



With Internet use growing by the day there are many reasons to put your business on the web, and the benefits of using the web as a commercial marketing medium are wide in scope. The internet offers a lower cost communication medium compared to other conventional media with content that can be presented vividly, colorfully and in full detail, and communication with customers, suppliers and staff can be improved significantly.
Ask yourself "Why do we want to do this?" It is important that a website starts with an objective and the process of planning; designing and developing the website should be treated as any other communications project, with a plan. The website should be incorporated into a larger part of your business marketing strategy and not just a separate marketing entity with unrealistic expectations. Identifying clear goals will help you not only with initial content but also with future content and the direction of the website.
Before any design begins, a plan should be drawn up that outlines the specifics of the website including a flow chart of how pages are linked and how the website will be navigated. To ensure your website retains consistency and does not become a maze of varying designs and architecture a consistent design will be beneficial to your website for two reasons. Firstly, the user will be able to identify the navigation menus throughout the pages, and secondly consistent graphics only need to load once. They are stored in your browser's cache, which means faster load times for other pages.