Getting Your Web Site Started, first website, panning a website

What is the first step in getting started for our website?
   The very first thing to do is to give some thought in advance to what you want your web site to accomplish. The point of this exercise is to realistically assess and prioritize the goals of placing your web site online.

Once we make contact, then what happens?
   First, we will discuss with you what your primary objectives are in placing your organization on the World Wide Web. From that discussion we'll determine what comprehensive solutions will fulfill those goals. Once you indicate to us how extensive a site you want, we will take all that information to collaborate in creating a content outline that will guide the custom design process. Your opinions and ideas are incorporated into every aspect of this outline.
   When the initial design process is complete, we carefully review each individual web page to be certain the presentation is both accurate and attractively portrayed.
   Your completed site is uploaded to the server in a "hidden" directory for your final approval. Any changes you want can be made at this time. Upon your authorization, it is then published on the web for public viewing.
   Finally, we are available to assist you in developing the best web site promotion strategy for integrating your Internet presence into your overall public relations and marketing approach. As is often said in cyberspace, "a web site is an ongoing process, not just a one time project."

What happens if we occasionally need to make content changes?
   This is what is referred to as "web site maintenance." You can either outsource the job to us to make the changes for you on an "as needed" basis, or (in the case of your own domain name and server) you have the option to make those changes yourself if you have the necessary equipment and expertise.

We have a web site, but it is not doing much for us... can you help?
   Yes. We specialize in makeover's - taking an existing web site and transforming it into a productive, attractive, and profitable business tool. Always remember, your web site is a "window through which the world will view you," so making it as professional looking as possible presents your organization in the best possible light.
   We can also provide a professional web site evaluation, where we'll check out its HTML coding, layout, download time, graphics, and attractiveness to search engines, then will prepare a detailed written report for you. You select how many of the pages on your web site you want critically analyzed - you can then make the changes to the site yourself, or have someone else do it for you.

How long does it take to get a new web site online?
   Again, this depends on how extensive your web site is, and also on how quickly the necessary content materials can be gathered. We will guide you through the process of assembling your text and graphics, then will construct your site based on what you provide. The quicker we receive your packet of graphics and text materials, the quicker we can begin the design process. Generally speaking, you should realistically expect a mid-sized site to take approximately 2 to 4 weeks to get online once we receive these materials from you. We will give you a pretty accurate completion date once we have the chance to review everything you send.

We have scanning equipment, so can we do our own photo scans?
   You are certainly welcomed to save some money by doing your own scanning. However, it is essential that this scanning be done correctly for the web, otherwise, your efforts will not be usable.

Our outfit is not located in your state.... will that be a problem?
   Absolutely not. Most of the web site design work we do are for organizations located around the country. The Internet is without boundaries, and therefore you can have your site designed by our firm here in the beautiful Pocono Mountain's of Pennsylvania, have it hosted with us or in another part of the country, and access it locally in your area.
   Your criteria can therefore be focused on price, quality, and customer service - three reasons why North America Outdoors is repeatedly chosen by Outfitters, Guides and Taxidermist nationwide who want a distinctive and successful web presence that stays within their budget.

What pages do you want?
   Think about the information you are wanting for your web site. How many pages, what information will be on each page.

The Home Page
   Your home page must give as much information about your web site as possible. If you are wanting a web surfer to find your web site you need good content for the opening page of the site.

Photo's
   Show photo's. This can be very important to your web site visitor. Whether your selling products or offering your services for hunting and fishing you can never have enough photo's through out your web site.

Photo Gallery
   If your an Outfitter or a Guide it a good idea to have us set up a collection of photo's. Visitors can view the gallery page and see exactly what you have to offer.

Every Web Site Needs A Hosting Company!

Planning
Web sites are developed by groups of people to meet the needs of other groups of people. Unfortunately, Web projects are often approached as a "technology problem," and projects are colored from the beginning by enthusiasms for particular Web techniques or browser plug-ins (Flash, digital media, XML, databases, etc.), not by real human or business needs. People are the key to successful Web projects. To create a substantial site you'll need content experts, writers, information architects, graphic designers, technical experts, and a producer or committee chair responsible for seeing the project to completion. If your site is successful it will have to be genuinely useful to your target audience, meeting their needs and expectations without being too hard to use.
Although the people who will actually use your site will determine whether the project is a success, ironically, those very users are the people least likely to be present and involved when your site is designed and built. Remember that the site development team should always function as an active, committed advocate for the users and their needs. Experienced committee warriors may be skeptical here: these are fine sentiments, but can you really do this in the face of management pressures, budget limitations, and divergent stakeholder interests? Yes, you can — because you have no choice if you really want your Web project to succeed. If you listen only to management directives, keep the process sealed tightly within your development team, and dictate to imagined users what the team imagines is best for them, be prepared for failure. Involve real users, listen and respond to what they say, test your designs with them, and keep the site easy to use, and the project will be a success.
What are your goals?
A short statement identifying two or three goals should be the foundation of your Web site design. The statement should include specific strategies around which the Web site will be designed, how long the site design, construction, and evaluation periods will be, and specific quantitative and qualitative measures of how the success of the site will be evaluated. Building a Web site is an ongoing process, not a one-time project with static content. Long-term editorial management and technical maintenance must be covered in your budget and production plans for the site. Without this perspective your electronic publication will suffer the same fate as many corporate communications initiatives — an enthusiastic start without lasting accomplishments.
Know your audience
The next step is to identify the potential readers of your Web site so that you can structure the site design to meet their needs and expectations. The knowledge, background, interests, and needs of users will vary from tentative novices who need a carefully structured introduction to expert "power users" who may chafe at anything that seems to patronize them or delay their access to information. A well-designed system should be able to accommodate a range of users' skills and interests. For example, if the goal of your Web site is to deliver internal corporate information, human resources documents, or other information formerly published in paper manuals, your audience will range from those who will visit the site many times every day to those who refer only occasionally to the site.
Design critiques
Each member of a site development team will bring different goals, preferences, and skills to the project. Once the team has reached agreement on the mission and goals of the project, consensus on the overall design approach for the Web site needs to be established. The goal at this stage is to identify potential successful models in other Web sites and to begin to see the design problem from the site user's point of view.
Unfortunately, production teams rarely include members of the target audience for the Web site. And it is often difficult for team members who are not already experienced site designers to articulate their specific preferences, except in reference to existing sites. Group critiques are a great way to explore what makes a Web site successful, because everyone on the team sees each site from a user's point of view. Have each team member bring a list of a few favorite sites to the critique, and ask them to introduce their sites and comment on the successful elements of each design. In this way you will learn one another's design sensibilities and begin to build consensus on the experience that your audience will have when they visit the finished site.
Content inventory
Once you have an idea of your Web site's mission and general structure, you can begin to assess the content you will need to realize your plans. Building an inventory or database of existing and needed content will force you to take a hard look at your existing content resources and to make a detailed outline of your needs. Once you know where you are short on content you can concentrate on those deficits and avoid wasting time on areas with existing resources that are ready to use. A clear grasp of your needs will also help you develop a realistic schedule and budget for the project. Content development is the hardest, most time-consuming part of any Web site development project. Starting early with a firm plan in hand will help ensure that you won't be caught later with a well-structured but empty Web site.

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