Thinking About Building a Website?

Cambridge Santa Claus Parade

The web is powerful, yet relatively few small businesses (SMEs) have websites, preferring to rely on word of mouth as their best source of leads. While it is true that referrals are probably your primary source of new customers, it is also true that many of those referrals will check your credibility by searching for you online. They may find references to you in Facebook or on Twitter, listings in directories, or comments on blogs. It makes sense to ensure that the first words they read about you come from you. A well designed website that appears high in the search engine results in essential.

Consider these points:

Your market is online. With over one billion people online, you can be sure that a large part of your market surfs the web on a regular basis. The top reason for going online is to find information including in-depth descriptions of services, products and companies through visits to vendor’s websites and online reviews.

Validation and credibility. A website validates your business and shows that you are serious enough to invest a bit of time and money to engage the attention of people who want to meet you.

Protection. Your online presence includes not only your own website(s), but information written about you or your products/services on social media sites like Facebook, on blogs, and on review sites like epinions.com. You need to be online to counter discouraging comments and to protect your brand.

Mass marketing to a wide audience. A website is one of the least expensive methods of mass marketing.

A basic site costs about the same as an ad in the Yellow Pages. In fact, what other advertising medium costs this little and reaches this many? And unlike most advertising channels that require regular substantial fees, the price of keeping your website up-to-date is negligible, if you build it using sound principles.

ONE. As with any business venture, to succeed a website needs goals and a plan designed to achieve those goals.

TWO. Traffic is an essential part of success and so every site should inlcude search engine optimization (SEO) and a social media campaign. .

THREE. Protect the privacy of visitors. Develop a policy that holds you and your staff accountable for managing information visitors supply you online and let visitors know that you care about their safety.

FOUR. Enhance the experience of your visitors:

• optimize the site for speed
• make the site easy to use (usability) and attractive
• provide interesting, relevant and unique information that responds to the needs of visitors, and
• keep the site up-to-date.

Liaison College Kitchener Campus 2008

FIVE. Ensure that your website conforms to the corporate brand or style guide.

Once you have a website, you need to review it frequently.

If you believe that your website is failing you, then talk to us about your options. Our first question will probably ask what you want your website to achieve. From there we can give you suggestions about why it isn’t achieving the results you want and what can be done.

Those were the days . . .

To learn more about the technologies, flip to the next tab. Here we want to think about the purpose of the web.

Purpose of the Web – Yours and Mine

There are many ways to categorize the web, if categories are meaningful to you. If we focus on websites alone, we can describe 7 types

1. Pure vanity.
   There was a time when vanity sites dominated the internet. Much like today’s blogs, they focused on “me and my cat. ” Their payback lies in feedback. Traffic, time spent reading the subject matter, and visitor’s comments. More on vanity site.
2. Customer self service.
   Help customers find answers and become essential to their success with FAQs, spec sheets, maps and location finders for stores carrying your product. Save money by reducing the time your staff spends answering common questions and support sales staff by providing product information online. More on customer self-service sites.
3. E-commerce.
   Make money by selling products online. Create passive income by building an online store that sells products you already have in stock. More on ecommerce sites.
4. Lead generation.
   Attract visitors who leave information behind so that your sales force can follow up within 24 hours. These sites are optimized for the search engines and designed to lead customers to an order form where they provide contact information and an indication of their interests.
   More on lead generation sites.
5. Sticky content.
   Activities, articles and tips keep customers coming back. Many of these sites sell products, but the main source of revenue is ads. To improve ad rate$, you need to tell vendors how many visitors you get, how long they spend on the site and what their behavioral profile looks like. Tracking is vital. Forms and activities that seduce visitors into providing personal information is also valuable. More on sticky content sites.
6. E-learning.
   We can provide you with information on how students learn and how online learning can be more effective. Recognize how and where students access courses, prerequisites, requirements, interaction design, and methods for evaluation and self-testing. More on elearning sites.
7. Social Media
   Visitors become friends when they habitually spend hours online twittering or text messaging. These sites are also popular among marketing companies looking for unscripted customer feedback.

Of course many websites serve multiple purposes and over time the categories have become muddied, but the point is that these are common goals people give.

The Driving Force

In reality the driving force is often more simple. My first client told me they wanted a website because their competition had gone online.  A more recent client told me he wanted more customers. Others tell me that every business  needs a website. It often feels that the web has become a virtual marketplace filled with  business to business or business to consumer websites that serve little purpose.

