So, you or your company has decided to take the big plunge into the World Wide Web. You’ve heard the call of the digital age. You’ve witnessed the endless amounts of people taking it online and thought; “that’s me, I want a piece of that!”
Bottomless cups of coffee and late nights spent gazing into soft glow of your monitor. You cruise the internet filling your brain with dreams of world wide grandeur. After mulling over endless possibilities you decide it’s time to take the leap. You line up your sights on a designer knowing exactly what you want; a fantastic website.
Back it up. Slow down. Put on a pot of tea. Before you should even consider seeking out a company or designer to build your online dream there is only one thing you should be focused on; Content.
Didn’t your mom ever tell you?
“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover but of the contents inside.”
Even the most beautiful, jaw dropping websites can’t hold their own without great content to back it all up. Much like the failure of Hollywood films these days, they should have concentrated more on the script and less on the big explosions.
So now that I’ve put a wrench in your dreams of jumping into the world wide web head first, you ask;
How should I get started?
Ask yourself one question. What would you like to achieve with an online presence?
Map it out
Grab a pencil and piece of paper, jotting down a site map is a great way to discover exactly where to start. List out all the main pages of your website (eg: Home, About Us, Products, Contact, etc). Keeping things simple will yield much friendlier results.
The Big “C”
You know what I’m talking about, the things dreams are made of; content. The site map is your official guide to an effective website, use it wisely. Now it’s a matter of going through the map page by page and making decisions on what you want to achieve with each. Be clear and concise. Having notes for each page is all well and good but having your content written out verbatim is even better.
It’s easy to get caught up in great ideas without thinking things through. To have a final product that you are truly excited and happy about you have to know what you’re working with. Taking the time to refine and polish your content in the beginning goes a long way in the end.
**As a side note. Some people might opt to hire a copy writer or marketing professional to assist them in developing their content. This is a great option for busy companies.
