How to Create a Web Site Plan

Building your own Internet web page is a constructive way to advertise a small business, keep friends and family up-to-date on your latest accomplishments or simply as a platform for artistic expression. Even a basic page can quickly multiply in size by number of pages or number of files, making it increasingly more challenging to sustain organization and accurate updates. For this reason, taking the time to come up with an initial plan for your site can provide an invaluable resource for all future site maintenance and growth. The following is a step-by-step guide to creating a website plan.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Computer Internet Connection

How To Create A Website Plan

1. Establish your look and feel. Every Internet web page has its own unique personality. The color scheme, fonts and images all play into the theme of the page to capture the interest of your viewer. Defining your target audience will help you to select the most appropriate theme for your site. For example, if your viewers will mainly be children, bright, bold colors or soft pastels combined with large, simple print and cartoon images will work well for your site. Alternatively, if you are gearing your site toward a more sophisticated crowd, a darker pallet with pristine fonts and slightly more profound photos are more apt to succeed at holding interest.

2. Organize your Information. Open a folder on your hard drive that is entirely dedicated to your web site. In this main folder, you should create separate folders to house all your resources. These resources will fall into four basic categories: text, images, photos and extras. Naming your files with brief but descriptive titles will help you in the process of archiving in the future. Your photos will multiply as time goes on; therefore, you should create a system for naming photos which includes the photographer's name, plus the date and a one-word description of the photo. An example of a photo title might be: "Todd_feb09_roses." This system will make your information easier to organize and access for the most-efficient use.

3. Create your menu. All Internet websites begin with a home or index page. This is the main screen that viewers first see when they click on your site. Each home page normally contains a menu which lists subsequent pages within the site. Dividing your information into a general list for inclusion in your main menu will help viewers to maneuver easily through your site. A basic menu should always include a link back to your home page and may include some of the following additional links:
   • Purpose or History
   • News
   • Features
   • Photos
   • Video
   • Message Board
   • Contact Information
   • Relevant Links

4. Website Map

   Map your site. A successful website can grow substantially in a short period of time; as a result, even the most methodical developer can become easily lost in additional sub-pages, sub-menus and links. Your entire creation is best maintained by beginning with a map. There are many software programs you can buy to help with mapping of a website; however, you can easily create your own map with a simple pencil and paper. Using boxes labeled with the title of each page, you can illustrate the relationship between parent pages and their offspring similar to the function of a family tree.

5. Triple check your information. Any initial faith in the validity of a website can quickly be shattered by the discovery of inaccurate information, broken links and inefficient or faulty java scripting. That is why it is vital to check over all your text for truth, grammar and spelling. Make sure to click through and validate your links and invite friends to do the same. An extra pair of eyes is always a good idea for editing. Before you make your site public, test your extras like video, animation and audio clips on alternate computers to make sure they download at an appropriate speed on all types of connections.

Tips & Warnings

• Major search engines offer free website submission To move your site up in rank on search-results pages, you can pay a fee for website submission

• Always obtain written permission to use any photos, videos or audio clips on your site Some pages appear skewed on monitors with different settings. Many website software programs allow you to double check the look of a page on different settings to prevent such an occurrence.