Keep a strict focus

When starting out there are quite a few pitfalls to avoid. One of those pitfalls is failing to understand what your website is supposed to do. This is the first and most important question.

What do you want your website to do?

Possible answers;

• Sell products
• Introduce services
• Attract customers
• Facilitate communication
• Make data available
• Train customers
• Book resources

Clearly not an exhaustive list. If you find yourself saying "I don't know" or "all of them" then you are in danger of making the fist and biggest mistake.

A website needs thorough planning!

I often find myself telling people this same message. KEEP IT SIMPLE.

What does your business or organisation currently do. Rather than trying to create new services online or new features your customers and visitors may or may not use, try starting with a strict focus. If you sell widgets, then your website should also sell widgets. If you are an accountant, then your website should tell people all about your services including prices and timescales. Then when someone does call, you can be sure they are a real customer calling. If you run a hotel, then your website should allow people to book rooms.

Your website should initially reflect your current business. So what do you do if you don't currently have a business or are about to launch one?

About to launch a business?

Be careful! Spend as much on your website as you would any normal marketing activity. It is emerging businesses that so often waste money (with bad advice rattling in their ears) on websites that never get seen or used.

Building a website is not a one off activity. Websites need constant loving care and are a drain on resources and manpower. Unattended, your website is nothing more than a brochure or business card. However, at this stage, even that is better than nothing.

Keep focussed

Want a forum? Want to write an E-book? Thinking of writing a newsletter? If you don't currently do this, why start just because you have a website? The usual answer is 'because everyone else is'. But are you sure they are?

I always start by looking at the competition. What do they offer? What ideas have they had? What looks like it is working? Which sites are the most popular? Who owns them? Who built them? Who hosts them? These are the sorts of questions that you should be asking when visiting competitors websites.

Finally, remember to be focussed

Your first website should be kept simple and to the point. It should do only one job. It should serve only one market. Make this focussed and narrow looking site a success first. Then think about adding extra features and pages etc.

Don't try to build a single website that serves multiple audiences as you will probably get them all wrong. Women like different layouts and content than men do. Young people like different styles than middle aged people than older people. Parents think differently than single people. Impulse buys are almost non existent on the web.

Try to undersatand who you are aiming at and focus on making your one task (selling widgets for instance) into the single task that your website does and does well.

Good luck, you have a mountain of work to cover yet.