 |
 |
|
|
|
|
| |
| So You Want to Build a Website |
| |
| |
If you build it, will they come?
|
| "Looking at the proliferation of personal Web pages on the net, it looks like very soon everyone on earth will have 15 megabytes of fame."
— M.G. Siriam
|
It's all there for the taking — from personal Web pages to public companies, gadgets and gizmos, everything your heart desires and some stuff you probably didn't know existed — and it's available now on the Internet. The Internet has become a virtual playground, library and shopping mall. Once limited to computer buffs, today, if you're not connected to the Internet, you're simply not connected.
|
The phenomenal growth of the Internet shows no sign of slowing. With 514 million Internet users currently online, up from a mere 68 million in 1997, the world is increasingly doing business via the Net. But while we're rapidly transforming into a "click here" economy, many businesses still haven't taken the plunge and gone online. And this begs the question: Does your company really need a website?
If you're thinking about building a company website, make sure you ask yourself some hard questions before you get started. What are your objectives for the site? Are you trying to sell your products or services? Are you presenting information to a specific target audience? Who is your audience? What should you be providing on the site to cater to their specific needs? These and other fundamental questions should be addressed before you spend valuable time and money creating a website. Take a look too at the excellent follow-up article, "Effective Corporate Websites.
|
| Getting Started |
Now, filled with the confidence that you know why you're building a website and what you hope to achieve at the end of it all, it's time to get started. Start with a "hit list": your all-time favorite sites and a list of the worst sites you've ever seen. Pull them to pieces. Why do you like/hate them? What worked, what didn't? What makes you keep going back for more? And once you're there, what makes you stick around?
|
| |  | Take a long, hard look at the competition. How are they presenting themselves? What kind of content do they have? What appeals to you as a consumer? What is boring or irrelevant? What's missing? What just wasted your time?
|
| | | Make sure you don't fall into the trap of committing common boo-boos. Check out the top ten mistakes in Web design and keep them in mind as you plan the site.
|
| | | Ever got lost in a website and had to resort to clicking away at the back button in a desperate effort to get back to where you started? If it's happened to you, you'll appreciate that a lot of effort needs to go into organizing the site, making the information easily accessible and the site simple to navigate.
|
| | | Remember that you're writing for a totally different medium and adjust your writing style accordingly — or pay an expert to do it right. Stick to the KISS principle — Keep It Simple, or as one Web boffin put it: "Be Succinct!" Work with a Web designer who understands your objectives — and produces the kind of websites you enjoy surfing.
|
| | |
Once you're got your site up and running (having tested it thoroughly), you'll need to ensure that it's regularly updated and tested. There are a number of Web tools which check your website automatically, such as NetMechanic.
|
| | |
Getting the target audience to your site is the next major challenge. The first basic step is to publicize your site on company stationery and advertising materials. You'll also need to bone up on the search engines, and how you can make them work for you.
|
| There's much, much more that can be said on the subject of websites. Yale C/AIM's Basic Guide to Web Style is well worth reading. See you on the Net!
|
The Trendletter team welcomes your comments.
|
|
|
|
|
©2002–2008 Trendlines International Ltd. All rights reserved.
Phone: +972.4.958.3323 | postmaster@trendlines.com
Directions |
Privacy Policy |
Site Map
This site contains material copyrighted by third parties.
This site
is best viewed in Internet Explorer version 5 or higher.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
