2. Define Your Site's Objectives
The key to having a great site is to start with the right foot. You can do this by determining what exactly you want to achieve by having an online presence. Considering the effort and costs you will have to incur in building and maintaining your site, it's best to work with a plan.
2.1 List Your Goals
As a writer hoping to build a site to showcase your work, your primary goal would be to display your writing talent and skills in the best way possible. But because the 'Net offers you a vast canvas to explore your creativity, you are certainly not limited to just posting your writing samples.
When I first designed my writer's site at AOL, I only wanted to have an archive of my previously published articles -- just a reference site, or maybe secretly, a vanity site.
But when I decided to get my own domain name and build my online home, I thought that aside from offering my services and displaying my work, I'd also share my writing experiences. And maybe some tips for fellow writers. So, this multiple objective became my guide for building the pages you now see at OurSimpleJoys.com.
You're free to do whatever you want in your site; but if you start with a solid concept to build on, expanding and growing won't have to mean redoing everything from scratch every time. If you have a plan, you can create an outline or a hierarchy of pages that are easy for you to update and for your visitors to navigate.
Coherence and consistency throughout your whole site also gives the impression of professionalism and quality - traits you want your clients to see in everything you represent. We'll discuss this in detail later, when we talk about layouts.
2.2 Establish Your Voice and Image
In your deliberation of your site's objectives, include how you want to be perceived by your visitors in terms of "character" or "aura." This means you will need to decide on the "voice" and the "face" you will use to display the "image" you want to extend.
For example, I decided to use first person for OurSimpleJoys. I wanted to show my visitors that I'm friendly, approachable, and a regular human being with simple joys. And because one of my site goals is to share my writing experiences and extend a helping hand to fellow writers, I felt that a more personal voice was appropriate.
Some writers prefer to use third person for a site that serves as a kind of digital brochure. Again, it all comes together when you determine and define an overall style and presentation that's coherent and consistent.
