Build Your site


Step 1 - Create Your Site Map

The first step in building your website is creating your site map. A site map simply displays all the pages and folders in your site in a hardcopy format for review and discussion. It is important to complete this step before proceeding to build out your site.

Site map process

  1. Identify your audiences (e.g., youth, adult members, seekers) and think about their needs and requirements. Always keep your audiences in mind when deciding on what content and functionality should go on your site and how it is organized. Remember that you are building this website for them!

  2. Identify your content  If you have an existing website, take a look at al the content and decide what you want to keep, change, or eliminate. Then look at other content sources you have; sermons, contributions from other church members, schedules, etc. Identify where the content will come from and who will be responsible. Ask members of your audiences what they want on the site.

  3. DFC Features  Familiarize yourself with the unique DFC features such as publications, events/event registration, and calendars and build these pages into your site map. Your site will be much more dynamic, useful, and interesting to your audiences if you use these interactive features.

  4. Begin building your site map by organizing all of the current and planned content into "buckets" of information. There are a couple of tools to help you; (1) DFC's Sitemap Template (Excel or PDF) and (2) a Sitemap/Flowchart. The template allows you to organize and name folders and pages that will make up your site and will help you keep organized when you build out your site. The Sitemap/Flowchart provides a visual representation of your site's organization/structure and is a useful visual tool for "seeing" your site.

TIP: When you begin to build your site map, it is often useful to use sticky notes and a wall. Simply write down content/page titles on the sticky notes and arrange them on the wall as if you were building a sitemap/flowchart. You can then easily evaluate different arrangements of your content. This is a particularly useful technique if a group is working on the site.

TIP: A content map is a useful way to clearly identify what content goes on each page and where on the page the content is placed. You can also use a content map to identify content responsibilities and sources.

Once you have completed your site map, you are now ready to create your DFC account.