The following is a guide of things you should consider if you are planning to develop a new web site, or if you would like to give an old site a make over. (Web site's need to be updated regularly, a customer will not keep coming back to a site that never changes)

1. Make a list of all you goals. What do you want your web site to accomplish? Determine what you want to communicate. Do you want to sell products and services, provide information, or learn more about your customers? Prioritize this list so that the developer knows which elements to focus on.

2. Write a description of your ideal site visitor. Consider whether your primary site visitors will be current customers or prospects. This customer profile is crucial because it will shape site language, navigation, and site features.

3. Review other sites for ideas for look and feel. By pointing a developer to several sites that you like the look of, you enable him or her to hit the mark for you. What are the web addresses (URLs) of these sites and what do you like about them?

4. Think about the kind of art you want. There are three primary choices - photos, clipart, and custom images. Photos can bring a site to life, but can be slow to download. Clip art is cost effective because if often has no fee associated with it. Custom art, while potentially expensive, can create a unique element for your site. Do you have any art work you want to use on disk?

5. Think about your sites layout. One of the most important aspects of site design is allowing you customers to navigate through your site. Look at how other web sites handle navigation and decide what method you would like to use. You want to pick a layout that is simple for your customers to understand and that works well with what you want your web site to accomplish.

6. Write site copy. Each page of your site will contain some type of copy. creating text will help you determine how many pages you will need for your site. Make sure your copy clearly lets a customer know what you will do for them, what your policies are, and briefly who you are.

7. Where do you want your site to go? The time to think about site features and future updates is before the design process begins, so that the site can be created with all of its elements in mind.

8. How will customers find your web site? Take a look at our web site promotion section!