Building a Web Site and Finding Your Niche

When your getting ready to build a web site a good thing to do is plan here are 5 important question to help you start planning for your web site.

1.Who is your target audience?

Base all of your design and navigation decisions on this answer. If your creating a game site for kids, you need to make very different decisions than if you're creating a site for a bunch of busy CEOs. Keep you audience in mind and make sure they can find what they want with little effort. Whenever possible gather a group of people from your target audience to test you site as you develop it.

2. Why do you want a web site?

Before you begin your web site design process be sure you have the answers to this question. The answers to this question should be a main focus and drive of the development of your web site.

3. What are your three main objectives?

Do yourself a favor and define your three main objectives by writing them down on a piece of paper. Then, every time you're faced with a decision about your web site, refer to this list and make sure your choice fulfills your objectives

4. What do you want people to do when they visit your site?

Build your web site with clear goals in mind for your audience. Do you want them to learn more about your product? Do you want them to have fun? Do you want them to purchase your products online? keep your desired results in mind as you start on the early planning.

5. What is your budget?

Web Sites can become a money pit for money and tim, so getting a budget is an important part of you planning process. Nobody wants to waste time and money on developing a web site. But sometimes if you don't spend the money required to create something valuable, your just wasting the tight budget you were willing to invest. Make sure you give your web project the resources it deserves and then stick to your plans and budget. Remember, you can always start small and add more later if further site development proves cost effective.

These questions should help you to find your niche it is important to have a niche so that your web site will stand out from the rest.

Why is it Important to find your niche?

First, realize that having a niche does not mean you're not diversified. Being someone who's a major fan of multiple streams of income, the idea of having a niche first made me think I'd have to put everything else on the back burner. A lot of times you can combine several related interests into something that is unique and solves a particular problem. It's having focus and an overall goal that will make you more money long-term. Having a niche allows you to be the "go to" person in a particular area. Using my own life as an example, if I put my name on a business card or brochure with graphic designer, video editor, photographer, videographer, printer, web designer, website owner, and so on I would fall victim to the Jack of-all-trades and master of none effect. When people want something done, they want an expert and not someone who just appears to be decent at a lot of things. Note that it doesn't matter if you're actually really good at all of them or not but the impression gives when you rattle off that many businesses when you first meet someone. It often makes word of mouth marketing hard to pull off because if you don't really know what you do than other people don't either. A great way to discover possible niches is to write out your interests, your skills, your connections (family, friends, classmates, co-workers), and try different ways of combining them into a problem you would enjoy helping people solve. You can usually come up with several, and it does take some thought into picking a final direction. It's a very freeing thing however because it takes a lot of indecisiveness out of your life. The somewhat odd thing about this is once you pick a niche, people still ask you if you're able to do other things. In the end, you're not really limited! It's just from a marketing standpoint it makes things a whole lot easier for you when you have a focused course of action.