Websites and content
Building a website
Often, websites are built with tools called web content management systems (WCMS) that allow content to be managed without having to use markup language. This can be useful for your organisation because it allows you to update the content of your site without needing the technical knowledge of HTML or XHTML.
Options
Unless you have skills in writing markup language, you will either need to use pre-created web templates (that sometimes come with WCMS systems) or find a web developer to turn your website ideas into markup language (and perhaps integrate your website design with a selected WCMS).If you would like to develop your website yourself, there are software packages available for HTML code editing and website creation. These include:
However, investing in any of these also requires investment in learning how to use them.
Pre-created web templates are available from many sources. They are sometimes provided as part of a WCMS or hosting service offer (see for example Freesites) or along with free or low-cost website creation tools such as Apple’s iWeb. The limitation with pre-created templates is that you are restricted to the designs and navigation provided, unless you customise them yourself.
Design then develop
If you do not know markup language or want a design that is not limited by the constraints of a pre-created template, you generally need to work with a website designer and a website developer.To achieve exactly what you want, it is important to specify your requirements prior to embarking on development. Usually, this incorporates a process of design. You may wish to review some of the functionality discussed in this section and the social media section to identify the features you would like in your website.
Giving careful thought to website design is important because it will define how you want the website to look, how you want users to navigate, and how you want your content displayed. Learn more about this in the website design section.
Although some designers have web coding capability and some developers have design abilities, these are different skill sets. Web designers and web developers often work together to create a high quality website, and they often have preferred partners or associates. If this is the case, make sure you are happy with both the designer and developer before you commit.
Choosing a website developer
The job of the website developer is to take the designs for your site and implement it according to your specifications.In choosing a developer, consider:
- Their willingness and ability to build the website to your specified design and deliver what you ask for, not what they want to deliver. They may prefer to provide a solution based on their previous work, which reduces their workload but which might not meet your requirements.
- Their ability to work with tools and resources that you specify, such as your selected WCMS.
- The ability for you to own and access your own HTML code. Since you have paid for the development you should determine whether you will own the intellectual property in the code. Avoid getting locked in to a particular developer for ongoing maintenance of the code or to access any database (or images, content items, etc.) for the website.
- The developers’ experience with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). This is important to ensure that current SEO best practices are included in the coding and keeps to a minimum expenditure on re-engineering for improved SEO.
Wire frames
Often the first stage in a website design is a wire frame, which is a visual guide outlining the structure of a site and relationships between its pages. Normally either a website developer or a website designer will develop a wire frame that reflects your ideas for the site. Review this as the first stage in the website development process.A comprehensive free website with all sorts of tutorials on website development is w3schools. To find website development professionals in Australia visit the Australian Web Industry Association.
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