Before you jump into the building of your website, the first step in creating your website is to work out the content you wish to place onto your website and how it will all link together. The easiest way to perform this step is to map out all the data on a piece of paper.
You should include information such as what information will be displayed and how it will be organised (i.e. into similar categories, which become menus etc.)
The question to ask yourself when creating your site content is who is my intended audience. The answer to that question will determine the type and amount of information that goes into your site. Often if a site doesn’t have a specific focus it can be difficult to use and may hinder your visitors finding the information they are after rather than helping.
By deciding your intended audience first you will find it easier to decide what content is to be included and what information should be left out of the website. As part of arranging your content you should consider the following
- A menu structure that groups similar items together. (i.e. contact and location information)
- What information you would like displayed on the home page
- Will you have a News or Blog page?
- Is there content that you would like to display on every page?
- What information do you want to draw attention to (i.e. events, service times, location)