Being a freelance web developer certainly has a lot of perks, namely I get to play with a lot of new technology and I get to spend an obscene amount of time on the web! However one of the downsides is that is does carry with it a large amount administration time. I generally have to generate a lot of documentation clients in illustrating what needs to be done to improve their number one marketing resource. 

I am often required to produce an existing Visual Site map which is normally the best way to illustrate to clients the current layout of the site.   This task can be completed for you in a matter of seconds, using Visio. The Visio Web Diagram solution provides two tools to assist the Web developer with creating and maintaining Web sites: the Web Site Map and the Conceptual Web Site templates.

Web Site Map Template

A great documentation tool to capture information and the current status on any site that already exists. You can use the Web Site Map template to discover the contents of a Web site on an HTTP server, network server, or a local hard drive. The template searches the HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) code of the Web pages and stores information about the links on the site and the elements they connect. From this information, you can:

• Automatically generate a map for a site, with shapes representing the links on the Web site.
• Troubleshoot the site by quickly finding the shapes that represent broken links and viewing the errors encountered when those links were searched.
• Generate a report listing all links in a site, or only those links that contain hyperlink errors.
• Generate a report that tracks the changes on a Web site by comparing two maps of the same site and listing the differences.

Documenting an Existing Web site

You can use the Web Site Map template as a documentation tool to capture information and the current status of an existing site with these steps:

• Generate a Web Site Map with the Generate Site Map wizard, selecting the discovery levels, diagramming layout style, and other options that fit your need.
• Speed browse through the map by selecting a link or element on the map on which to focus and choosing the Page Centric view to see the objects connected to and from this link.
• Use the Filter window to filter out certain images on the map such as JPG and ASP that are not of current interest. Expand (+) or collapse (-) link branches shown within the List window, providing more or less detail of a shape's child links and improving readability of the window.
• Use the List window to jump to a link on the drawing page. First, select the link in the List window, then right-click and click Show On Page from the shortcut menu. Select the link on the drawing page and right-click. Then click Expand or Collapse to show or remove links connecting to the selected shape on the diagram.
• Use the Hierarchical view of the List window to drag a selected link to a new page in your drawing. You can then expand the link to show details of the portion of the Web site you moved to a new page.
• Use the Make Subpage command to move a portion of a Web site map to a new page.

By tailoring the map in this way, you can focus on sections of the Web site that are the most important to you.

useful links

Microsoft TechNet