Starting Out
Questions to answer if you are thinking about building a web site
Answer each question is as much depth as you can.
1. What do you want the site to achieve?
2. Who do you want the site to reach?
3. What do you want visitors to do as a result of visiting your site?
4. What kind of experience do you want visitors to have when they visit the site?
5. What do you see as the special features/distinctive aspects and personality of your business?
6. Are there any alliances or strategic partners you need the site to be part of, associated with, or to support?
7. Please identify any dynamic or regularly changing content you wish to be part of the site (eg product information, events calendar, news, photo gallery, special offers, seasonal matters, files for download) , and whether you want to maintain this information via online updating systems?
Do you need to be able to search this information on the site?
If so, please indicate the nature of the searches you wish to do.
8. Is there a need for a section which could entered via password-protected login - eg for distributors, guests...
9. Are there specific branding requirements (logo, colours, fonts, style guide) to be taken into account - if so, please would you make a set of these available to us.
10. Are there other web sites which you feel offer features of models which you would be interested to adopt? Please provide a link to each site.
Choosing your domain name
You need a domain name which is:
- descriptive
- short
- keyword-rich (often searched for within search engines)
- easily remembered
Preparing material -- first up, your "About Us" page
People want to know who you are and whether it's safe to do business with you, so your "About Us" page needs to provide that information. We suggest you include:
- Where you are located with address and contact information.
- Contact details and a photo of key staff .
- A plain English version of your company value or mission statement
- Customer support links.
- Guarantee/warranty links.
- Testimonial links.
- Business organizations or networks of which you are members OR links to your key suppliers.
- Recent significant industry awards.
- Customer information and privacy policy links.
