How to plan and create a promotional website

Internet website planning and design

Abstract This article outlines the planning and design methods of Internet websites, introduces the specifications of website design and planning, and the key technologies required, and has a certain influence on the telecommunications system. The construction of the website was systematically analyzed, the overall design plan and production steps were put forward, and the technical problems and solutions encountered in the process of building the website were discussed.

Keywords website planning, website design, website maintenance ASP

1. Introduction

In today’s global information tide, the Internet (i.e. the Internet - Internet) has suddenly emerged. , adding infinite vitality to human society at the end of the 20th century and becoming a beautiful landscape in modern social life. The Internet brings people not only technology, but a new way of life marked by information. He is changing the way people work and live. Someone once compared the Internet to a "siege city", but the difference is that "people outside want to get in, but people inside don't want to get out." Why does the Internet have such great charm? This is not only related to people's growing cultural life, but more importantly, to the continuous technological updates and revolutions of the Internet.

The overall planning and design of a website is important to its development and what attracts people to browse it. The increasing development of Internet/Intranet technology has made people realize the advantages of Internet/Intranet, and has made the connection between database and web one of the popular technologies in database development.

Normally, most of the web pages seen through the browser are static. The so-called "static" refers to the "fixed" content of the website's web pages. When the browser requests the web server to provide a web page through the Internet's HTTP (Hypertext Transport Protocol) protocol, the server only transmits the originally designed static HTML document. to the browser. The content of its page only uses standard HTML code, plus at most dynamic pictures in the popular GIF8ArrayA format, such as the animation effect of several kittens and puppies running around. If the website maintainer wants to update the content of the web page, he must manually update all HTML documents.

The fatal weakness of static websites is that they are difficult to maintain. In order to update the content of a web page, website maintainers must repeatedly create HTML documents. As the content and amount of information on the website continue to expand, you can imagine how complex and tedious this work is. So, what is a dynamic website? The so-called "dynamic" does not mean that the pictures placed on the web page will move. Dynamic pages should have the following characteristics:

(1) Interactivity: that is, the web page can change according to the customer's requirements and choices. Dynamically changing and responding, the browser serves as the client interface, which is the general trend of the future development of the Web.

(2). Automatic update: New pages can be automatically generated without manually updating the HTML document, thereby greatly reducing the workload.

(3). Change according to time and person: that is, when different people visit the same website at different times, different pages can be generated. This is especially applicable to websites that require user authorization.

With the rapid development of the Internet, whether it is a professional ISP (Internet Service Provider) and ICP (Internet Content Provider), or general government agencies, banks, transportation departments, schools, hospitals, services Authors, even everyone, are actively seeking to publish information on the Internet and provide new online management and services. It can be said that website design and website editing are becoming emerging hot industries.

2. System analysis of the website

(1). Project establishment

We received business inquiries from customers, and after continuous contact and understanding between both parties, we After basic feasibility discussions, a production agreement is initially reached, and then the project needs to be approved.

A better approach is to set up a dedicated project team, whose members include: project manager, web designer, programmers, testers, editors/documenters and other necessary personnel.

(2). Customer’s demand statement

Date of receipt: May 25, 2001

About the author: Ma Yanwen, Electronics and Engineering, Northwest Second Nationalities College Array7 communication major in the Department of Information Engineering.

The first step is to require the customer to provide a complete requirements description. Many customers are not very clear about their needs and need your continuous guidance and help in analysis. Some customers may not have a clear purpose for what kind of website they want to build, and they may not know what they will do after the website is built. In order for the customer to have a clear purpose, we need to patiently explain, analyze carefully, and tap out the potential of the customer. , real needs. This is good for everyone. Our aim should be "the customer understands clearly and both parties are happy." We are responsible for both our customers and ourselves.

