Charlottesville SEO
Web Development

Updated: December 27, 2009

Think, Organize, Focus

Obvious?

You'd be amazed how many small business owners breeze past this step! Decide what you wish to accomplish by designing and developing a web site. Take the time to organize your ideas and focus on how this site will help your business.

Communicate With Your Web Designer and Developer

Spill the beans. Web site objectives influence web design and site structure.

Designing a site prospects can't find is probably not your goal. Strategy to ensure your site ranks high enough in the search engines to be noticed is called SEO strategy. SEO is an acronym derived from, "Search Engine Optimization" — a collection of techniques to attain the highest possible search engine rankings and results.

Since most potential visitors will not look past the first two pages when searching Google or their favorite search engine, SEO plays a critical role in meeting your web site objectives.

Describe your business, your products or services, your target audience, your competition, and what differentiates your business. Providing your web designer and developer a clear picture of your business and your objectives is key to designing and developing a site that prospective customers will find.

Secure Domain Name

Your domain name serves as your unique Internet address. (Nick-Stone.com is my domain name.) Your web site designer can help you acquire a domain name. Be prepared to provide a list of names to research for availability.

Write Copy

Copywriting is one of the most important components of web site design and development. It serves two critical roles. First, copywriting tells the search engines what your site is about, which has a major effect on search results, which in turn drives traffic to your site. Second, effective copywriting compels visitors to take action. Search marketing and search engine optimization professionals refer to this action as a conversion.

Decide what you want your web site to convey, how to convey it, and who is going to write the copy. Unless you have a highly skilled writer in-house, consider hiring a professional copywriter experienced in writing searchable web site content that will appeal to your target audience.

Before you can write or hire a copywriter, you'll need something to say. Learn more about web content development.

Web Design - Artistic Balance

As professional designers know, the secret to effective web design is applying balance and judgment to creativity.

The web designer's artistic role is to captivate without overwhelming, setting an appropriate mood to convey your message.

Visitors browse business web sites seeking information, not entertainment. When choosing a web designer or design theme, be careful not to get so focused on artistic presentation that you neglect the business objectives you want the site to accomplish. This is perhaps the most common mistake first time web site owners make!

The web site designer's role is discussed further in Nick Stone's "Web Design" article, where you'll find information to consider when deciding if you should hire a web designer, a front-end web developer, or both.

Write Computer Code

The computer programming code merges content and design.

What's the most affordable way to do this? There are inexpensive HTML editors that will generate the web programming for you. They are called WYSIWYG editors, an acronym derived from "What You See Is What You Get." Building your web site in this manner is less expensive, initially, than hiring a professional web developer.

Why "initially"? Do-it-yourself web editing programs are not cost effective. They produce bulky programming that makes it difficult for search engines, like Google, to determine your content.

Why is that a problem? If the search engines can't understand your message, they will not index your site appropriately. Translation: Your web site objectives won't be reached because your site won't appear prominently enough in search results to attract visitors.

In addition, web sites built this way are usually inaccessible to handicapped visitors.

Recommendation: Hire a professional front-end web developer or code-capable web designer to program (write the code for) your web site. If you hire a graphic design company that also does web design, be sure they plan to hand code your site or subcontract a web developer to do so, rather than use automated software to generate the programming.

If you are determined to do it yourself, the most popular HTML generator is Dreamweaver.

To learn how standards-compliant, hand-coded web site programming gives your web site a powerful competitive advantage, see "Why Web Standards."

Test, Test, Test

Testing ensures:

• Each page renders as intended on various browsers, devices and operating systems
• Custom applications and open source widgets function as intended
• Each page is error free; each page is valid. (see side box "Validator To The Rescue")
• Compliance with web accessibility guidelines including the Americans With Disabilities Act

Launch

When you and your web site developer are both satisfied, your site is uploaded to your server or your web host's server. If you don't have a web server or a web host, your developer can help you secure one.

Review, Revise and Refresh

Good ideas continue to arise after the launch. When they do, incorporate them. Good web sites evolve, as good businesses do.

The extent that your developer participates in reviewing and improving your site will vary according to the complexity of your site, your desire to make improvements, your budget, and other variables too numerous to list.

Before you hire a developer, discuss his or her availability to help you, after the launch, in the capacity and extent you choose.