Planning your new website is not nearly as intimidating as it might sound. To begin, there are some questions about the purpose of your site that only you can answer:

1. Who is the audience for your website?
   

   Decide who you’re building the website for: Existing customers? New prospects? Employees? General information? Focus on your “typical” visitor as you decide the site’s needs.

2. What is the focus of the site?
   

   Your website can serve many purposes, but it’s good to have a general focus for the overall site. There are some basic types of web sites to consider when defining your site's focus:

   “Business Card” Site

   Basically just your name and contact information, online. A business card site gives you a web presence and a professional email address -- but it’s not always the most cost-effective solution.

   “Brochure” Site

   Consists primarily of information about your company, products and services. Think of it as an online "brochure" -- one that can be accessed by anyone in the world, 24/7, 365 days a year. A brochure site is used mainly to attract new business and/or customers and prompt them to contact you for more info.

   “Relationship” Site

   Offers much or all of the same information as a Brochure site but also includes content aimed at developing an ongoing relationship with existing customers. It rewards previous visitors -- via new information, product tips, coupons, etc. -- in the hopes of repeat business and referrals.

   “E-Commerce” Site

   Used for actually selling items or services directly to visitors. Because it usually includes a shopping cart and a secured merchant account, this type of site is one of the most complex.

3. What response do you need from visitors?
   

   The third basic thing you need when planning your website is a solid idea of what sort of response you’re going to want or need from your site. Do you want visitors to buy something immediately? Register for a newsletter? Bookmark your site for future visits?

   These three questions overlap each other, and don’t need to be answered in any particular order. But answering them all should give you a good idea of what your website plan needs to look like.

   At WowWebNow, we’ve helped a lot of clients like you plan websites that helped their businesses grow. Contact us today and let’s talk about your new site.