It will take a lot of time to cooperate with the customer to write a detailed and complete demand description, but it is worth it, and the customer must be satisfied and signed for approval. Keeping this in mind can prevent many mistakes and project failures caused by unclear requirements or misunderstandings. A poor requirements statement makes it impossible to have a high-quality website. So what standards should the requirements specification meet? Simply put, it includes the following points: Correctness: Each function must clearly describe the delivered function; Feasibility: Ensure that each requirement can be achieved within the current development capabilities and system environment; Necessity: Whether the function must be delivered and whether it can be Postponement of implementation, whether it can be "cut" when expenditure reduction occurs; Simplicity: Do not use professional network terms; Detectability: If the development is completed, customers can detect it according to their needs.

3. Construction plan

(1). Website building concept

(1) Planning in advance

Designing a homepage may not be difficult. But this work, like the preparation of traditional promotional materials, requires careful handling and planning. In other words, we must first determine the main information we need to convey, and then carefully consider and organize all the ideas in a reasonable way; then design a page style, try it on representative users, and then revise it repeatedly to strive for perfection.

(2) Try to be as concise as possible

The function of the homepage is like the cover of a book, which is to attract users to browse the content of your website. Therefore, the design of the homepage should be eye-catching and clear at a glance. Don't overload it with unnecessary details or overcomplicate the image. Clearly list three key points on your homepage, such as your organization's name, the products or services you provide, and the content of your homepage (i.e. what information your other pages contain). Remember that the first impression of a page is the most important. There are many people browsing everywhere online. If your homepage is really unattractive, it will be difficult for them to take a deeper look at it.

(3) Try to be as simple as possible

Most users today use modems to connect to the World Wide Web, so they usually spend a lot of time waiting for the home page to be transmitted to their system. Graphics on the home page should be kept simple to avoid wasting the user's time. The larger and darker the image, the longer it will take to transfer the page. This doesn’t mean that you should completely omit images, but it does mean that you should be aware of the effects of using them. It's best to have no more than sixty-four colors on the home page, and the top image should be kept under about 10KB (kilobytes). Don't be tempted to include large images; consider using only three or two short, concise images. The homepage as a whole should be able to be delivered quickly. If it takes more than ten to fifteen seconds to load, many users will become impatient. If possible, it is best to first test the transmission rate of your homepage under slightly worse conditions, a 14.4 kbaud modem, or connect to the World Wide Web through an online service such as Prodigy.

In addition, you must also pay attention to the lowest-end equipment, such as a standard small monitor. Don't assume that everyone uses a high-resolution large screen.

It is okay to use some of the cutting-edge features provided by advanced browsing software, but you should ensure that your homepage can still be displayed smoothly on secondary browsing software (such as dedicated browsing software provided by some online services).

(4) Make good use of images

Users roam around the Internet, and you must find ways to attract and maintain their attention to your homepage. One of the greatest resources of the World Wide Web is its multimedia capabilities, so we must take advantage of it at all costs. It is best to have eye-catching images, novel pictures, and beautiful fonts on the homepage to make it unique and unforgettable. The content of the image should have a certain practical effect and should not be pretentious or exaggerated. The best images combine beauty and communication. Note that pictures can make up for the lack of words, but they cannot completely replace them. Many users set their browsing software to ignore images in order to save time and read only text. Therefore, when making a home page, you must pay attention to repeating the important information contained in the image or the instructions for connecting to other pages in text. Test your finished home page in "text-only" mode to make sure it conveys all the information.

(5) Make the homepage easy to navigate

One of the main functions of the homepage is to serve as a roaming tool, guiding users to access information you store on URLs or other locations. Try to make the roaming process as effortless as possible. For reasons of clarity and speed, link items on the homepage should be limited to a few high-level categories, such as company, product, service, support, etc. It is ideal to use six to eight join projects.

Also, the information you provide should not be buried under overlapping pages. Traversing more than five connecting projects is tiresome enough. So you have to strike a balance between breadth and depth. If your URL has too much information, you may want to create longer pages or use more link items, or even create multiple home pages, each with different information. If you can allow users to find the information they need using keywords or words on the homepage, it will definitely be popular with users.

