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Web Site Development Overview
By Michael J. Theriault
Michael J. Theriault is the chief operating officer of Circle Group Internet. Among his responsibilities, Theriault manages the day-to-day operations of CGI Total Media – Circle Group’s wholly owned Web design firm.
  1. Introduction
Since the creation of the World Wide Web, businesses and even individuals have felt pressured into building their own Websites. Unfortunately, many of those Web sites have become nothing more than expensive Internet addresses lacking focus and purpose because of a lack of effective direction.

The first two questions to ask before embarking on a crusade to build a Web site are:

  1. Why do I want a Web site?
  2. What is its purpose?

The questions seem simple enough, but the answers will greatly influence the entire development process.

The most fickle user of any medium is the Internet user. If these questions are not satisfactorily answered, the user will simply click away and move on to a different Web site – one that better fulfills their needs.

Types of Web sites



For businesses, a Web site may be as simple as a 'words and pictures' site that tells potential customers about a company, why they should do business with it, and how to contact the company.

It could also be the backbone for a company in generating profits and sales as a dynamic, e-commerce Web site with interactive streaming audio and video, shopping carts, input forms and auto-response email.

A company's Web site can be used for internal company purposes via an intranet, or it can be used to communicate with the public world, via the Internet. It can link outside staff, remote offices, partner companies and organizations, and vendors and distributors, via the Internet, and through an extranet.

Business Intranet Web sites



Internal company Web sites, or Intranets, can be used much like a traditional bulletin board for posting information such as:

  • A telephone directory
  • Information about job openings
  • Employee news
  • Upcoming meetings and events
  • Company business news
  • An online employee handbook
  • Insurance plan information and forms
  • Employee classified ads

A calendar can be added to an intranet Web site to share date information including:

  • Scheduling and viewing of meeting times, locations, and attendees
  • Requesting and displaying employee vacation schedules
  • Posting and viewing visitor schedules
  • Announcing employee birthdays
  • Displaying the cafeteria menu schedule

Individual departments can also use an intranet Web site to help with their day-to-day information gathering, processing, and distribution needs including:

  • Task lists
  • Schedules of individual employees
  • Posting phone and other messages to an employee's personal bulletin board
  • Processing customer and vendor information
  • Compiling and displaying contact lists
  • Inputting, updating, and distributing work schedules

Business Internet Web sites



A company Web site can be used to provide information about its products and services to the public via the Internet.

Following are some of the functions the Web site can provide:

  • A description of the company - "Who We Are and What We Do"
  • The company's mission statement and history
  • Contact information
  • Online product and service catalogues with pictures, descriptions, and prices
  • E-commerce and online shopping systems
  • Maintenance manuals
  • Maps and travel directions to the various company locations
  • Hours of operation (if not only Web based)
  • Product specifications
  • Software downloads
  • Audio and video downloads
  • News about the company
  • Information for investors
  • Information about the officers and employees
  • Affiliate programs
  • Advertising
  • Online account viewing and bill payment
  • Inventory checking and product ordering from suppliers
  • Online help
  • Employment opportunities
  • Transaction security information

There are many ways to use a Web site for both business and non-business purposes, depending on the wants, needs, imagination, and the budget of the owners.
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2001 MarketingPower.com Inc. Contents used by permission of the author.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Development Costs
3. Effective Web Site Design
4. Launch


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