Items
Needed to Start your Custom webSite
and Other Things you Should Know
Target Completion Date
To ensure we reach your target date of completion please submit all the pieces for your web site up front. Development will commence on the site once ALL the essential elements are received. Please note that this is necessary in order to cut down on time, costs and confusion in building your site. If you are organized, and ready to go, your site could be up and running quickly. Due to the fact that I am an individual freelance website designer the time required to complete your site is based upon my workload at the time.
Copy (text)
Provied the text for your site in an MS Word document with all of the major categories and subjects that you wish to include on your site. Organize and group what is most important and what is related together. Be creative, unique and to the point in your verbiage.
When you write your text think from the perspective of the customer, and not from your viewpoint. What do THEY want to know? How detailed do you need to be? Do they really care that your dog's name is Spot? Remember, you have a very limited amount of time in front of some of your most perfect prospects, so present yourself accordingly.
If you need some ideas and tips on how to write your content please read my "How To Tips"
Images
Collect all the graphics, photos and your company logo. Digital images are best but I can scan them for you if necessary. If you do not have a logo, I may be able to create one. If you have any promotional material, business cards or letterhead please supply me with a sample so I can ensure that the website compliments your existing branding.
Music/Video - Top Reasons not to Autoplay
Stop and think twice if you are considering the addition of background auto play "mood music" or auto play video with sound on your site. Most users find these annoying for one or more of the following reasons.
- They are surfing the web at work when they aren't supposed to (at the office or late at night)
- They can't concentrate on reading the content of your site with the distraction
- They are listening to their own music on the computer
- It scares the $#!% out of them because they forgot their sound was on (I just did that)
- They are watching TV while surfing, or other people in the room are watching
- They think your choice of music sucks
The only people who should have sound on their website are those in the entertainment industry and even then the user should have total control over when they would like to listen. It is the polite thing to do.
Never risk annoying your visitors, you do enough work trying to get them.
Competition
Research the competition and provide links to the top 3 - 5 companies that you view as your top competitors. Provide me with the Competitive website address and describe what you like and dislike the most about their site. Type in the search terms you would use if you were trying to find your company. Who comes up in the top 3-5 and why? What can you do to get there?
Goals
Provide the goal(s) of your web site. What do you want your site to "do." Is it simply an online brochure or more elaborate with interactive forms and online ordering, etc. If you don't know what you want the site to do then figure it out before proceeding or you will be wasting your time and money.
From a customers perspective “Why would I want/need to visit your website?” Describe what the visitor wants and how you plan to fulfill those wants/needs.
What do you want your visitors to do once they reach your site? Describe the action you want visitors to perform once they hit your site and how you plan to generate this reaction from the visitor.
Site Map
Create a site map of the structure of your site, this can be in the form of a diagram or an outline, whichever you feel more comfortable with. Your site map determines how the individual pages in your site are linked together, how a user gets from point A to point B. A site map is a good way to organize your site for easier user navigation and helps you measure how many clicks it takes to get to a page. (Note this step is not needed for the 5 Page Basic Package, only for larger sites)
Domain Name Registration
If you don’t have a domain name (www.yourcompany.com) I will set it up for you. Provide a list of name suggestions you would like to check for availability.
If you already have a hosting company provide the web site ftp information including logon and password.
If you have no clue what I just said then tell me and I'll help you through it.
Web site Hosting
If you don’t have an existing hosting company I will set it up for you
If you already have a hosting company provide the web site ftp information including logon and password for your domain hosting service
If you have no clue what I just said then tell me and I'll help you through it.