Sound Strategy
Ten Considerations
for Building Your Own Web Site
Are you the ambitious sort who wants to build your agency’s Web site yourself?
If so, there are a number of things you should consider ahead of time. Building
a Web site might be fun and challenging, but it could also end up a disappointing
failure and misspent effort. Ask yourself the following ten questions to help
decide whether or not you really want to build your own Web site.
- Do I possess sufficient know-how? Building a Web is a complex multi-faceted
project that requires a breadth of knowledge beyond sitting at a computer
and knowing how to use Web development software.
- Do I have the necessary tools? Most agency computers are not equipped
with adequate authoring, graphics, and utility tools for creating a Web
site. You have to purchase them and learn how to use them.
- Do I have the requisite skill sets? Web site building requires creative
and technical skills, both of which typically require lots of practice and
experience to develop proficiency and efficiency.
- Do I have the available time? Without adequate know-how, tools, and skills,
building a Web site will probably take an inordinate amount of time, most
of which will be wasted in trial and error experimentation.
- Do I have a business strategy and marketing plan? Behind every Web site
should be a sound Internet business strategy and a marketing plan. This
understanding is necessary for determining the site’s audience, content,
look and feel, and a number of other key issues.
- Can I exercise project management discipline? Building a Web site should
follow a predetermined plan with specific timelines and checkpoints; otherwise,
the building effort might proceed in a haphazard and unproductive manner.
- Can I be objective about my own work? Without objectivity, creative work
can easily lose focus and degenerate into misdirected, time-wasting flights
of fancy.
- Can I take criticism? Creative endeavors tend to be quite personal. Not
everyone will like your Web site. While some will offer legitimate constructive
criticism, others might not and may also lack tact in telling you.
- Can I manage ongoing site maintenance? After the site is built and launched,
it still needs to be maintained, updated, and fixed. That takes additional
know-how, tools, skills, and time.
- Can I hold myself to the same high standards to which I’d hold true Web
professionals? If you’re willing to settle for anything less, you’ve essentially
admitted how much value you’ve placed on your own efforts.
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