Creating A Purpose Driven Site

Advice on how to focus on a specific purpose for a site and design accordingly.

The single most important factor to keep in mind as you work with SiteBuilder is to create a site that is driven by a specific purpose. If you just start creating a site without this upfront effort, your site (and its effectiveness) can suffer as a result. You don't have to spend a lot of time and money in research, focus groups, and the like. Instead, simply carve out a few hours from your schedule, and devote that time to exploring what you want out of your Web site. You'll be glad you put the effort into it.

As you do so, consider the following issues:

* Identify a specific purpose: If you're taking the time and effort to learn how to use SiteBuilder to create a Web site, you must have a reason. Identify your purpose and your goals. If you have a business site, are you trying to attract new customers? Or are you trying to better serve your existing ones? Or are you trying to provide a balance between the two?

After you identify your site's purpose, gear every part of the Web site toward achieving that purpose - including understanding what your priorities are, what your messaging should be, and what Yahoo! add-on features and templates you want.

* Define your target visitor: Consider who is going to be most interested in coming to your site. Develop a list of various types of people and then narrow it down to just one or two archetypes. After you identify the kind of visitor you expect your Web site to attract, most of the questions concerning what kind of design, content, and services you want to offer simply fall into place.

Don't forget to consider the technical expertise and technology-adoption behavior of the target visitor. Your understanding of the target visitor in this area is sure to have an impact on your site design.

Make sure you account for people coming to your site with disabilities.

* Give a professional feel to your site: One of the most important objectives is to create a professional-looking Web site. But unless you're targeting stuffy old Ivy League professor types, "professional" doesn't mean stuffy and stiff-collared. Instead, professional simply means "well done."

* Define a "presence:" After you consider your site's purpose and target audience, identify the way in which you want your Web site to appear to visitors, and develop an aura throughout your Web site that supports that objective. Consider the following potential "tones:"

* Conservative and traditional

* No-nonsense and practical

* Informal and friendly

* Avant-garde and cutting-edge

Tailor every visual element on your Web site toward this decision, including

* The SiteBuilder template you standardize on.

* The graphic style. (Photos can convey a more conservative tone, while clip art and illustrations are effective in creating an informal aura.)

* The writing style.

* The visual elements. (Conservative and friendlier sites need to provide intuitive labels and navigation, while a cutting-edge site can have an aura of mystery by taking a more abstract approach.)

* Evaluate competing sites: As you consider your own purpose-driven site, take a look around the Web at sites that directly or indirectly compete with yours. How effective are they at communicating to a similar target visitor? What mistakes do they make that you can avoid?

Tip: Bookmark these sites you find, and see how their Web sites evolve over time.

	Creating A Purpose Driven Site This article is excerpted from Yahoo! SiteBuilder For Dummies by Richard Wagner (For Dummies - A Branded Imprint of Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2005). Used by arrangement with Wiley Publishing, Inc. Buy the book

Back to Top Email Printer Friendly View

RATE THIS ARTICLE
Rate it:

Overall Rating: Very Good