The following document is provided to potential customers of Tinoco, Inc. After reading this document, we hope that you are better able to understand the process of website design and your role and responsibilities in the development process.

Preparing For Your Website

The Internet is an important communication venue available to businesses, large and small. Like any communication venue, the web environment offers both strengths and weaknesses when compared to the more traditional methods of communication, such as:

Your website designer should be able help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of this form of Internet communication. Together, you will learn to maximize the benefits offered by the Internet. With proper design and regular maintenance, your site can become an increasingly important adjunct to your organization.

The objective of this document is to help you understand the issues which will confront you during the planning phase of website implementation. Familiarizing yourself with these issues will facilitate future discussions with your website architect and/or designer.

The Planning Phase

Regardless of the scope of your initiative, the process of website design involves the following phases:

The most crucial step in the formulation of an effective website is the definition phase. Decisions made during this phase will impact everything that follows: the ultimate effectiveness of your website, your initial costs, and requisite maintenance costs. Preferably, this planning phase can be initiated within one’s organization prior to contacting a potential web host provider, site architect, or site designer….

During the definition phase of your website design you should:

Often I find that customers believe they are confused with the issues associated with a website. Quite often, they are actually confused over their organization’s mission and goals and, as a result, cannot imagine how a website is going to fit into their existing marketing strategies. This can happen to the best of organizations. Changes (customer demographics, competition, etc.….) often occur slowly over time and their impact may not be immediately recognized by the organization. Take this opportunity to revisit this important element of your business plan. Then, answer the following:

Note: It may benefit you to document your responses to these and other questions. You may not be able to answer all these questions immediately. That’s okay; you can always come back.

Do you think you know your potential audience? Are they young, highly skilled college graduates? Are they successful middle-aged businessmen who have learned to utilize the Internet to promote their company? If this is the extent of your brainstorming, you missed the boat. Today’s "web surfer" is just as likely to be the elderly gentleman next door who, after a morning in the garden, spends his afternoon checking on the DOW. Take some time and ask around. Find out who uses the Internet, how often, and why.

If you are just getting around to establishing a presence on the Internet, you are lucky. It is very likely that some other organization has already done a lot of your homework and made the mistakes for you. Cheat. Review their homework. Learn from their successes and mistakes.

I encourage potential customers to look at 15-20 websites of organizations similar in services, products, size, etc. Consider the following:

By now, you should have some ideas on what you want your website to do and how you want it to look. Now is the time to start writing it down. Remember when your teacher told you every good story starts with an outline? Have you ever prepared a "story board" for a proposal? It’s time to use those skills again. Try using a tool like Power Point to outline your ideas. Consider using one of Microsoft’s templates for putting your ideas down.

Many website designers are graphic artists and techno wizards who are more interested in developing a site which uses "brand new wiz bang graphics" and offer "a lot of holy cow look at that" potential, but little substance. Look at what you already have. Do you like your logo? Do you have a brochure, which lists your products and services? Do you have a marketing department or focal point for marketing activities? Find out what they already have. Your company already has a look, which is probably recognized by existing customers. Don’t throw what you have away! Get your materials together!

You will find that your website can be a very affordable means for communication and marketing. Your basic costs will include:

Decide whom your point of contact will be for outside contractors. Life will be much easier for all of us.

You should feel free at any point during the planning process to bring your website architect/designer on board. However, I suggest that you work on some of these steps on your own. Doing so will boost your confidence that the decisions you are making are based upon a sound understanding of the issues.