If you have sufficient resources, you should find an expert to evaluate whether the homepage you design is user-friendly. Try to find some users who are new to the homepage to try out your preliminary product.

(6) Website coordination

Home page - generally must contain the following matters:

Title, this title must clearly and unmistakably identify your website. The title can be a name, a tagline, a logo, or an image.

Email address so users can notify you if they have questions.

Copyright material, which is the copyright rule that applies to the content on the home page. You can put a brief copyright statement on the homepage and use a link to bring up another page with detailed terms of use, so as to avoid the clutter of the homepage.

Contact information, listing mailing address, phone number, etc.

(7) Recycle existing information

When making a homepage, there is usually no need to start from scratch, because there are many ready-made texts, pictures and other materials that we can reuse, such as publicity Brochures, public relations documents, technical manuals, databases, etc. In many cases, with a little effort, these materials can be transferred to the web for use.

(8) Keep it fresh

New things are constantly appearing on the World Wide Web, and there are new tricks every day. If your homepage never changes, users will quickly get bored. Notice on the homepage that new information is about to be released to attract users to come back to browse again. You might as well announce the new news in a large font title at the top of the page. You can periodically change the images on the homepage, or change the style of the homepage. Interesting items can be updated continuously or automatically, such as listing the number of people who visited your website.

Also, to keep things fresh, always make sure your homepage provides the latest information. Integrate updates to your homepage information into your established PR and documentation plan so new information appears on your homepage when you deliver it using traditional methods (such as press releases). Make sure the connection works smoothly so users don't get frustrated with a "The requested file cannot be found" message on their screen.

(Array)Follow your promise

Never make a promise easily if you cannot do it. Don’t ask users to take random actions, such as filling out a loan order form, unless you have established methods and delivery procedures for handling these orders. If you list a contact number online, make sure you can quickly resolve callers' concerns.

(10) Attract users to browse

Since we have racked our brains to make the homepage beautiful and practical, it would be a pity that no one would appreciate it. To attract everyone online, your homepage must be easy to find. Notify other websites (such as those related to the subject matter) that they may want to link to your homepage. Arrange for your URL to be listed in all relevant URL directories, indexes, finders, and “What’s new” pages. Try to spread the URL as far as possible and make it appear on the Internet and all traditional media, such as book advertisements, public relations documents, promotional materials, etc.

On the website, set a "home" button on each page to facilitate users to return to the homepage at any time.

The World Wide Web is full of vitality and is constantly evolving, so some experiences that are applicable now may not be applicable in the future. For example, in the future, home users will have high-speed lines to connect to the Internet, which will eliminate current restrictions on data transmission, making homepages longer and more gorgeous. New browsing capabilities, such as those provided by Sun's HotJava browsing software, will make the World Wide Web more powerful and easier to communicate with. HotJava transforms the home page from a static file into a dynamic entity, providing functions such as real-time animation, background music, real-time storage of information (such as constantly updating stock prices), voice broadcast, etc., bringing more fun to online users. To have a good homepage, you must also have sophisticated equipment support. Web servers are constantly being updated, making the job of building a website easier and easier. Taking Sun's Netra Internet Server as an example, the complete set of equipment includes the software and hardware required for Internet access, as well as various software and hardware facilities required to build a complete and high-performance website. These developments have opened up great prospects for the World Wide Web and its users. Building a top-notch website has never been easier.

(2). Overall website design

After getting the customer's demand statement, we do not start production directly. Instead, we need to conduct an overall design of the project and design a detailed Website construction solutions to clients. The overall design is a very critical step. It mainly determines: what functions the website needs to implement; what software is used for website development and what hardware environment is used; how many people and how much time are needed; what rules and standards need to be followed. At the same time, you need to write an overall planning description, including: the columns and sections of the website; the functions and corresponding programs of the website; the link structure of the website; if there is a database, conceptual design of the database; the interactivity and user-friendly design of the website.

