This question is important to consider. Proper planning can provide better results and lower expenses by reducing wasted effort.

Who do I want to reach with the website?

It may seem obvious but have you thought about your target audience for the website? If you don't know who you are trying to reach, you won't find them. "Build it and they will come" only works in the movies.

What do I want to do with the website?

• Catalogs of merchandise – You may want to put catalogs of merchandise on or, if you have a lot of items, in a searchable database. You can also setup on-line stores where customers can browse and select items to purchase.
• Documentation – Do you want to provide on-line documentation which can reduce traditional publication costs (like printing and mailing catalogs or policy updates).
• Profiles – You can offer information about what your company does.
• Biographies of the service provider or artists – You can provide biographies of key people in your organization as a "selling point".
• Information Gathering – You may want to setup polling and opinion/data gathering through interactive forms.
• Magazines – You may want to make an electronic copy of an existing publication or an original version of periodical information ("e-zine").
• Special Interests – You may want to put information about a special interest and become a destination to find out about it.
• Education – You could setup training information, course work, and interactive testing ("e-learning").
• And many other ideas are feasible.

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