NJ MetroNET, Inc / Knowledgebase / Things to consider before site construction begins

Website Pre-Construction Considerations

Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding our website services. We’ve prepared this document to help guide you through some parts the website planning process and to provide you with some considerations when making decisions about your website. We will be helping you through each step of the process, and we look forward to meeting with you!

1. Establish your website objectives and decide what type of site you need. What do you want it to do? Here are the most common types of websites:

Brochure – Provide general information about your company, products and services to potential customers – site content does not change too often.
Informational – Keep potential and current customers up to date with rapidly changing information about your company, products and services.
Interactive – Utilize your website programmed with technology to provide your customers with a service directly through your website.
E-Commerce – Sell products/services directly online with shopping cart software.
Intranet – Used only by company employees, or only your existing customers (memberships, customer accounts, etc.).

2. Look at other websites for ideas that you may want to include on your own site. Look for:

Style, design, layout and color – site atmosphere and impression you want to perceive
Content and information being offered and how it is presented
Any technologies that your customers may find useful
Site navigation systems, easy to use, information easy to find, and load time
Other factors that may affect site performance – Does it load quickly? Do the pages fit in the browser window without scrolling? Do you need special software or downloads to even view the site?

3. Gather content: documents, graphics and logos, photos, forms, articles, audio, video, and other resources that you want to include and make available on your website.

4. Determine if and how you want to utilize e-mail.

How many employees need e-mail addresses?
What is your anticipated e-mail volume?
Will e-mails contain large attachments?
What will you use to receive and send e-mail?
Do you need e-mail accessible while away from your workplace?

5. Web Marketing

How competitive is your business?
Will your company rely on the website for survival?
Will the website replace a function of your operation that you are currently doing manually?
Who are your customers – general public, business to business?

6. Site Maintenance – How often will your website content need to be updated? Who will do them and how will they get done?

7. Site security - will you accept payments online, or do you need a merchant account? Do you need an area with confidential information, which requires only authorized visitors to log on with a password? Do you need a secure server?

8. Add-ons - such as special scripts and software, custom graphics. Will your website be large requiring extra server space? Will the site require extra bandwidth?