Economic Development Website Planning

Before Getting Started

Back in the early 1990s putting anything on the Web was a job well done, but that time has long since passed. As Vincent Flanders, co-author of Web Pages That Suck, points out, "Now, people look at a poorly designed site and ask, 'Do we want to do business with them?'" And in this case, the "them" is you.

You are probably not a web designer nor want to be a web designer (in the traditional sense of the term), but you must be responsible for developing a great website. It's easier to do than you think and you can't afford to have a bad website.

In the Overview section, the subject of effectiveness, advantage and competition was discussed. The Web offers your economic development organization the opportunity to help level the playing field - no matter how small your community or how limited your resources. Just because some organizations have a lot of money to spend on their web site doesn't mean it is a good site. Trendy graphics and design alone will not result in a good web site. Instead, a good web site includes relevant information that facilitates informed decisions. This can be accomplished with a lean budget, your creative work and the information provided by Economic Development Online.

EconomicDevelopmentOnline.com shows you the steps to develop an effective web site and includes essential, basic and advanced economic development web strategies. Each level builds a strong foundation for the next.