- It all starts with having an original direction. Your web site does not have to be a spectacular award-winner or to be overly complicated. It needs to attract attention, grab the surfer's interest straight away, and tell your company's story quickly.
- Got a good idea? The next stage is to do research very widely. Which direction do your competitors take, and what do they do well and not so well? Remember you don't have to reinvent the wheel, but you do need to stand out.
- Stage three is to start planning your site. You need to decide who your market is and whether you can expand it to additional potential clients. Think carefully about what you want to achieve and how you wish to appear – all these things say a great deal about you. Bear in mind that surfers take an average of less than five seconds to decide if they want to stay on your site. Therefore visual appearance is everything.
- You also need to think about navigation of the site – make it simple and intuitive. Visitors want to find out who you are, what you are offering for sale and to gain a quick impression of whether you can do what you claim. So, start reading and visiting a wide range of sites. And if you know a web site developer, get as much information as possible to start off with.
- Welcome to Stage Four – this is where you need to decide who is going to create your site. As with most things in life – you get what you pay for. You could use one of the many web site building tools to create your own site, or employ a firm based on the lowest cost. But your site will show just how much you have invested in it. If you want to look professional and a market leader, you will need to employ a professional web site design and building firm.
- If you have followed all these steps, you are probably in good hands. In which case, listen to the professionals when they advise you on how to design the site. They have done it dozens of times in the past and they know what works. Your industry knowledge is a good start, but their design knowledge is what will enable you to create a successful Internet campaign.
- Congratulations! Your site is up and running. Now you need to be highly pro-active in responding to potential customers who visit the site and ensuring that the site is dynamic and not static. Show people you are on top of the game and you care about giving them information. You might want to provide links to relevant news or information, a short YouTube film, or images on Facebook.
