time the server is running keeping sites live. It’s normal to have some downtime for
maintenance, but too much is a problem.
Putting It Down On Paper
After settling on a domain name and short-listing some hosting companies, it’s time to
start putting your plan down on paper. This is another important step. An amazing thing
happens when plans are written down. Stuff tends to actually get done. A written Website
plan gives it life and also holds you accountable.
Begin your plan with your goals and objectives. Goals are broad-based intentions.
They’re what you’re trying to accomplish with your site in terms of the big picture. Clear,
well-defined goals will be the foundation of your plan and steer the rest of your activities.
Objectives, on the other hand, are more like action plans. They usually have a date asso-
ciated with them and are quantifiable. In other words, measurable. So, a goal might be,
“Develop a method of selling and distributing our music via the site.” An objective might
be “Integrate Paypal into the site as a payment method by June 30, 2012.”
With your goals and objectives in hand, begin to determine what pages will be needed
and what elements, assets and resources will be needed to populate those pages. Will your
recordings need to be converted to mp3s? How do you stand on images? Do you need to
have current band or individual photos taken? What about writing? Are you or a band
member comfortable doing that, or will you need to hire a writer? Gathering your materi-
als together before you start building the site will help move things along in a timely
manner and, if you use a Web designer or developer, it can save you some dough.
A typical band or musician Website contains the following pages: