10K Webdesign: Making your Website Work for You!
Making your website work for you (not you working for your website!)
So you’re thinking of putting your website online, you’ve done a couple of Google searches and you’re trying to understand all the different options out there. What now?
Developing a website really mirrors your own internal processes.
If you’re on a super tight budget and you need a basic, simple setup, you’re best off with a static HTML site. If you’re in this position, you probably don’t require a lot of changes or maintenance. Typically this is 5 to 7 pages of content.
Most static HTML sites are hand-coded in Textpad or Notepad, or developed using Dreamweaver or another packaged program. You might want to find a website template and have a designer adjust it for you. Remember to submit your site to the search engines and make sure that the code contains metawords and descriptions. Also budget some time/money for maintenance and additional pages. Eventually, you will upgrade to a CMS, but for now a static site will work for you.
If you have been maintaining your site yourself and you’re coming up on time limitations (who really wants to wade through a bunch of code!), or worse, you’ve been paying a web designer over and over to make minor changes, now is the time to consult with your web developer to create a more dynamic, database-driven content management system (CMS) approach.
A database-driven approach also works if you’re looking to start out with a more highly-functional site, (e-commerce, calendars, RSVPs, blogs, downloads, member-only content, photo galleries, etc.)
A CMS allows you to manage all your content and separate the content from the design/look-and-feel. A good CMS allows you or your data entry person to update content without having to understand FTP, HTML, CSS, javascript, or code.
If you’re going this route, you’ll want to organize your content into a “site map” that literally physically maps the different pathways that your users or potential users take as they visit your website. Who are the people visiting your site and what do you intend them to do there?
You’ll also want to create a wishlist with all the different functional items you want the site to have: do you need the ability to update your calendar? What about a registration form for events? What about a “what’s new” feature?
When you have all these separate components mapped out, it’s time to ask your web developer for a quote on encoding all of your content: this might take the form of different “phased stages” for your site. A good developer knows the time it takes to encode your site, based on your materials. He or she will charge you either a flat fee or an hourly rate with an estimate of how many hours it takes.
From that point, you’ll follow the developer’s timeline to see your website through completion: this means going through design samples, through construction and data entry, to testing, revisions, fine-tuning, site submissions and linking, and finally, your website launch and any training and follow-up.
The website process will mirror your organization’s growth, so as you have more resources available to invest in your marketing, you’ll be able to implement more and more functionality on your site, to the point that the website becomes one of the larger parts of your messaging and marketing.
You might want to start doing things like selling banner space or linking to sponsors on your site. You also may want to collect dues or other forms of revenue online, or you’ll want to charge members a regular fee to access higher value content.
Ideally, your web developer is right there with you!
Domain and hosting: 10khosting.com
Website design: 10kwebdesign.com
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