Where do I start?

Asking a few simple and relatively obvious questions at the beginning of a project can save a lot of wasted time and effort. In web development the first, and most important, question:

Do I need a website?

It seems a simple question doesn’t it, but it’s not as simple as it first appears. There are three aspects to consider when arriving at your answer. A good development agency can offer guidance on these topics; contact them as soon as possible to ensure you end up with a quality product.

With whom am I trying to communicate?

This is the key, and what the Web is all about. If your not trying to communicate with anyone or have nothing to say, you don’t need a website. If you don’t know your target audience, you need to work on this first.

Start with your existing customer base or interest group, and then try extrapolating to your future goals. It’s worth careful thought, this target audience will determine the form and function of the final website.

Do I have time for a website?

A good website is never finished. Your website must be kept fresh, through the continuous addition of new content and functionality, if you want your hard won visitors to keep coming back.

Editorial management and writing content itself can be a very time consuming proposition that must be considered.

You’ll want to ensure you get what you want. Even with the best support in the world you’ll have to devote a substantial amount of time to the development project. Your chosen agency can handle the technical aspects, but without your timely input the project can’t run efficiently and you could be left disappointed; a situation benefits neither you nor the agency.

Do I have the money to support a website?

Of course none of this comes for free; whether outsourcing the work or using your own time; a web development project is a financial commitment. In addition to the manpower resources, the final stage in the project is deploying your new website. To do this you’ll need to buy a suitable domain name and hosting the website on a web server will usually entail a monthly fee.

I want a website, so what next?

You’re fully committed to the development project, what follows are a few more questions to define the form and function of your website. These are what I want to discuss in the next part of this series.