How To Launch Your Web Site On Schedule

Brought to you by Jennifer Shaheen

If you want to build a Web site for your small or midsize business that's both on time and on point, you'll have to plan accordingly. Here are the steps you'll need to follow.

Every time I give a presentation on developing a Web site, a popular question always comes up: "How long does a web site take to create?"

There are many factors that come into play when developing any Web site, and each element can have an effect on the time it will take to design and build your company's site. These factors come into play whether you're doing the work yourself from scratch, using a pre-made site template, or hiring a Web design and development firm to do it all for you.

Sitemap, Planning And Research
Before you begin designing your company's Web site, you need to outline the sections you'll need on the site. We call this your sitemap. This process will help you outline the content and the flow of the entire site.

Next, I recommend creating a wireframe to illustrate where you want your information to be placed and the functions your Web site will need. Before you start picking out images or writing your text, it's a good idea to research your competition and identify the right keywords for your Web site. Depending on how much time you can devote to them, these steps can take a few days or a few weeks.

Design and Copy
Have you ever heard the saying "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" When building a Web site, you often have to ask a similar question -- which comes first, the design or the copy? I don't have a hard and fast rule on this because everyone works differently, and some people need a design to write their content to match.

Another approach is to sit down write all your Wweb site content first, and through this process you'll find the inspiration for the design in the words. The important point is that you have an alignment between the two areas. Your copy and design need to feel cohesive.

You don't have to have all your copy finished to start the design, but having a sizable percentage will help you have a strong idea of the direction you want for your design. If you're doing all of this yourself, commit to tackling your content for an hour or two every day. Use your wireframe and sitemap as a guide to help you cross-reference the material and create marketing call-outs for the design.

If you've decided to use a pre-designed template instead of a custom designed look for your Web site, you may want to spend time finding some fresh stock photography to add to your site to help differentiate the look and enhance your content.

Coding And Content
Custom-designed Web sites will need to be converted to the code that makes them work online. This process may take a few days to a few weeks depending on the complexity of the code for your custom Web site. The next step is to drop in all the content. This isn't just copy and paste, but also styling the text and creating cross-links within the copy.

When using pre-packaged solutions, you'll still want to spend some time looking over your content and finding ways to make it work on the screen.

Don't Forget To Test
No matter how your company's Web site is built -- even if you completely outsource it or have a professional development capabilities in house -- you should always make time to test its functionality. Browser testing is one of the most important items to check -- is the site looking and acting correctly on Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Chrome?

If your Web site uses security, is it working correctly? Do three or four test orders and make sure the transactions are working properly.

How much time does it take to build a Web site?

As you can see, it depends on many factors. Set dates and milestones, and be sure that they're realistic. Remember to leave time for revisions and testing. Most important, a Web site is meant to change, so it's OK to launch your company's site even you feel like it's not completely finished and perfect, provided all the functionality and testing is done. You can always add more content or products as you go. This will keep you motivated and give you some new things to e-mail your customers about.

Jennifer Shaheen, the e-marketing and Technology Therapist, has more than 10 years experience working with small- to mid-sized businesses on their e-marketing and web development needs. You can learn more about her by visiting her web site, TechnologyTherapy.com.