Getting Started

Thinking about a website? Here are three steps to getting started:

Answer these questions:
A) Who do you want to visit your website?
B) What is the message you want to give them?

For example, if you have a shop with Maine crafts, your answers might be:
A) People looking for unusual gifts, and tourists planning a trip to Maine.
B) Come visit our shop . . . we have beautiful and unique Maine crafts . . . our hours are . . . and here are the directions to our shop.

Another example: if you are an artist, your answers might be:
A) Art directors for magazines, book publishers, etc.
B) Here's my online portfolio . . . here's a list of my published work . . . I also do school visits . . . contact me at this address (or phone number or email).

Take a look at your competitors' sites.

For example, if you run a campground in Maine, go to www.google.com and enter Maine campground. Visit the websites of other campgrounds in Maine. Seeing their sites will give you ideas for yours.

Collect material to go into your site.

Write down what you want to say in your website. Collect the photos you want to include (prints or digital images). Think about the colors you'd like to use on your site, remembering your answers to the two questions at the top—for example, if you want a site for your day care center, maybe black and red are too harsh.

Do these three steps and you'll be well on your way!
 

Click here for a sample project proposal (quote).
 

Contact Information

John Bald
10 Columbia Ave.
Brunswick, Maine 04011
(207) 729-7531
john@johnbald.net