding it to your business
cards, your telephone outgoing message, all your email signatures?
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