In part this is because so few companies think about what they want to achieve by going online. These days, when there are so many options and opportunities, planning is essential to an online web strategy. That strategy should be grounded in a thoughtful analysis of questions like these:

• What is the web for?
• Why do people use it?
• What have I got that they want to find online?
• Am I ready to deal with the real issues my visitors have in mind when they find me online?

If you think of the internet as a huge cocktail party, where do you want people to find you, and what do you want to be doing when they meet you? Do you want to be a dignified presence with all the answers or the chatty conversationalist who listens well and comes up with great ideas?

Making Decisions About How You Approach the Internet

As you start planning, you will hear that corporate websites are dead and blogging is dead and Facebook is growing but stale and twitter is . . . . .   Understand that the web changes all the time but your strategy doesn’t have to. Think about what you want to bring to this huge social event that was meant to be a place where people share, learn, and find people to trust. Whatever your plan, be assured it will take time to implement, so what is your desired return in personal growth, publicity, and/or sales?

The bandwidth requirements for today’s websites is massive compared to only a few years ago when competitions were held for the best design of a web page that was under 75K. And in 1994 75K was a big page. People have come to expect video, Live Chat, and the opportunity to engage with your content.

Web Standards

HTML is governed by a set of standards written into a document that all browsers are supposed to understand and interpret in similar ways. After Microsoft belatedly realized that the web was catching on, they bundled their own browser into their operating system. Unfortunately, Internet Explorer had an idiosyncratic understanding of HTML which made it difficult to create designs that looked the same across all computer systems.

Meanwhile, new technologies, in the form of plugins, were being added to the browser world: flash, quicktime and pdf became common file formats that allowed people to share a more visually inspired layouts. Problems now spread to include performance issues on slower computers, plugins that didn’t install easily and required people to reboot their computers before they worked, and compatibility between Netscape, Microsoft and Apple.

Javascript, jscript and VBscript allowed for more flexibility in the interface by adding browser side processing of information and animation. And the technologies just kept changing.

Convergence

It really took the web boom and bust of the late 1990s to make people aware that what the web needed was convergence in standards, practical easy-to-install applications, and bandwidth, if some of the hype was to become reality. Things seemed to settle down with the emergence of style sheets to complement HTML coding. Developers could soften the look of an HTML page by dictating positioning, fonts, and other elements of the layout.

It seems like only yesterday we had quietly come to an agreement on CSS, XHTML, php and mysql as the core development tools for the average website, creating websites that could be read across all the browsers, more or less.

And then it changed again. HTML5, CSS 3.0, ruby on rails, and other technologies began to push the envelope once more. Read more about Web 2.0

Browsers, Tablets, Mobile Phones

On top of these we also need to consider the platform through which our visitors access our websites. Apple vs PC seems a simple dilemma in a world where screens vary in size from a mobile phone to a wall mounted touch screen. Tablets and televisions are used to surf the web as often as telephones and laptops.

There are signs however that convergence may be around the corner once more. Tablets are easier to use than mobile phones and provide more screen space. With phone capability and wireless they could be used to surf the web or make a call while riding a bus or hook up to a TV monitor for better viewing. Can we predict the end of separate devices replaced by a handful of components that work together seamlessly? Take a look at this TedX video about Sixth Sense Technology.

Function and design work together in all things and neither should dominate. The purpose of a website should dictate the parameters of the design which should enhance the functionality and guide the visitor through the intended task (without needed a manual).

Design with a Plan in Hand

It’s important that before any design decisions are made, a careful analysis is in place that describes the goals of being online. First and foremost, that analysis may decide that a small website is adequate when balanced by a huge investment in social media. Or it may prioritize the needs of tablet of mobile phone users above computers. It might assume a TV based connection or it may demand that all other activities lead the potential visitor to a landing page on a website with a unique call to action.

Once the goals are in place, the functionality can be considered. Once it is clear what needs to be on each page, the design can follow. This way, the design will be generated with an awareness of what needs to stand out; what needs to be explained; and what types of images support the message. It is made with an awareness of whether information is static or dynamically drawn from a database; whether there is lots of text or frequent video updates; whether clutter or a spartan layout is needed.

The designers will have their own requirements that may lead to recommendations and extra programming. They may suggest video replace text or that the text be tabbed. They will be able to design flourishes that draw attention to activities rather than fill an empty screen with unnecessary wingbats.

You should

1. discuss needs and goals among the stakeholders and with the designer
2. select a web host (ISP) who can deliver a service that meets all your needs at a reasonable price. This included 24/7 operations and customer support, scripting, shopping carts, databases and access to your website through FTP and a control panel.

