The first decision to take is why you need a web site and what you are trying to achieve by having one. there are many reasons for having a web site but we are often approached by clients who feel that they simply "need" one. This is the wrong position to start from and will lead to disappointing results.
A good reason for having a web site could be any one of the following ( or a combination of a few of these ) :
and so on....
The next step is to give some thought to what you believe you want your site to look like. Often competitors sites or similar companies in other areas or countries will give you ideas. Make searches on the Internet and write down the names of sites you like.
Compile a rough outline of your site, number of pages, probable content for each page, images, logos
Gather together your ideas and content electronically. By this we mean text content in word or notepad files, images and logos in Jpegs or gif format . This will help us keep your cost down, You do not want to be paying web design rates for copy typing.
Decide on a possible domain name.
Decide on a budget, this should include initial design cost, name registration, hosting charges and possibly an ongoing budget for site updating and search engine costs. Your initial budget questions can be answered on the web site costs page here and also in the what do I need page, but these can only ever be a guide as each and every job is different. From time to time we offer introductory offers for very basic start up web sites of a couple of static pages.
Decide who in your organisation is going to be responsible for this project, the best clients we work with and those for whom we produce the best work are those who commit to the project wholeheartedly and work with us on the content, look and feel of the site and revisions.
At the other extreme, we have dealt with some clients who push a business card across the desk and ask you to create a professional web site about their company from that !
What we will now try to do is help you along with this process through the next 2 or 3 pages. These pages will tell you what you need to get started and give you a basic plan to work to in pulling together your ideas and establishing your current position.
Please use this preferably before our first meeting ( or with any other potential web design supplier ) - you will find it provides a great start to your project.
You will then know what you need and have a basic plan , we then outline the next steps you should take.