Why Do You Want a Website? Who's the Audience?
We'll explore what sorts of things people do with websites, and we'll ask each of you to describe, in 25 words or less, explaining why you're interested in developing a web presence ... and who it will serve ... those two things define its purpose. We'll ask some of you to toss your ideas out for discussion. We won't put anyone on the spot ... you may just be shy, or you may have an idea you'd rather not disclose at this time.
Here Are Some of the Possible Uses for a Website ...
Some sites are purely informational, some are online brochures or simply calling cards for businesses, some serve the needs of organizations or communities or families. Others handle online commerce, or gather information in the form of surveys or comments, or they may simply entertain. Some are just created for the purpose of finding out what it takes to create a website! Some are intended for anyone to see, some may be targeted at an age group, an interest group, or some other "community." A site may even be restricted to certain individuals, i.e. members of a club, or family, or the employees of a company. These "internal" websites are usually referred to as "intranets" ... but the technology is the same.
If your vision is of a complex, multipurpose site, try to determine what's essential right away, and hone your skills on developing just that portion of it. You can then expand it later. It's discouraging to bite off more than you can chew, and wind up with an overly ambitious website, poorly designed and managed. Start simple, but start NOW!
Nobody Creates a Great Site on the First Try!
Perhaps you don't want to start until you have everything planned out perfectly. Or maybe you've already created a site and you're not satisfied with it. No problem ... that's normal. Think of it as a progression rather than a product. My advice is to just start. You will learn about the process, and you'll refine your concept better by doing than by thinking about it.
Someone asked Thomas Edison if he didn't get frustrated in trying to figure out what would work as a filament for an electric light bulb, since he failed more than a thousand times before finding a workable material. He said "Not at all. I just kept on learning about things that wouldn't work!" Keep that attitude in mind, and remember that you can keep tweaking and tuning. Every site can be better tomorrow than it is today.
How Will You Make People Aware of Your Website?
You need to start thinking about this NOW ... what can you do to make people aware of your site? Yes, there are search engines to think about, but initially you need to get the word out YOURSELF! There are many ways to do that, and you should be able to list at least a half-dozen things that'll help make people aware. E-mail, word of mouth, printing your domain name on calling cards, letterhead, invoices, caps, jackets perhaps vinyl lettering on the side of your vehicle or the front window of your business, giveaways (pens, keychains, etc.), joining groups or attending meetings where you'll have a chance to introduce yourself and mention your website ... and on and on. And remember this ... you can work on your site without anybody else having access to it until YOU decide it's ready for prime time!
Your imagination needs to take over! Many of these things work better locally than over a wide area ... if you are looking for wider exposure, can you get listed on the site of a trade organization, and in turn link to the organization? Can you get mentioned in an article that has distribution among your trade, profession, or hobby? Can you link to complementary organizations? Not competitors, but if you run a landscaping service, can you get linked to a tree service, and link back to them, as a cross-referral arrangement? Be aware, be creative, and don't be shy!