"My Website" - An Introduction to "lay" - Part 2 Planning

If you are planning a Web site, the steps are falling over themselves frequently.
Would you prefer the site as quickly as possible online. First HTML code is already created without having to be aware of the content structures.

Planning is the alpha and omega for a website. This allows you to experience any nasty surprises later and after a short time have to start from scratch, you need to start a thoughtful, future-oriented concept.

In today's part of the introduction, it is primarily concerned with the design and initial layout ideas on the way to your own website.

First steps for planning the web presence

First of all you need to be clear about your objectives with your website and what kind of people you want to achieve. Do you know either way? Silly?

Absolutely not!

Is this really necessary?

In my everyday business encounters me again and again: Many companies and people do know that you want to create a website, the actual objectives are often unclear about the contents to mention.

There are many reasons for implementation: Because the competitor has a website, because customers expect it, because websites are now standard equipment, because you do not want to queue behind ...

All this may be reasons at all to deal with the subject web site, but have done nothing with the actual objectives.

Do you seriously think!

The first step on the way to your own website you have done - you have found a reason why you take this step.

Think on now and then answer the following questions:

First What are your goals with your own website?

eg new customers, increase sales, presentation of the company / person to make a product known to sell products ...

Are you clear about your "focus goals". This is crucial for determining the content of the website and the techniques to be used.

Would you like to sell products, you need an online shop. How should the customer pay in your shop? What additional costs may be incurred as a result? (Eg bank charges)

Would you like to present a business, you need to start thinking about content in the direction profile, references, etc..

When it comes to the presentation of a product such content should be the focus.

2nd Who do you want to achieve with your website? What people are among your target group?

Depending on the target definition, different target groups. When it comes to baby food, for example on your website, your target audience as young parents. Planning a website in Spiele/Online- games, your target group is rather young.
Are your target group more private individuals or corporate clients (eg B2B)?

The definition of the target group is critical for next content layout parameters and user interface of the website.

Their target groups are young people more, the layout can still upbeat, perhaps, be too flashy. When it comes to babies, and thus to young parents, you should rather opt for a soft, pastel-colored layout.

You have to do it with an older target audience, you should consider for example the font sizes are not too small, because the age when one or other it unfortunately brings with it that one can not read small print very well. Even more recently, unfortunately I need reading glasses .

Maybe your target audience is also more space in a different language (national)? Then consider in what / what language / s, the website will be published. You may need to consider what resources are available to translate the texts. What costs are incurred as a result?! etc.

Belong to your target group more people for whom the Internet is not a book with "Seven Seals", then you can offer more functionality and a more complex user interface. Is your target audience more "inexperienced" in dealing with the Internet, you should opt for a simple user interface.

Depends on your offer more corporate clients, you can generally of good technical equipment and thus reckon with higher screen resolutions. Is the circle of visitors rather from private households should not assume you high screen resolutions. For what screen resolution is you optimize your web page later part of the layout implementation.

These examples can be arbitrarily extended to fit your website and target your audience. Get this serious thought. They are critical to the success of your website.

Third How much time can you invest in the maintenance of the website?

A crucial point is often not considered!

Web sites of your life to date. Especially in today's time and the constant changes of search engine services, this is becoming increasingly important.
What does your customer with a website promoting the latest news from the year 2006? The probability that such a website is visited again by that customer is relatively low.

There are a variety of vendors to pay you good positioning in search engines and thus gain visitors.
Personally I see this is something critical: High volume of visitors is thus guaranteed safe, but if the visitors do not find the contents are current and he is interested, he was a "fluke" and never returns again.

Remember you can convince search engines today only by high quality and timely information. Invest in your website's content!
If you manage to raise enough time to maintain your website regularly, good positioning make up almost by itself.

Note also that the future of the "Social-book Mardi most" heard. Here people decide, not robots or programs that are now already difficult to outwit.
People opt for quality and what you like. So "Like"!
But this is only my opinion, in my experience - make your own!

So do think about which areas of your website information, you can extend or renew a regular basis!

It is perhaps interesting to maintain a blog to the website? Did you provide sufficient time or resources to get this information?

As you gather the information? As static HTML pages (you have the know-how?) Or through a content management system (who directed this one? What is the cost?)?

4th What added value you can offer your online visits?

We should all think about why an online visitor should visit your website.

What might distinguish your website from others? What could make him better?

What could an online visitor get them to keep coming back, even if you do not sell products they need?

What are "freebies" you can give your online visitors? Can you put in time intervals, new "freebies" available?

What know-how you can pass free of charge?

Offer your online visitors an added value. "Gift" For example, coupons, freebies, trivia, etc. - be generous - it will be beneficial to the use of your internet presence!

5th Do you now think about the content of your website!

They have made themselves sufficiently about the items listed above thoughts, so that you can now start worrying about the content of the website make.

Structure the planned content of your website by tag in the form of a hierarchical list - such as the contents of a book.
It is at this time yet "to formulate" required the actual website content - it's just time to clean the site structure.
Optimize time and again, think about how the information should be nested deep (too deep is sometimes confusing for the reader).

Such an index provides you an additional overview of the depth of information your website. This is within the sole criterion for the navigation concept layouts.
Have you as many points on the first Level of the contents can be used no horizontal main menu because it would exceed the size of the layout.

Take enough time to think about your content and make the content structure. This is the basis for everything! Consider this your central goal (1 point) and the target group (Section 2).

Only when the content tree definitely "is" you can begin to write the lyrics to the content.

Decide in advance what someone would look in a search engine to find your content. To do this, a list of at least 10 words together and rate them according to their importance.
Also ask friends, acquaintances, family, colleagues, etc. that you would seek to find your content - this is important because everyone else associated. You can incorporate the results into your keyword list. Think calmly, use online tools (eg Google Keyword Tool, Google Suggest) to find suitable key words.

Use the thus selected keywords / keywords within your text in meaningful contexts.

If the texts are finished, you must still translate these may be translated into another language or. Now is the time to do it.

6th How can you "make known" your website? How much time can you invest in the "notice"?

If it is then managed to get your first website online, you should "make known" and there into the world, "scream".

Surely you will think a little too early at this stage of introduction. Ok, since you are right. You should take into account in the planning of your Internet project only the time required for the implementation of the "notice".

So you can get an overview of the tasks to be performed and the associated costs I have this addition in this second Considered part of the introduction.

"Publicity" to:
a) Search Engine Submission
b) Entry in online marketplaces
c) link exchange (eg with friends, partners, companies or related services)
d) Entry in RSS services (if you are then RSS feeds are available)
e) record in free advertising services
f) Use an email signature with your website address
Forgot g) Do not waste your Internet address on your stationery (business cards, letterheads, flyers, etc. to be published)
h) Are you active in online forums, you use your Internet address in the profile or in your signature
i) Comment on blog posts that interest you, including your Internet address
j) have a budget for advertising? Then you place ads on your website through Google AdWords, etc. through text-link provider
k) may offer you your own affiliate program n
l) and, and, and

Stay on the ball, even on days when the results make disappointing. Stay persistent and do not underestimate the time required by those options.

Use web statistics to evaluate your "online success".

Conclusion

Now you have the most important tasks for your new website done. A difficult task that you can remove others. Because only you know exactly your offer and can describe it in detail.

If you have reached this stage, then you are already VERY well and it goes on with the layout and the technical implementation of the website.

So we will deal extensively in the next part of this introduction.