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Planning your site prior to publication will save time and
money, help you address problems and challenges before they
arise and ensure you meet your business objectives.
- Identify and Understand your audience
The most important aspect of crafting any communication
is to know your audience:
- Who is your Primary Target audience? (And your secondary,
or tertiary)
- Will they help you achieve your goals?
- What are the demographics of your audience?(Age, location,
occupation, et cetera)
- What is the best way to reach your audience and draw
them in?
- What are they like and what do they like?
You may want to consider conducting a
focus group or looking at public opinion data.
- Shape the message for the audience and medium
Your message should reflect your business
objectives as well as the goal of the message. You also
need to determine how the audience will respond and what
information they need. The message will also be designed
for the medium of the web by writing short paragraphs and
bulleted lists and using an easy-to-read layout based on
the content
- Project limitations of the medium or messages
Depending on the demographics of your
audience heirarchy, the message may not reach certain parts
of your audience. For example, if your business resides
in a multilingual community and your site is designed in
one language, you may not reach the rest of your audience.
- Evaluate and budget for the scope of the project
This is a particularly important aspect
of any large project and may affect the limitations of the
medium or the message. You may also find in this step alternatives
or additional projects to more effectively deliver your
messages.
This is the first step in planning your web site.
This can involve one free consultation, one billable meeting
and a proposal that requires your approval. This step has
little to do with the look and feel of your website but will
provide a guide to structure the content of your site during
the design process.
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