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So You Want to Make a Website

So You Want to Make a Website
Written: January 4, 2008

So, you want to make a website? Whether business or for personal, there are several general guidelines you should follow. These are made to be flexible for most types of websites, however may not work for everyone. After webmastering several sites for almost 9 years now, these have been guidelines I have followed when creating projects. Some have flopped, and some have succeeded, but always the following I have used as a means to both begin and maintain sites.

1. What is the focus of your website?

Do you want to have a business? Do you want a free entertainment site? Do you want a personal site? This is where you as the website owner/ webmaster have to decide what you want on your website content wise. You could register a domain, buy web space at a webhost, but it is the content you need to have down or at least a nice brainstorm plan for your site- to- be. The content will help you decide the rest of the mood of the website, especially when it comes for your visitors to navigate your site. Without focus, you could have a very disorganized website.

When brainstorming, first list the major areas of the website you wish to have more emphasis. Then, underneath each main category, go into detail of what you want, things like: will you need a membership script, or perhaps a blog script, or any certain script to do what you want your site to be? Will you need certain graphics to illustrate your site’s focus? Will you need to invest money? All of these issues are important when embarking on a new website venture.

Factors like considering what kind of audience your site will reach are extremely important during the brainstorming process. This involves age, gender, personal quirks, ethnicity and more. Obviously a website for dentures may not appeal to a younger audience, while a website of hard core rap may not suit those who are died hard country music fans.

Lastly, what kind of accessibility do you want your site to have. Do you want it totally PC, W3 standard and cross browser compatible, or are you willing to take a few risks to make your site happen. Although it is best recommended to have a site that is cross browser compatible, not every design and coding technique will allow this to happen. This will always fall back with who you intend on as an audience for your website. It is important in this part of the process to keep in mind cross browser compatibility and try to apply as much as you can to your site.

2. What can you invest into your website?

Will you be able to invest time into your website? Will you be able to invest money into your website? These are important and merely optional depending on the website owner/ webmaster choice in how to bring the site into existence.

Making a website takes time, sometimes even money, especially when having it hosted with a paid webhost. If you are unable to design a site, then obviously you will have to invest money into having it designed and coded. Some web designers are cheap and others are expensive, but nevertheless, it is an investment to bringing the site together.

In regards to investing time, it can be a very finicky issue. The content will obviously be the main part added once the site has a general layout to portray it. However, it is also the part that takes the most time. You as the website owner will have to take time to put this together, if not, hire a webmaster who can. This can be an issue as some cannot utilize the internet efficiently and have no idea how to add their content, while others may not have the time. A webmaster can make the changes necessary. Some web designers may even offer Site Maintenance/ Webmaster services. Like web design, it may be expensive or cheap, but make a good choice on someone that is reliable. A hired webmaster who seems like they are hard to contact and get any site updates done in a decent time is not exactly ideal.

Also, for both time and money, how will you get your site out? Do you plan to invest money in advertising, or do you have a lot of friends who can spread the news like wildfire? Getting the word out on a website is not easy. It takes a lot of time, even a lot of money, and even though you could reel in quite a bit of visitors, you have to maintain this, seeking larger areas to reach more of your audience.

3. Will you have a backup plan?

Now, not everyone likes to be pessimistic, but in the event that your website is a total bust, what can be done? Will you have a backup plan? Sometimes this falls back to #1, your focus on the website and sometimes a combination of both #1 and #2. Maybe your site was not as resourceful as you wished or perhaps the items were not as unique? Maybe your site was not as accessible as it should.

In these cases, fall back to the original plan and compare what you have on your site, versus what you had on your original brainstorm before putting your site up. If you find any of the original categories lacking, re- brainstorm and make those changes to a website. Some people just give up right away. Like anything, it takes time and most of all, patience. Yahoo! certainly did not happen overnight, and still it is developing and finding new niches to extend their audience. If your idea might be risky, do a trial run. Like any company, test marketing is essential so the company knows what their audience wants. Even on a smaller scale, this may cost a bit of money, but like anything on a site, if it fails, you can change it or improve upon it.

The most important thing is to not give up right away. Many new sites, including businesses flicker out fast because they simply have no patience.

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