- Domain: Pick a name that is easy to remember by your current and potential customers and determine which to use (.com, .net, .org, .xyz, etc.)
- Hosting: Choose a reliable hosting company that fits your needs and is scalable. Will your site have a shopping cart? Or is it an information site only?
- Technology: Determine which technology you plan to use (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc). Do you want your site on a content management system or are you capable of editing HTML?
- Purpose: What is the purpose of your website? Provide information to customers? Have your customers purchase an item?
- Layout and Color: The purpose of the website will help the designer determine the best layout of your site. Determine what color you would like your site to prominently be. Layout and color affect the feel and usability of your site.
- Site Map: Create a site map and flow chart of what pages you would want on your site and determine what pages will be nested within the navigation.
- Content: Make sure to provide good content to your users. Your search engine ranking is based on keywords located in your content. Don’t expect to be listed high on a keyword if your content does not focus on the keyword you want to be found under.
- Audience: Determine who your audience is so you can create content that will attract them.