If you haven't visited our overview page of tips on determining your own web content, read that page first.

This page goes into detail regarding collecting materials, thoughts, and plans for organizing and creating your web site content. It can serve as a checklist and starting point for your thinking and decision making concerning what content you want for your site and how you want it to look and operate.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR BUILDING A WEB SITE

• Goals!  Why do you want a web site?
  • Have one so your company looks professional and is not embarassed
  • Provide information: Portfolio, catalog, maps, tutorial, FAQ
  • Customer service & support, technical information & downloads
  • E-commerce, take orders, provide pricing (note that there's quite a range of solutions from passively showing prices to an elaborate interactive product selection E-commerce site)
• Think about whom you expect to view your web site
  • New clients
  • Existing clients
  • Referrals
  • Visitors
  • Collaborators
  • Competitors
  • Consider the demographics of your target audience
• How do you expect people to find/know about your web site and/or company?
  • Printed Collateral (brochures, ads, cards, literature)
  • Correspondence and specific announcements that point to your site
  • Web referral (links from web rings, industry lists, geographical-based sites)
  • Search engines (see below also)
• What materials do you collect for your site?
  • Collect images, text, lists - hardcopy or in a file
  • Existing brochures, catalogs, memos, marketing plans, ads, articles, press releases
  • Photographs, slides, audio files (CDs), logo, headshots, site/facility pictures, maps, artwork, diagrams, unique perspective images
  • Video, commercials
  • Images sell!
• How do you organize your ideas and information?
  • Of course you'll have some version of "the standard stuff" (ABOUT, CONTACT US, DIRECTIONS, PRODUCTS/SERVICES)
  • Organize your materials into categories, perhaps using a hierarchical outline, or pictoral (e.g., "mind map") approach. Use 3x5 cards, WORD or POWERPOINT outlines, yellow stickies, "backs of envelopes"
  • Determine major themes and sub-themes
  • Emphasize your core competencies and what differentiates you from other similar businesses-- what's your selling point?
• How to compare competitors' web sites to get ideas
  • Check out how both local and national businesses in your field have developed their web site-- what are the best known practices for marketing your products/services?
  • Make a list of URLs (web addresses) you like/dislike, with notes about WHY. Include unrelated topic areas if you see something web-oriented that catches your eye regarding design or approach.
  • Look at details like color schems, typography, general layout, loading time, site organization (is it intuitive)
  • Print out a competitor's web site pages and mark up (cut and paste) to see what works for you and how you can adapt the positive aspects.
• How can you start small and then if it's going well expand your site?
  • Don't be intimidated by the web or you'll never get started at all.
  • Perhaps just plan to do a "cover page" address, phone, and general information single page to start. Then after you see how that goes, add some details.
  • Get the basic structure in place and all the information together -- this is the single most difficult task for most clients. Once you have the information, it's much easier to arrange and edit it.
• Should you (and how do you) register your web site with search engines?
  • Search engines are great, and you will want to "work with" them to your advantage
  • Think of keywords that are descriptive of your products/services that your average demorgaphic would use to find you, say, in the yellow pages. Include common misspellings too! You want to be findable.
  • Be sure to sprinkle these keywords in Titles, Meta Keyword lists, and your web page text content.
  • SherwoodPhoto.com and SherwoodHosting.com, upon request, receive free access to a detailed article about a reasonable approach for Search Engine registration at minimal cost - a 90% solution for a 5% cost. We believe there's no need to spend big bucks if you follow a few logical guidelines.
  • See Search Engine information summary list
• How can you drive additional traffic to your web site?

In addition to the traditional methods of using links, web rings, search engines, self-promotion, and exchanging links (cross-referencing with another site), you can consider the following:

• Include "interesting" and useful information or benefits on your site to provide an incentive or reason people will use and return to your site. Perhaps something of local interest (calendar listings, regional information, activites, things to do); give away something: recipes, coupons, maps; provide unusual information such as historical perspective, tutorials; be a repository for clip art that you generate relating to your business; sponsor a chat room or discussion group; support charities and fund drives and provide them a page on your site
• Regularly post updated topics from your site in your company newsletter or bulletin board; send out postcards announcing a new update to your site
• Sponsor contests on your site
• How can I determine how much traffic is visiting my site?
  • SherwoodHosting.com provides three free tools to analyze and display your web site traffic. See additional information on these and our favorite, AWstats.
• How do you integrate your web site with your overall marketing campaign?
• How can you keep your site fresh and revitalized without spending a fortune and taking a lot of time each week to edit it?

DESIGN & MARKETING SERVICES

In addition to the technical and aesthetic aspects of your web site, we are also able to assist in other aspects such as marketing, photography, copy-editing, and helping you get more presence on the web. See some of the details below which highlight our graphic design, photography, and musical expertise areas.

Click for our graphic chart of services .GIF      .PDF (clearer display)