If you've decided it's time for a website, you'll need to start thinking about what you're going to need to get started. here's a quick list of things to consider, taken from a recent interview we did for The Paducah Sun

Know you audience

We have a standard set of questions we ask potential clients at Horizon Media Group, and the on at the top of the list is "Who is this web site for?". To build an effective website, it's essential you understand your target audience and what you expect them to use the site for. Building a site for "everyone" usually ends up with a site that isn't as effective as it could be.

It's also important to know who the site isn't for, to avoid unnecessary content.

Content

We can't stress this enough. Before talking to a web site developer the client should spend some time thinking about the content of the site, and how it should be presented to the end user. A web site lives and dies by it's content. No matter how good it looks, if there's nothing valuable to your webpage viewers, they won't return.

Presenting your designer with the content will speed the development process up considerably. On that note, take special care to go over your content for spelling, grammar and readability. In the case of photography, make sure it's the best you afford. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a bad snapshot may say something you don't want it to.

Domain name

We recommend acquiring the domain name you want as soon as possible. It is getting harder and harder to find open domains, so if you find your perfect domain name, purchase right away, even if you aren't planning on your site being live for some time. Carefully consider your domain name. Try to keep it short and easy to spell. Try to avoid using hyphens and numbers. The basic rule of thumb is that if you have to write it down for someone, rather than just tell it to them, you should consider a better domain name.

Must have Items

to make the most of your web site, Horizon Media Group recommends the following.

Clear Navigation

The web is a big place, and if a user can't find what they're looking for quickly, they will move on. A clean and clear navigation helps make sure the user can get to the page they want with as little effort as possible.

Contact Form

Your contact page be accessible from every page, and preferably use a contact form rather than an email link. This allows users to contact you whether they're at their own computer, a friends, or an internet cafe. It also helps cut down on the about of spam you received as your email address is not exposed.

What are the top three things you tell your clients to do to promote their sites? I'm sure you suggest that they include the url on their letterhead/business cards. What else do you suggest?

All too often people think that once a site is live, the hard work is over. In fact, this is where things get tricky. Everyone creates web sites for different reasons, and their needs and expectations vary accordingly. Our usual advice to clients is to treat their website like its real world analogy. If it is an e-commerce site, treat it the same way you would a storefront. Standard practice is to make sure your URL is everywhere your company name is. The two should live side-by-side.

We also recommend buying ad space on services such as Google's Adwords. This can be a very effective tool to help drive people to your site, and can easily be configured to your budget.

Also, don't forget word-of-mouth. If your site is meeting the needs of its users, they will let others know.

We encourage our clients to link to other sites, but with some important caveats. Avoid signing up for cross-linking, or link-farming sites, that simply add your URL to a long list of unrelated sites. This can have a negative impact with search engines such as Google. Make sure that the links you include on your web site and sites linking to you are relevant.

Everyone wants to show up at the top of a Google search. How do you explain to clients how that works? What can they do to help improve their ranking? How long does it typically take to show results?

There is no magic formula to appearing at the top of a google search. Be leery of anyone who says they can guarantee your placing in search results. That being said, there are several things you can do to help your site's ranking.

• Build a web standards compliant website. A properly formed website that validates allows search engines to navigate through your site correctly, meaning your important information is cataloged.
• Meta tags. While not as important as they once were, Proper use of meta tags will help search engines catalog your site more efficiently.
• Content - the more relevant your content, the higher your ranking will become. keeping your site up-to-date with regular content updates tells the search engines that the site is current. If your site sits for long periods without changes, search engines may lower your rank.

Be prepared to wait for results when dealing with SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Google for instance can take weeks to recognize changes to sites, depending on the frequency of their visits.

How do clients measure their site success? What constitutes a good number of visits vs. a not-so-good number of visits? How do they know if their site is worth their effort, time and money?

Each client measures their sites success or failure by entirely different metrics. For some it is enough to have a site that looks the way they want, and behaves they way they need. For others it's about the number of unique visits and/or how long the user remains on the site. The best way to determine if your site is worth your expenditures is to clearly know the purpose and expectations of your site before you begin development. This will give you the yardstick with which to measure.

Do you suggest any sort of visitor feedback mechanism or something special or unusual to keep people coming back to the sites?

Content. Content. Content. There are a million gimmicks a site can use to draw users back to a site, but the most tried and true way is to offer something they want. Whether it's information, cheap prices, quality products, or any other tangible item, that's what is going to draw them back to your site over and over again.