Setting specific goals gives you focus as you plot out the various elements of your Web site. Goals can give you direction for everything from what functionality you need to what color palette to use. They can help you limit the scope of your project and provide criteria for measuring success.
Type of Site
You probably already have at least one goal mapped out—what type of Web site you’d like to create. Here is a list of some of the possibilities:
- Personal
- Interest group
- Informational business
- Ecommerce business
- Online community
- Shared workspace (intranet)
Long and Short of It
Once you have a high-level understanding of what you want your Web site to do, it’s time to get more specific. Make a list of your short-term and long-term goals. Especially if you’re building the site yourself, you may want to use a phased approach, rolling out basic pages while you work on more advanced features. Or, you may want to test different aspects of the site initially and improve upon them for future roll outs.
Once you’ve identified your goals, keep the list handy. You’re going to need it at nearly every stage of planning.