So You Want a Website?
By Tina Boyd, Silken Strand Web Solutions, Inc.

Below is a brief three-step process that is essential to every website design and development project.

Step 1: Business Requirements
First, determine what kind of activities you want your customers to be able to perform on your website. Do you want to set up an e-commerce site where potential customers can learn about and purchase your products? Do you want a billboard site with information about your company and where potential customers can go to purchase your products? Activities that you can provide your customers may include:

• Shopping
• Registration
• Requesting information
• Searching a database
• Downloading or uploading files
• Discussion forums

Step 2: Feature Requirements
Identify the features that you want to add to your website to make it more engaging and interactive. For example, if you want to set up an e-commerce site, you may want to have a shopping cart. Some common features are:

• Forms - allows visitors to easily submit or request information
• Message Boards - visitors can leave or respond to messages
• Photo Galleries - display graphical information on your products or services
• Flash Animation- create interesting animated content
• Search - allow visitors to search for content
• Shopping Cart - software that collects and records the purchases of your customers
• Inventory Management - automatic updating of your inventory

Step 3: Service Provider Requirements
Determine the expertise you need. There are two components to the creation of a website: Design and Development; Design deals with the front-end look and feel. Development deals with the overall functionality and may include an administrative backend. These are distinct skill sets so make sure you hire a person or persons that can provide you with what you need.