Not only does careful planning cut
your development time considerably, but it makes it far easier to achieve a uniform look and feel for your
Web site??”making it friendlier and easier to use. This section briefly covers some of the basics of Web site
design: what to focus on, what options to consider, and what pitfalls to avoid. If you are an established Web
site developer who has covered this ground before, feel free to skip this section.
Primary considerations
Even before you choose the overarching structure for your site (as discussed in the following sections), you
need to address the all-important issues of message, audience, and budget.
Deciding what you want to say
If I had to pick one overriding concern for Web site design, it would be to answer the following question:
What are you trying to say? The clearer you are about your message, the more focused your Web site will
be. To this end, I find it useful to try to state the purpose of the Web site in one sentence. ???Creating the
coolest Web site on the planet??? doesn??™t count. Although it could be regarded as a goal, it??™s too open-ended
to be useful. Here are some examples of clearly stated Web site concepts:
n To provide the best small-business resource center focused on Adobe software
n To chronicle the world??™s first voyage around the world by hot air balloon
n To advertise music lessons offered by a collective of keyboard teachers in New York City
Targeting your audience
Right behind a site??™s concept??”some would say neck-and-neck with it??”is the site??™s audience.
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