After the overall design is completed, it is generally necessary to provide the customer with a website construction plan. Many web production companies are asked by customers to provide solutions when they contact business. The plans at that time were generally relatively general, and when the customer's needs were not very clear, the plans submitted were often very different from the actual production results. Therefore, we should try our best to gain the customer's understanding and submit the plan after clarifying the needs and overall design. This will benefit both parties. The website construction plan includes the following parts: customer situation analysis; the goals and objectives that the website needs to achieve; website image description; website column sections and structure; website content arrangement, mutual link relationships; use of software, hardware and technology analysis Description; development time schedule; publicity and promotion plan; maintenance plan; production costs; company profile: successful works, technology, talent description, etc. When your plan is approved by the client, you can start making the website. But it’s not really production yet, you need detailed design.

(3). Detailed website design

The overall design stage proposes solutions to the problem in a more abstract and general way. The task of the detailed design phase is to concretize the solution. Detailed design is mainly for the program development part.

But this stage is not about actually writing the program, but about designing the detailed specifications of the program. The role of such specifications is very similar to the engineering blueprints often used by engineers in other engineering fields. They should contain necessary details, such as program interfaces, forms, required data, etc. Programmers can write actual program code based on them. This time we mainly use ASP to implement related functions and solve related problems. For example, bulletin boards, chat rooms, information release systems, online supermarkets, etc. all use ASP to implement human-computer interaction functions, including calling databases. technology.

ASP (Active Server Pages) is a Web application development technology launched by Microsoft. It is also a server-side script (Script) running environment. This technology can be used to develop dynamic and interactive Web applications.

ASP can be used to generate and execute dynamic, high-performance WE B server programs. When the user uses the browser to request the ASP home page, the WEB server responds, calls the ASP engine to execute the ASP file, interprets the script language (JScript or VBScript) in it, connects to the database through ODBC, and completes the database operation through the database access component ADO. Finally, ASP generates an HTML page containing data query results or other responses, and sends it back to the client for display.

ASP programs usually run in Windows NT IIS (Internet Information Server), or Windows 2000 IIS, or Windows Array5/Array8 PWS (Personal Web Server) environment. The program code is simple and universal, and the file name ends with .asp. ASP files usually consist of four parts: standard HTML tags; ASP syntax commands, namely lt; gt; ASP code within tags; server-side include statements; and scripting language, namely: ASP comes with two scripting languages: JScript and VBScript. It is used to increase the programming functions of ASP. Users can also install other scripting languages, such as Per language, etc.

ASP provides six built-in objects for users to call directly to realize page interaction: The Application object is responsible for managing all session information and can be used to share it among all users of the specified application. Information; The Session object stores the session information of a specific user and is only accessed by that user. When the user jumps to different WEB pages, the variables in the Session will always exist throughout the user's session; the Session object requires cookie support; the Request object starts from The client obtains information and passes it to the server, which is the main method for ASP to read user input; the Response object supports the server to send output content to the client; the Server object provides access to server-related methods and properties; the Object Context object is new in IIS 4.0 Object, used for transaction processing. This function needs to be supported by MTS (Microsoft Transaction Server) management.

ASP also has the following built-in components to enhance its functionality: The Ad Rotator component is used to automatically rotate and display advertisements on the same page according to a specified schedule, which is used for increasingly important advertising services on the WWW; The Browser Capabilities component determines access to the WEB The functional data of the user browser of the site, including type, performance, version, etc.; Database Access component, ADO (ActiveX Data Objects), is used to access the database; File Access component provides the function of reading and writing server-side files; Content Linking component generates A list of WEB page contents and sequential connection of each page to create a navigation bar.

In addition, users can also install Myinfo, Counters, Content Rotator, Page Count and other components, or compile their own ActiveX components to improve the practicality of the system.

