Web Design All-in-One for Dummies®

Chapter 1. Starting with a Plan

In This Chapter

• Determining the site's purpose

• Building a site image

• Determining site content

• Diagnosing the site's dynamic requirements

• Defining ways to attract visitors

At the start of any Web site project, you — and your client, if you're designing for someone else — should probably sit down and mull over or discuss your ideas about the final product. If those ideas are vague, you need to flesh them out, and if they're specific, you need to keep them organized and understand the purpose behind them. In other words, you need a plan.

To get the project off to a good start and ensure that each of your ideas and issues get the consideration they deserve, begin by pinpointing the purpose for building the Web site. The purpose is like an arrow that points you in the right direction. Some people build Web sites to sell a product or service. Others create sites to share ideas and information. One might also create a site to promote a good cause, educate the public, or simply have a place for family and friends across the country — or across the planet — to visit and catch up with one another.

Because the answer to "Why build a site?" is largely determined by the specific needs of the Web site owner, this chapter includes a handful of brainstorming exercises that you can use as a guide to discovering why you are building any particular site. By defining the site's ...