1.  You will need to start by determining what it is you want from your site. You need to be realistic about your goals. It would be unrealistic to assume that your website will be generating hundreds or thousands of hits per month when you first launch. All strategies take time, but you can build on or alter your strategy at any time. Start with your priorities.

2.  Narrow your focus. The more precise you are with your goals, the better chance you have at success. Again, be reasonable and realistic. Try to think small rather than big.

3.  Are you branding or selling physical product? In both instances, you are selling. However, there is a subtle difference between branding and selling product. Determine which style best fits your intent.

4.  Are you promoting professional services? If so, analyze your past and present clientele. What do your clients respond to? Who are your clients?

5.  Determine a time line. For each of your website goals, determine what your expectations are for reaching your goals. If you have decided you want to spend time branding your name, determine how long you would like to spend before moving into e-commerce.

6.  Would you like to become an advertising portal rather than an e-commerce site? If you want to be an advertising portal you will need lots of traffic, and therefore you will need to concentrate heavily on search engine optimization.

7.  After you have written down your ideas, rewrite your website goals. Rewriting helps you to focus on what is realistic and what is unrealistic. Now you will have the basic outline of your website project.