As mentioned above, ADO is the built-in ActiveX Server Component of ASP (ActiveX Server Component). It can access a variety of databases through the open database connection interface ODBC and the common data source interface OLEDB. It is the most effective, simplest and most direct method to operate the databases currently supported by Microsoft.

The ADO component mainly provides the following seven objects and four collections to access the database: Connection object is used to establish a connection with the background database; Command object is used to execute SQL instructions and access the database; Parameters object and Parameters The collection provides data and parameters for the Command object; the RecordSet object stores the data records called from the database; the Field object and the Field collection provide the function of accessing each field of the current record in the RecordSet; the Property object and the Properties collection provide relevant information for the Connection , Command, RecordSet, and Field objects are used; the Error object and the Errors collection provide error information when accessing the database.

The general steps for using ADO components to access the backend database in ASP are:

Open the "Control Panel" on the WEB server, select "ODBC", and define the data source; then use the ADO components Query the WEB database; then call the Server.CreateObject method to obtain the instance of "ADODB.Connection", then use the Open method to open the database, and specify the SQL commands to be executed to operate the database, such as query, browse, modify, delete, etc. Of course, you can also use the method introduced in this article without defining a data source and directly call the data in the database.

(4). Discussion on website production specifications

(1) Website directory specifications

Principles of directory establishment: provide the clearest and simplest information at the least level access structure.

a. Root directory. The root directory refers to the directory where the index files pointed to by the DNS domain name server are stored. The root directory is only allowed to store index.html and main.html files, as well as other necessary system files;

b. Each language version is stored in a separate directory;

c. Each Create a corresponding independent directory for each main function (main menu);

d. When the page exceeds 20 pages, each directory stores its own independent images directory. ***The pictures used are placed in the root directory. under the images directory;

e. All js files are stored in the unified directory script under the root directory;

f. All CSS files are stored in the style directory under each language version

g. All CGI programs are stored in the root directory and the parallel directory cgi_bin directory

(2) File naming convention

The principle of file naming: use the fewest letters to achieve The easiest meaning to understand.

a. Index files use the index.html file name (lowercase). The index.html file is unified as a "bridge page" to produce specific content, and only serves as a jump page and meta tag page. The main content page is main.htm;

b. The name of the menu picture is the English translation of the menu name.

For example: About us aboutus; information feedback product product; all single English word file names must be lowercase, and all combined English word file names from the second to the first letter are capitalized;

c. All files The connecting lines between the letters of the name are all underlined;

d. The naming principle of pictures is based on the English letters of the picture, and the size principle is the same as above;

The naming principle of e.js is based on the English letters of the function. Words are names. For example: the js file name of the advertising banner is: Ad.js

f. All CGI files have the suffix .cgi.

(3) Link structure specifications

The principle of link structure: use the fewest links to make browsing the most efficient. A star link structure is used between the home page and the first-level pages, and a tree link structure is used between the first-level and second-level pages. For pages with more than three levels, set a navigation bar at the top of the page.

(4) Size specification

a. The page standard is produced with a resolution of 800*600, and the actual size is 778*434px;

b. Each standard The page is A4 format, that is, 8.5X11 inches;

c. The large banner is 468*60px, and the small banner is 88*31px.

(5) Home Page HEAD Area Specifications

a. Company Copyright Notes

lt;! --- The site is designed by dxxweb.inc05/2001- -gt;

b. Web page display character set

Simplified Chinese: lt; META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=gb2312"gt ;

Traditional Chinese:lt;META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=BIG5"gt;

English:lt;META HTTP- EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-885Array-1"gt;

c. Web page author information

lt; META name=" author" content="MyEmail@263.net"gt;

d. Website Introduction

lt; META NAME="DESCRIPTION" CONTENT="Department of Electronics and Information Engineering"gt;

e. Search keywords

lt; META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="xxxx, xxxx, xxx, xxxxx, xxxx,"gt;

f. Web page css specifications

lt; LINK href="style/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"gt;

g. Web page title

lt;titlegt;Department of Electronics and Information Engineeringlt;/titlegt;

IV. Website design and production

1. Overall image design

While programmers are working on detailed designs, web designers begin to design the overall image and homepage of the website.

