Create Your Own Web Site

Create Your Own Web Site 1) Create a website development plan that is integrated with your overall marketing processes; the content should be consistent with offline materials (if you have any), the graphics/images should be web friendly and consistent with your overall branding, style guide, usage of colors, etc.

2) When creating Your Own Web Site , try not to get "geek crazy" - meaning you become so in love with the latest design technology, your web site gets bogged down with graphics, plug ins, GIF garbage, etc. But, conversely, check your ego at the door when you work at your design. There are too many sites cramped with meaningless junks they literally turn visitors away. A decent design is what you need.

3) Pay attention to "load times," how long it takes a web site to load on a 56 kbps modem (this is an industry average), if its more than 12-18 seconds you may experience the "click of death" - the site doesn't load quickly and the surfer is gone. Of course if you are targeting broadband customers who are reaching your site via ISDN, DSL or Cable modem then you can build a website that incorporates multimedia-ready content that may include streaming audio or video, Shockwave or Flash capabilities - go ahead and let those digital geeks get carried away with cutting edge content!

4) Keep it simple - make your website easy to move around in, build a menu structure that is consistent with industry standards, local menus (for a page or section) on the left and global menus (overall site navigation) at the top and/or bottom of each page, keep as much information "above the fold" (above the cutoff point at the bottom of a monitor), don't make people use horizontal scroll bars unless absolutely necessary.