What you need to know before you create your website!

In today's business world, ladies and gentlemen, a web presence is not optional, it is mandatory. It establishes or reinforces your brand and communicates to the world at large your corporate philosophy, identity and intent. For some, it is a vital part of your sales efforts. Regardless of the reasons for having a website, it is imperative that your website communicate clearly and effectively to your audience.

Wikipedia, the ferociously popular online encyclopedia, defines web development as "...incorporating all areas of creating a website for the World Wide Web. This includes web design (graphic design, XHTML, CSS, usability and semantics), programming, server administration, content management, marketing, testing and deployment. The term can also specifically be used to refer to the "back end", that is, programming and server administration. There are usually more than one member that works on a given Web Development team, each specializing in his or her own field."

More concisely put, web development is something you must consider when creating or re-designing a website. It is the plan of attack, the strategy and the bringing together of the professionals you need to design a site that carries your message and achieves your results. When putting together a web development team, ask yourself these questions: What is my main message? Am I selling a product or service? Am I offering information,a product or service or potentially both? These few simple questions will be the start of the process.

Make no mistake, web development is a process. The first step is clarifying your intentions. The next is figuring out how you want your audience to interact with you site. Consider these questions: Am I capturing my audience's information? Am I going to need a shopping cart? Am I using my site as a lead generator? This line of questioning will help you determine if your site needs a database or not.

You can also determine if you need multimedia components by thinking about the look of the site and what you are offering. Some questions to address are: Am I offering audio or video as previews or downloads on my site? What kind of interactivity do I want in terms of navigation or site structure? Do I want elements of my site to contain motion or video?

Web site development is indeed a large undertaking for companies of any size but can be accomplished with the right professionals. The usual suspects for creating sites are project managers (web development project lead), web designers, programmers and multimedia producers. Some professionals offer more than one service, so "doubling up" is not unheard of in this industry.

When you're considering creating a website, a roadmap is essential. So if you have any questions about how to assemble your roadmap or to staff your web development project with the right people, give Avant Garde Productions a call or drop us an email. We'll be glad to help get you on the right path!

Copyright 2006 Avant Garde Productions. Questions or comments? Contact us today.