The overall image design includes standard words, logo, standard colors, advertising slogans, etc. Homepage design includes layout, color, images, dynamic effects, icons and other style designs, as well as banner, menu, title, copyright and other module designs. The homepage is generally designed with 1-3 different styles.

2. Development and production

This website planning and design adopts the design method of software engineering. On the basis of system analysis and overall design, the design team decomposes the design tasks and assigns them to the design team. Each member of the team and each module has a design team member who is responsible for the design and debugging independently. There is division of labor and collaboration. Finally, each module is uploaded to the server for linking and overall debugging.

3. Debugging and improvement

After each module is initially completed, upload it to the server and conduct a full range test of the website. Including speed, compatibility, interactivity, link correctness, program robustness, excessive traffic testing, etc. Any problems found will be solved in a timely manner and recorded.

Website construction is actually a process of continuous enrichment and improvement. Through continuous problem discovery, problem solving, modification, and supplementation, the website structure becomes more reasonable, the content is richer, and the form is more appealing.

4. Promotion

The newly built website is like a newly registered phone number. No one will automatically come to your door. At this time, you need to do some website promotion appropriately. It works. There are many methods here, such as:

a. Set appropriate META tags in the web page;

b. Exchange friendly links. This is a free and efficient method, just like putting your advertisement in other people's stores, and putting other people's advertisements in your store. In this way, netizens will know your website when they visit other people's websites. If your advertisement is Well, most of them will visit your website. This is a good thing that costs nothing and is mutually beneficial. It is recommended.

c. Register your website on major search websites (such as sohu.com yahoo.com), so that others will find your website when they search for similar information;

d. Prepare press releases and publish them on various news bulletin boards;

e. Reasonably use email mailing lists;

f. Paid advertising, this method is the most effective, but it is paid ;

g. Post a note in the forum. This method is not efficient, very tiring, and sometimes deleted by others, so it is not recommended.

It should also be noted that please do not use spam to promote your personal homepage. Not only will this not make others like your website, but it will also cause extreme disgust in others. This is a kind of Unethical behavior.

At this point, the website project is completed.

5． Do you plan to maintain your website once and for all? No, if the website becomes large, website maintenance will also be a difficult job. When a website becomes very large, there will be countless pictures, web files and other contents. If one of them is missing or the link fails, it will cause a web page error. Think about what would happen if one of the many pictures we made was missing. ? Therefore, we must ensure the "health" and integrity of the entire website. In order to make the website healthy and complete, usually before we build a new website, we should build a "local website" in DW, which is a copy of the website on our own computer. This can effectively reduce website errors. When we made the website just now, we first In fact, it is wrong to build a website after making a web page. The correct method is to build the website first and then add content. In addition, we should always check whether the website links are incorrect. Here we can use the CHECK LINK SITEWIDE option in the SITE menu of DW's SITE program to check whether there are broken links in the website so that they can be repaired in time.

In addition, we should also store different types of files scientifically, such as putting the pictures on the website in one folder and the web pages in another folder.

And if the website becomes really "fertile" in the future, we may even need to create a folder for each column, for example, put the files about the MUSIC column in a folder, and put the files about the PICTURES column in a folder, so As a result, it will reduce a lot of unnecessary troubles in our maintenance work!

The last thing to say about website maintenance is to back up the website files. If a computer disaster occurs, our website is likely to be paralyzed, so it is also important to back up website files from time to time.

After the website is successfully launched, the long-term maintenance work has just begun. What we need to do is: respond to customer feedback in a timely manner; for example, we can use the Email automatic reply function, then solve the problem as soon as possible and reply again; website traffic Statistical analysis and corresponding countermeasures; try to promote and use your website; timely update and maintenance of website content.