A website is also written as a web site, it is a collection of related web pages which includes multimedia content & is typically identified with a common domain name.
For a self-hosted website, one should need two things.
1.Domain name – It locates an organization or other entity on the Internet.
2. Web Hosting – it is the service providing space on the Internet for websites.
Important factors of website planning and creations –
- Set up your goals & purpose.
What is the actual purpose of your website? Is it to gain publicity for your business or Is it to sell something? It’s important to identify your website’s purpose, as well as your target audience. You should also define your goals. How many visitors do you expect per month? How many do you expect will sign up for your newsletter? How much in sales do you expect to make? Set the measurable and specific goals for your website that is in line with your marketing goals.
- Create an affordable budget.
Whether you’re an established, mid-sized organization or a fledgling start-up, you should always set a budget for your website expenses.
- Assign roles to your team.
Make sure everyone on your team knows their role and what is expected of them, and that they stay abreast of deadlines and new developments.
What kind of content will you be displaying on your website? Content is basically anything that gives your visitors information. It can include, but is not limited to:
- Blog posts
- Documents
- Video
- Pictures (such as in a gallery)
- Slideshows
- Embedded social media feeds (like your Twitter stream or Facebook page updates)
- Structure your website.
Decide what pages you’ll be using and what features will be on each one. Most websites have an about and Contact page, but the pages you use should meet your business’ needs.
- Create a mock-up (if possible).
A page mock-up, also known as a wireframe, is essentially the outline of your website
- Start designing the website.
- Make your navigation easy to understand and easy to find. Research shows that most users expect website navigation to be vertical and centered at the top of the page.
- Use an easy-to-read font for blocks of text. Choose a background color and text color that contrast well.
- Make sure your site fits the screen. Use responsive design (or an equally effective approach) to make your website one that adapts to all screen sizes.
- Keep your website light so that it loads quickly.
- Make the company logo and tagline prominent on the page.
- Keep styles and colors consistent across the website.
- Make copy clear and concise, and put important information and features (e.g., your newsletter sign-up form).
- Make notes about what to include in the style sheet as you design.
- You should also design with the future in mind. For instance, your website may only have a few blog posts now, but what about when you have more?
- Test it.
Testing is important for getting out bugs out and catching details that you might have missed initially. Make sure your website shows up the way you want it to in all browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and mobile web browsers like Safari and Opera Mini. Test it on your cell phone, your tablet, and your colleague’s cell phones and tablets too. You want your site to have a consistent appearance no matter what screen it shows up on. Make sure all of the links work, that the images are properly sized and that you’ve replaced all of the placeholders with actual content. See to it that all of the forms and other input fields are working.
- Maintain your website.
Once your site is launched, the work isn’t over. A website is an ongoing entity that continuously represents your company, so maintenance is very important. Monitor your analytics software to see how your website is performing with the public. Keep an eye on metrics like your number of unique visitors, bounce rate, and which pages are most popular on your website.
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