Services
Getting started
To help you get the most from our services, and ensure you end up with a site that fulfills your needs and expectations, we have provided a few questions that you can ask yourself to get clarity on the type of web site you need, and the look and feel you want it to have.
Who is your audience?
The first step for us, in knowing how to design your site, is in understanding who your intended audience is.
It makes a real difference if you are trying to appeal to high school students or business professionals. While it's possible to make a sight that encompasses every possible visitor, the result is likely to be a site that won't appeal strongly to any of them.
Keep in mind, that having a clearly focused target audience will not limit who visits or enjoys your site. The greater the focus of your site, the greater the response you will have from all sectors of society who can gain benefit from what you offer.
What is your site's purpose?
Having a professional web site has become a mark of credibility in our society. Yet just having a presence on the internet is selling short the real power and benefits that can be gained through your site. That is why it is also important to know what you want to accomplish through your site.
A few of the possibilities include:
- Provide contact information and maps.
- Answer common questions people have.
- Provide a way for people to purchase your products and services online.
- Display a calendar of events or conferences.
- Create a forum for people to share their interest in your field of expertise.
- Offer tools or calculators that people can use, to help them with their interests.
- Provide other resource, articles, and tips on your field of expertise.
What is your site's personality?
It is also helpful if you know of other sites on the web, whether they are in your field or not, that appeal to you. Spend a moment visiting them and consider what it is that grabs your attention or why they make you feel comfortable.
You may want to make a list or find samples of your favorite colors, or colors that you feel represent your business.
If there is any specific imagery that you would like to incorporate on your site, or any that you definitely don't want to use, or feel has been overused in your field, make a folder and start collecting them now.
You can download them from the web, or collect them from magazines and other print media. Google Images is an excellent place to browse images for any interest.
It doesn't matter if the images you collect are protected with a copyright, we can usually find or create ones specifically for your site.
Here are some more questions you can ask yourself to clarify your site's feel:
- Do you want your site to generate a feeling of excitement or calm?
- Do you want your site to present an atmosphere that is formal, casual, playful, or...?
- Should your site's appeal be more masculine or feminine?
- What age group do you expect to visit your site?
- What professions are your site's visitors in?
- What do your site's visitors do for a hobby or fun?
- Also, what language(s), cultural experiences, prejudices, do your visitors have?
The more we know about your aesthetic and your target audience, the better the fit will be for everyone.
Remember, while we are specialists in web site design and usability, no one knows you and your business better than you do.
You do not need to know the answers to all of these questions in advance, since part of what we do is help guide you through all of the many possibilities. These questions are simply meant to get the juices flowing around the functionality and personality of your new web site.
