1. Audience or target market
   Defining the audience is a key step in the website planning process. The audience is the group of people who are expected to visit your website; the market being targeted. These people will be viewing the website for a specific reason and it is important to know exactly what they are looking for when they visit the site. A clearly defined purpose or goal of the site as well as an understanding of what visitors want to do/feel when they come to your site will help to identify the target audience.
   
   Upon considering who is most likely to need/use the content, list the characteristics common to the users, such as:
   • Audience Characteristics
   • Information Preferences
   • Computer Specifications
   • Web Experience
   Taking into account the characteristics of the audience will allow an effective website to be created that will deliver the desired content to the target audience.
   


2. Defining the purpose
   It is essential to define the purpose of the website as one of the first steps in the planning process. A purpose statement should show focus based on what the website will accomplish and what the users will get from it.
   A clearly defined purpose will help the rest of the planning process as the audience is identified and the content of the site is developed.
   Setting short and long term goals for the website will help make the purpose clear and plan for the future when expansion, modification, and improvement will take place.
   Also, goal-setting practices and measurable objectives should be identified to track the progress of the site and determine success.
   
   
3. Deciding what content
   Content evaluation and organization requires that the purpose of the website be clearly defined.
   Collecting a list of the necessary content then organizing it according to the audience's needs is a key step in website planning. In the process of gathering the content being offered, any items that do not support the defined purpose or accomplish target audience objectives should be removed. It is a good idea to test the content and purpose on a focus group and compare the offerings to the audience needs.

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