Creation

Before you state the goals for your Web site, you must be clear about the
goals for your business. Your answers to a few basic questions establish the
marketing framework for your site. Answer the questions in the Business
Profile section of the Web Site Planning Form in Figure 2-1. These questions
apply equally to businesses of any size and to not-for-profit organizations,
educational institutions, and governments.
Here are a few examples of business profile questions:
-- Are you a new company or an existing one with an established
customer/client base?
-- Do you have an existing brick-and-mortar store or office?
-- Do you have an existing Web site and Web presence?
-- Do you sell goods or services?
-- Do you market to individuals (which is called B2C for business-to-consumer)
or to other businesses (which is called B2B for business-to-business)?
-- Who are your customers or clients (generally referred to as your target
markets)?
-- Do you sell — or want to sell — locally, regionally, nationally, or
internationally?
Answer the other questions of the Business Profile section of the form to get
an overall idea of what your business looks like.
Your Web site is the tail, and your business is the dog. Let business needs
drive your Web plans, not the other way around.