Website Designing, Portal Development & E-Commerce

You have a great idea for a website.� You haven�t thought it through much yet, but you want to go out and see how much it�s going to cost to have it developed for you.� After all, the sooner you get a web developer started on it the sooner it will get built.�

Unfortunately the opposite is generally true.� Unless you are interested in only the most generic, off-the-shelf template website, you want to have some input on what you are getting in return.� And what�s the point of having a website anyway if there�s nothing special about it?

Submitting a request for proposal (RFP) at this point would be like calling a home builder and asking how much it will cost to build a house.� Without more details about what you want, he cannot possibly give you a reasonable estimate without knowing important details such as size, features, etc.

You are smarter than that.� After all, you came up with this great idea for the website, right?� You know that a great website requires careful thought, planning, and finding the right web development company to work with you to build it.�

But you�re just the creative genius behind the idea.� Sure you can come up with great ideas for what you want the site to do, and you have the business acumen to make it successful once built.� But how do you make sure it gets built in such a way to match the quality and professionalism that you expect of your site?� There�s a simple secret to getting exactly what you want.

The first step is to know what you want out of your website.� Think about your site in great detail.� What are you ultimately trying to accomplish with your web site?� Are you trying to sell something online?� Are you trying to generate new leads?� Are you trying to build brand identity?� Without an objective a web site has little reason to exist.� And without a clear idea of what you want out of your website, it has little chance to succeed.� It�s not going to succeed on its own.� You need to make it happen.� And that starts with planning.� The secret of getting what you want is a complete requirement definition.

Sit down and try to write down a list of every page that you believe you will need for your web site.� For inspiration, go to your favorite search engine and type in some keywords that are similar to the keywords you would expect someone to find your site with.� Visit as many of them as you can.�

As you visit each note your initial impression.� What was your first thought as the site loaded?� Was it good, bad, or otherwise?� If so, jot down why you think you formulated that impression.� Check out the site in detail.� Note what you like and don�t like about each site.�

You will probably come across ideas and features that you wouldn�t have thought of yourself.� Add all of these to your notes.� Also keep track of visual elements that you like.� Do you like the colors, or the layout, or the general impression of a site?� Write that down.� Do you dislike something about it?� Write that down too, it can be equally important when trying to explain to your chosen web development company what it is you�re shooting for.� Be sure to sort your notes by each site.� Being able to show the web designer the exact sites you drew your inspiration from is enormously helpful.