These days, all organizations and businesses need to have a web presence, including schools. Whether you are a public elementary school, a K-12 independent school, or a college or university, educational institutions must have a way to communicate to a broad number of constituents -- students, teachers, staff, parents, alumni, prospective families, alumni, trustees and more.

Develop a site map, which is a clear outline of who your page is for and what information you want to address on your page. Taking the time to think about your content will keep your page clear and easy to navigate. A web page with too much information is confusing and will result in visitors becoming frustrated and disinterested in your site.

A typical outline for a school web page might include the following links (and information found under those links):

About -- Name of the school, grades served, location and directions, important contact information

Admissions (if private school) -- contact, deadlines, campus tour, application, financial aid, tuition, important forms

Academics -- faculty, subjects/classes, homework, important test dates, graduation requirements

Athletics -- sports, scores, game schedules, rosters,directions, tryout and practice information

Parents -- important calendar dates, teacher contact information, school handbook, policies and procedures

News -- current events at the school, important announcements

Orient your site navigation. Some websites have top navigation, meaning the links to information are at the top aligned horizontally. Others will use a vertical navigation and some will use both. Decide how you want the information to be portrayed on the web page. Keep it simple and easy to read. Write it out on a piece of paper. This will give you a visual before you actually do any of the computer work. Preparing in this way will make the process easier for you when you are ready to create your actual page.

Develop your content. It is easy to create a web page without having to write the HTML code yourself. There are many terrific user-friendly editors available to purchase or download for free. If you have Microsoft Office, for example, you can create your page in Word and save it as an HTML file to upload later. Chances are your school will have an editor that is available to you. Regardless of which one you use, the process will be the same. There will be templates available to you in whatever program you pick. Select the one that best represents your concept (from Step 2). Don't be swayed by some of the flashier templates. For example, you do not want to pick a business template with a payment feature if you do not have a use for that. The best school web pages -- or any web page for that matter -- are clear and simple without a lot of flash.

If you are adding a page to an existing site, this will make your task even easier as you can use the same format.

With most web editors, you will create your page just as you would a word processing document. If you have selected a template, the editor will clearly define where your content should go. The features such as bold, fonts, colors, underlining, italics and insertion of pictures work just like a typical Windows interface or word processing program. You will not have to write any HTML code. The editor will do it for you.

If you need to create a link to your page off of an existing page, you need to make that change on the page that will include the link to your site. When doing this, be sure you use the same name to save your file as you use for the link. Otherwise the link will not work.

Select pictures and fonts. Pictures are key to adding a "wow" factor to your web page. Select photos that best represent your school and its students. Pick photos with bright colors, smiling faces and students in action. Select a variety of backgrounds -- athletics, in the classroom, hanging out on campus or in the cafeteria, theatrical productions or art classes. Having dynamic photos can add a great deal to your page. Photos invite visitors in and make them want to learn more.

A lot of fun fonts are available to use, but avoid choosing something that is too unique. Instead, choose a simple font that is easy to read. Check your font against several platforms -- Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Netscape -- to make sure your web page reads the same no matter what program you use to view it. Some of the less common fonts will automatically default to a different font if they cannot recognize it.

Upload your page. Once you have created your page and edited it for spelling and grammar, you are ready to upload your page to your school's server. In some cases, you will use FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to send your file to the correct folder on the server. If your school has an existing site, there will be a folder on the server that includes the website. There might be several folders within that contain the various pages of the site. You need to be sure you are placing your page in the correct folder.

Tips:

Edit your content carefully. Spelling and grammar errors do not give a great impression. Have someone look at it who hasn't been involved in creating it. A pair of fresh eyes will have a different perspective and may see things you do not. Make sure you have permission to use the photos on your site.

Update your page regularly. You want to keep it fresh and current.