When determining the size of your company's Web site, approach it as you would any other business decision. No contractor adds employees unless he has the jobs to pay their salaries and make a profit, and no merchant installs new displays unless she believes they're going to increase sales. Similarly, each component of your Web site should have a reason behind it.

What and for Whom

First and foremost, there's the purpose. "You need to ask, 'What does the site need to do to be successful?' " says Rochelle Seltzer, president of the Boston design and marketing communications firm Seltzer Design. For example, a coffee shop that wants to provide hours, directions, a menu and telephone number doesn't need a site that welcomes users by name or allows visitors to create a personal home page. Sure, you may want to go beyond basic store information -- by providing a history of the business, say, or presenting testimonials from satisfied customers. Features such as these help give a site character, and adding them doesn't have to be expensive. But make sure every feature somehow contributes to reaching the site's overall mission.

"The very beginning of our process is determining a project's goals and objectives," says Joshua Cyr, a principal of Harbour Light Productions, a design studio and Web company in Portsmouth, N.H. "The process is very much like writing a business plan: You need to set goals, plan for feedback to incorporate into your next efforts. You need to determine the stakeholders: employees, customers, investors or others."

Carefully planning the message and scope of the Web site can result in especially effective communication. As an example, Mr. Cyr points to the site of TMS Architects in Portsmouth. "In design, organization and content, it's always clear who they are and what they do," he says. "Users can quickly and easily see commercial and residential applications or works in progress, learn more about TMS and its background and history."

In large part, the dynamics of your site will depend on the nature of your business, says Javier Arango, director of the Web and print design firm Studio Arango in Cambridge, Mass. "If you have a product you can sell over the Internet, you should create a site with an e-commerce solution, so you can actually take orders," he says. "If not, you might just want a brochure-like site."

Then, there's audience: If most of your customers sign on to the Internet several times a day, your site may be somewhat advanced. If they only check e-mail once a week, a simpler approach is in order. How do you determine your target's comfort level? The most efficient way is to pick up the phone. Call your customers and ask them what they'd find useful. And be sure to ask them how comfortable they are with the Web in general.

Keeping the Message Fresh

How much information do you have to share? What's the story you have to tell? If you want to sell products, how many items do you need to show? The answers to these questions will help determine your site's size.

While adding pages here and there may not significantly impact the scope of your project, the expenses involved can add up. Creating different areas of the Web site -- such as an "About Us" section, a separate "Products and Services" section and a "Contact Us" section -- certainly impacts the cost of initial design and implementation. In addition, "it's extremely important to plan for updates -- or even for expansion -- so that the site's physical architecture can handle changes without upsetting the apple cart," says Ms. Seltzer.

On top of that, the amount of information you offer will indicate the resources needed to support it. This consideration is key, for few things erode a company's credibility more than a Web site that contains old or erroneous information. Even material you consider "evergreen" -- that is, information that rarely requires updating -- needs to be reviewed and confirmed on a regular basis.

If you've linked to a variety of Web sites, you'll have to check periodically to make sure they remain available. All of this is straightforward, but it takes time. If you and your employees can't stay on top of the site's content, make sure you have the money for freelance help.

"Your Web site is never done," says Mr. Cyr. "It's not a one-time effort or budget item. This is something where you complete 'phase one' knowing that 'phase two' is on the horizon."

Building in phases also allows businesses to develop their Web sites more intelligently. When Harbour Light created the site for the Greater Seacoast United Way in Portsmouth, Mr. Cyr's team, "started off with the idea that phase two would be right around the corner," he says. Now, incorporating new features and information about external programs keeps the site fresh. At the same time, they continually evaluate and prioritize features to be added in the future. "If we had done everything we could imagine in just one phase, it would have been an overwhelming project, far beyond the budget in both time and money," Mr. Cyr says.

Be sure to consider who will be doing the updating. When Ms. Seltzer produced a Web site for Boston-based photographer Ralph Mercer, she knew her client wanted to manage the site himself. "We had to think about the design differently," Ms. Seltzer says. "Not every client wants to do their own updating, but we always make sure to consider who will be taking on that task."

Remember the Budget

Finally, there's budget: This can be either the starting point or ending point of your planning. "If you simply don't have much money to spend, that's going to limit the size and scope of your project," says Mr. Cyr. On the other hand, if you've figured out a way to increase your overall sales through the Web, all of the other considerations will help determine the funding you'll need to raise. In either case, when it comes to numbers, be realistic. Or even better, be pessimistic. As a rule of thumb, plan on spending at least as much money on your Web site as you did on your last piece of print material -- including the printing costs.

Whatever your approach, a truly successful Web site will be as lean and cost-effective as possible. Like any piece of your business, it should make every dollar count.

-- Mr. Feffer is the publisher of Small Business Web Update, a publication of Tramp Steamer Media, a publishing company based in Trenton, N.J.

Email your comments to sjeditor@dowjones.com.

 

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