The success of any website design project - whether for yourself or anyone else - is grounded firmly in the intial planning phase. Choosing the right style of website, design, layout, navigation and so on are all an integral part of the package so it' worth taking a closer look at exactly where you should start when it comes ot building a new website. 1) Select The Right Business Model Once you've done your market research and selected your niche the first step is to decide on which internet business model is best suited. Will your site consist mainly of content? Will you be selling products or services? Would an Ebay store be best? Certain models seem to work better is different industries and sometimes adopting the right one will help you break into new markets even when the competition is fierce. 2) Understand Your Competition Survey your competition to ascertain how you are going to outdo them. Also pay attention to elements of competing sites that you like or seem particularly popular so you can try to replicate them on your own site. 3) Gather Your Ideas Brainstorm your own original ideas based on your research. How can you make your site stand out? How can you make it the hands-down best site on your chosen topic? 4) Planning On Paper This is where it gets exciting. Take all your random ideas, thoughts and research and start to gel them all together on paper into a concept that you think will work. This is arguably the most important phase of all. Run through your site from every angle looking for problems or weaknesses. Do the opposite - imagining you are visiting the site for the first time - what really wows you? 5) Navigation When you know what your site will contain it's time to work on the navigation. Which areas go where, and what will be linked to what? What pathway do you want visitors to take through your site in an ideal world? 6) The Template You know what your site will contain, how it will function and what navigation will work best so now it's a matter of stkcing it all together into a template that can be applied across your new site. If you site were a living organism, your template is the first cell that you will clone time and time again, add content to, and turn into the final life form. It is at this stage that you find the right colors, make your navigation bars, insert your logo and give your site it's unique personality. 7) Create Your Content Write the content that will make up your site. Whether this involves gathering product data or making funny videos now is the time to create what it is your visitors will be coming to see. 8) Build The Site Lastly, insert your content into your template to create the finished site, test it extensively as there are bound to be a few oversights (it's a fast of life), fix them and you're ready for launch!
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