Basic Website Planning Requirements

Websites have many purposes.  The developer uses your ideas and information to create your website. The more information you provide the quicker the developer can get your web site on the Internet. The hardest website to build are ones with ever evolving standards and limited information. These are a few suggested  have items to have for the developer. They will all work.

State the purpose of your website

There are many reasons. Like sharing photographs, marketing a product or talent, providing information to customers, promoting a product or service. There are many choices. Who know better what you want than you. It's your website. The developer should lend his experience to assist your decisions.

Names: Site and Domain

You need to a name for your site and be sure it is available? Most developers do this as part of their website package. But you are free to find that special name or a composite based on the name information you provide through any number of companies. Once you have decided on a name and have it registered, you have your domain. All you need to do is to find a hosting company for your domain.

Site Organization

Providing the developer with your site organization aids him to design the best navigation design. You should also have the total number of pages you would like in your site.

Colors

There are many colors to choose from. Black and white provides the best readability. Some sites need a lot of color. For example you might want your site to mimic your sales or company brochure. Sometimes less can be more. That being said, the bottom line it's your site. I as a developer can recommend colors based on your favorite background color.

Graphics and Logos

Be sure to have the graphics and logo you want to use in your site. The developer can you those to design your site's masthead and or create banners throughout your site.

Site Navigation System

There are many navigation systems, down the left size, across the top, down the right, and even duplicated across the bottom. The system you use depends on the site. For example left side menus are great for pages with more than 6 or 7 pages. Buttons can be used but cost more to develop. There are many variations in design and complexity.