Web Site Check List

Creating an Internet presence to promote your business and services is fast becoming more of a requirement than an option these days. Once you've decided to establish a Web site on the Internet, you will want a Web site that reflects you and your business to your satisfaction.

Here are a few fun tasks to complete as you plan your Web site. One of the key parts of a Web site is establishing its "look" and "feel." If you're moving an established business online, you may already have a look and feel to your business via brochures, logos and marketing materials. Or you may be creating your look and feel from scratch.

To determine the look and feel of your business, answer these questions:

• What colors and fonts are your customers used to seeing?
• If you're starting new, what colors and fonts would you like them to see? 
• What do you want to say to them? Is your overall image serious, lighthearted, professional, whimsical, etc?

The more "substance" you can communicate to us, the better chance you have for your vision and the final design to resemble each other! You will want to consider six overall subjects and write out a page or so for each subject so you can refer the information to us. Purpose and Goals, Target Audience, What I Like, What I don't Like, Web Site Pages, and Other Thoughts.

Here are some ideas about how to approach each subject.

1) Purpose and Goals

What is the goal of your site? What are you hoping to achieve with your Web site? * What do you want visitors to DO at your Web site? Will your call-to-action be filling out a form, calling a 1800 number, or buying a product NOW? * Do you want to attract a larger audience? Provide an existing customer base with more information? * Generate leads to be followed up by your sales team?

2) Target Audience

Figure out who your target audience is and design your site to be exactly what they need. * What is their age? What is their income? Gender? * What sort of Web interface will appeal to them? * How can your product or service solve their problems? (And of course you'll need to consider what their problems are first!)

3) What I Like

Browse some Web sites relating to your service or business. A good place to start is Google.com or Yahoo.com. Take note of the Web sites that appeal to you. * What do you like about them? The Layout? Colours? Navigation? Fonts? * Layout - think about how you want your Web site to look. Take notes of Web sites that you find appealing. * Colours - Choose your colors wisely. If you have existing marketing materials, you will want to send them to us for scanning and colour sampling. It's important to maintain your existing branding and corporate look as you move online. *Elegant business-like colors include dark, rich colours such as navy blue, burgundy, scarlet, deep purple. *Fresh, healthy colours include bright orange, pale yellows, blues and greens. *Loud, high-impact colours include vibrant colours such as bright shade of yellow, bright red, purple and black. We recommend choosing one colour as the primary colour of the site and one or two complimentary colours. If you don't choose to have a white background, make sure your text colour does not conflict with the background you select. * Navigation - Keep it simple and you won't lose your Web site visitors. Do you like your navigation across the top? Left side? Right side? Nice buttons or text links? * Fonts - Use an easy-to-read font for the majority of your text. Fancy fonts and special fonts can be used for headings, subheadings, special announcements, and news. Be considerate of your visitors - don't use a font that's hard to read or they may just "click" and be gone! Identify several sites that use a font you like. If you have no idea about the colours and fonts you would like we will be happy to supply some suggestions.

4) What I Don't Like

Knowing what you don't like is just as important as what you do like. Write down things that bug you and share them with us so we can steer clear of them! Be specific. What don’t you like about a Web site? Visually loud? Difficult to read and understand? Is the navigation unclear?

5) Web Site Pages

Here's what we usually recommend to start. If you've got ideas for additional pages, great! And, of course, more pages can always be added later. * Homepage - This is the first page of your Web site. This page is the "first impression" someone has of you and your business. (And you know what they say about not getting a second chance for a first impression?) * The homepage must clearly state what your site is about. It can include a mission statement and link to your other pages for more information. * About Us - This page is about you! Include your resume, your pictures, your biography, and your services. * Resources - All your links to other related Web sites go here. This gives you a chance to supply your users with more information about your subject/services. * Services - Use this page to tell your visitors about the types of services you offer, what to expect, how much they cost. * Products - If you sell products, this would be a good page to have. You may need more than one page of products depending on how many you have. Companies with many products will probably want to investigate online shopping carts. * Contact Us - Usually all your contact information goes here, along with a form for your visitors to fill out. When your visitors fill out the form, it's instantly emailed to you. * Testimonials - Nothing sells like existing happy clients. Show off your letters here. * And more - The sky's the limit when it comes to thinking of all the great content you can present to your visitors. You're not restricted to just these pages!

6) Other Thoughts and Ideas

Write down any other thoughts and ideas that you have for your Web site, no matter how small or simple! Do you want your navigation buttons to change when the mouse rolls over them? Do you want a copyright statement at the bottom of your pages (recommended)? Do you want a Flash movie added to your Web site? How about a message board? Polls? Any other special features? Add these to your "Other Thoughts/Ideas" worksheet. Once you've completed your thoughts and ideas, it's time to hand those ideas - and the digital copy (text) for your pages - over to us. We will be most impressed with the information and clear insight you're able to provide. You'll also save a lot of time by clearing up questions regarding your design before they ever crop up. Just like creating a plan for your business strategy or marketing efforts is important to success, creating a plan for the creation and design of your site is highly recommended for a successful Web site launch. Put your best foot forward on the Information Superhighway!