A Web site on the Internet or a corporate intranet reaches a large, diverse audience. With a Web site, it's possible to make contact with more people around the world than ever before.

Publisher 2000 makes it easy for you to build a professional Web site that is consistent with your printed publications and extends your marketing presence to the Internet. You can also use Publisher to create simple Web sites for personal or internal company use without needing to learn HTML.

This article describes the steps you typically go through, from inception to publishing and maintenance. This series of articles, summarized in the paragraphs below, can help you make informed decisions about the structure and elements to use on your Web site.

Planning Your Web Site

Before you even start Publisher, you need to determine a clear objective for your site. What do you want to achieve by creating a Web presence? Then ask yourself, who is your audience, and what type of content will you host? Do you offer information, or products or services? Do you want interaction with others? Knowing the answers to these questions helps you plan effectively.

Structuring Your Web Site

Next, structure the information so that it's easy to find, read, and understand. Remember that a Web site is nonlinear - people customize their own experience by going where they want, when they want. Design a consistent, simple navigation system so that readers can move intuitively through the site.

Making the Most of Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks can make or break your Web site. When used consistently, hyperlinks draw related pieces of information together and enable readers to quickly reach the content that they want. Predictable hyperlinks also increase your reader's confidence in your site.

Creating Your Web Site

There are three ways to create a Web site using Publisher: You can convert an existing publication, use the Web Site Wizard, or design your site from scratch. No matter how you create your Web page, the Publisher Design Gallery offers many Web elements, which you can add to your Web site with just a click.

Using Graphics on Your Web Site

Pictures and animation add visual interest to a Web site. Not only do they draw readers in, they express ideas and simplify concepts when used appropriately. Make sure the graphics you use on your site are compelling yet simple.

Graphics take more time to download from a Web site than text. When adding graphics to your site, consider the size of the graphics files and the time it will take for the associated pages to download. Short downloads keep your readers interested and moving through your site.

Creating Thumbnails on Your Web Site

If you want to use large graphics on your site, consider using thumbnail graphics. A thumbnail is a small preview of a large graphic that links to the full-size version of the graphic. Thumbnails are useful on a Web site because they take less time to download than full-size graphics. Readers can choose which pictures are worth waiting for.

Thumbnails are used in many creative ways on Web sites, for example, for product catalogs, family photo albums, or real estate listings.

Using Color on Your Web Site

Strategic use of color is another way to unify the look and message of a Web site and to draw readers in. You can apply color to almost anything on a Web site, including text, pictures, borders, tables, navigation buttons, and visited and unvisited hyperlinks. Apply colors sparingly, though. Garish colors or colors that don't match can distract the reader and may detract from your message. Choose a simple color scheme, and use it consistently throughout your site.

Publishing Your Web Site

Once you've created your Web site, the next step is to publish (or "post") and test the files that make up your Web site. Publish your site to the Internet or an intranet in one of the following ways:

• Save to a Web folder.
• Post to an FTP location.
• Save to a location on your hard disk.

Maintaining Your Web Site

Web audiences expect a dynamic experience. If your Web site stays the same from week to week or month to month, your audience doesn't have a reason to return to your site on a regular basis. You don't have to redesign your site every week, but you should update the content fairly regularly. One suggestion: Try to determine the average frequency that people visit your site, and then set a schedule to update a portion of your content at least that often.