Wanna web site?
Think about the following questions:
What do you want to say?
Not just what do you want to sell. The LL Bean catalog, for example, always seems to me to be selling a lifestyle, not just products. What can you tell people that makes them a) stick around your site and b) buy something? A company doing African photo safaris might give some photo pointers and some info about Africa, that is: info that's not just designed to sell. Remember Jim's Rule #37: The best consumer is the most informed consumer. If you inform them, sooner or later, they'll give you money.What web sites do you like and why?And this is not just a place for you to sell stuff; this is a place to tell customers who they're dealing with. Surfers are used to seeing web sites as a way to get to know web site creators. It doesn't mean you need to include a list of your favorite CDs; but don't just tell them what you sell and how much it costs.
You'd better find some time to surf if you want to sell to surfers. And surf critically, taking notes, saving bookmarks. Let your webmaster know of sites you like and those you hate and why. It is not unheard of for a site design to be lifted, modified and re-used. Most art (and commerce) is theft in one way or another.What resources can I draw on?
Don't just think what brochure/ad/catalog can I turn into a web site. Think about how people surf versus how they read. What else can you add to enrich their experience? A marina might keep tide charts and marine weather forecasts, all public information available in digital form. A ski area could set up the "SnowCam," a digital camera to upload a new picture of the slopes every five minutes.More traditional resources (text, photos, illustrations, video, audio) are easiest for webmasters to deal with if you can deliver them in digital form (does your designer have them on disk already?)