Tonje’s Tech Terrain: Navigating Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Dynamics

A Comprehensive Guide to Starting Your Power Pages Journey

Creating your first Power Pages site can be a thrilling endeavor. To ensure that your project runs smoothly and meets all your goals, here are ten essential considerations before you dive into building your site.

1. Define Your Purpose and Goals

Before starting, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of why you are creating the site. Is it to share information, sell products, or provide a service? Outline your goals to keep your project focused and purposeful.

2. Understand Your Audience

Knowing your target audience is vital. Tailor your content, design, and functionality to meet their needs and preferences. Consider conducting surveys or market research to gather insights about your audience.

3. Plan Your Content

Content is king. Plan and organize your content strategically. Ensure it is engaging, informative, and optimized for search engines. Consider the type of content you will include, such as text, images, videos, and downloadable resources. Start simple and add on when needed.

Power Pages uses Dataverse for all the forms. It is important to design your tables before you start using the forms on your site. Think ahead. Use standard tables where it is in the best interest of your site. The account table for example has a lot of functionality connected to it, so use it if it fits. I am going to write a blog post about building out your Dataverse table strategy if you want to learn more about that.

4. Choose the Right Template

Power Pages offers various templates to choose from. It can be a good idea to create a Power Pages solution for testing the functionality, so you don’t get a lot of obsolete content in the solution you are going to use later. Keep in mind the flexibility and customization options of the template. I often end up with the blank template, so I don’t have to spend the first hour deleting stuff I don’t need.

5. Design for User Experience

User experience (UX) is critical for the success of your site. Create an intuitive and seamless navigation structure, ensure fast load times, and make your site mobile-friendly if some of your users will need it – also for future purpose. Always prioritize the ease of use and accessibility.

6. Power Pages like its own solution

If you are going to have a site as part of a bigger solution, maybe with some flows, a model driven app or other elements in the Power Platform, it is good practice to create a solution only for your Power Pages site and have the rest in another solution. The tables you use in your site will automatically be added to the site’s solution and that is okay. The tables can be in both solutions at the same time – it is still the same tables.

7. Ensure Security and Privacy

Securing your site is paramount. Implement SSL certificates, strong passwords, and regular backups. Be transparent about data collection and comply with privacy regulations to build trust with your audience. When you build your site, just keep it in private mode. It is just the one in the production environment that needs to be public.

When you first build a site, it will be a trial site. Be aware that this only lasts for a while, so you need to convert it to Production before the time runs out.

If possible, use Entra ID as your identity provider and enforce MFA. This is in my opinion the safest solution. You can remove the default tabs for “Register” and “Redeem invitation” in the Power Pages Management – Site Settings. Just set the entries for Authentication/Registration/Enabled and Authentication/Registration/InvitationEnabled to false.

8. Test Your Site Thoroughly

Before launching, test your site extensively. Check for broken links, compatibility issues, and performance on different devices and browsers. User testing can provide valuable feedback for improvements.

Remember to test your site in all environments (you should have at least 3: dev, test and prod). The test and prod environments should always be managed solutions. Extra tip: you can make changes in the Power Pages management even though they are managed – DON’T DO THAT! This will make your solution vulnerable.

9. Plan for Maintenance and Updates

A website is not a one-time project; it requires ongoing maintenance and updates. Develop a plan for regular content updates, security checks, and feature enhancements to keep your site relevant and functional.

If you are a consultant – be sure to write good documentation and don’t forget to document the JavaScript if you have any. Also document all the changes you have done in the Power Pages Management app.

10. Consider Analytics and Reporting

Tracking your site’s performance is crucial. Implement analytics tools to monitor visitor behavior, traffic sources, and conversion rates. Use this data to make informed decisions and optimize your site for better results.

Creating your first Power Pages site is an exciting journey that requires careful planning and execution. By considering these ten aspects, you will be well-equipped to create a site that meets your goals and provides an excellent experience for your audience. Happy building!