Required Web Development Skills

There are some skills that help but many web developers have intriguing backgrounds that encompass a wide range of activities. Think about what your needs are and how they are best served.

An executive / owner / project manager should be involved in the planning.

If your website is the crucial element in your plan and requires some unique capabilities, then a web programmer is needed. A web programmer works in scripting languages like php and javascript and understands the unique problems confronting a good site design. Not all programmers can wrap their head around the difficulties that derive from applications where they have limited control over the environment. Many websites can be built using a content management system where the programming is simple enough for a designer to handle.

A usability expert will help you pinpoint important design and development issues when dealing with the people you want to reach. They can often be hired on short contracts.

A graphic designer is important to most companies when it comes to creating a tidy website, but consider the option of buying a template. The top websites in the world are all rather bland in the style department. Take a look at Facebook, Twitter, or Google. While we have learned a lot about layouts within a browser frame, website design still tends to follow trends. The “bleeding edge” site of last year is no longer cutting it.

If your strategy is heavy on social media, then a writer might be the most critical member of the development team. You need someone quick, sociable, and knowledgeable, preferably discreet and with a sense of humour. They should not only write copy, but track what is being said about you and the topics that are important to you, and respond appropriately. Read more on Web Writing.

If being found is important, you might need a search engine optimization expert. Being found through search isn’t necessary to all websites. Some gain traffic because they are well known brands; others are designed to attract customers who will also find you by searching on your name. If SEO is important, than recognize that search engines are forever changing their algorithms and your competitors are constantly angling to ease you out of the top positions. Search Engine Optimization is an ongoing expense.

How to Hire a Web Designer

1. Decide if you prefer to
   1. work with a single freelancer / contractor
   2. outsource to a design agency, or
   3. hire a fulltime employee
2. Many freelancers have a strength and a weakness. They may be excellent in their area of expertise and incapable of providing the functionality or unique design you want. Before you hire, rough in a few ideas about what you want from the site:
   1. goals
   2. style
   3. functionality.
3. Decide if you need a designer or a developer. Designers make your content attractive, usable and readable. Developers create or extend applications and functionality. Every website requires a bit of both. Most websites lean more to one side than the other in their needs. Few web freelancers are equally proficient at both. You may need to consider hiring 2 people: one to create the interface design and the other to build the website.
4. Decide your budget and be willing to indicate the range to the people you speak to. There are many ways to build a website and they honestly need to know what your budget is like to make decisions about how they might work for you.
5. Get a few names. Look for websites you like and find out who made them. Or post the job on job boards like
   1. Authentic Jobs
   2. Krop
   3. Smashing Jobs
   4. FreelanceFolder
   5. FlexJobs
6. Make sure that the hire understands the basics of good web design
   1. a usable interface that is easy to learn and navigate
   2. design that suits your style and market
   3. privacy and other legal issues that may affect your content
   4. the importance of good structure, HTML, CSS, current technologies and future adaptations
   5. the technologies you are using and/or intend to use
7. Check their portfolio and their references. They should be organized and flexible.
8. Find your comfort level. Make sure your team and theirs can communicate effectively.
   1. Do they understand your niche?
   2. Do they understand your specs?
   3. Are they willing to discuss options and put forward ideas?
   4. Do you walk away from meetings feeling the rapport?

Content Management Systems

Many web design companies offer Content Management Systems (CMS) claiming that clients will never need to pay for maintenance again. They can update their websites themselves. I recommend CMS systems as well, but with this caveat: you can update most of the website yourself, and many people will only update the small stuff. They don’t have time to do more and they can’t handle the more technical updates that arise.

Content Management Systems are Practical

There are currently many CMS options available, some of which, like Joomla, Drupal, and WordPress, are open source (free software). Essentially, these systems are website management software that includes a core program and optional, flexible modules that extend the functionality of the website. Typical modules are forums, calendars, photo galleries, and newsletters. As pages are created, they can be published to the public site or held in a draft version to be checked by a senior editor.

CMS systems make it possible to divvy up the content development among a number of knowledgeable staff. Each person is assigned a section of the website and given access to that content only.  The overall design (headers, font styling, etc.)  is kept separate, created as a template. Content is inserted into the template on the fly when visitors call up pages. Content editors can’t access the design template directly so they can only damage the content in their own area(s).

Creating content is extremely time consuming so the CMS distributes the work among a number of people. This is intended to save time and money and reduce errors. In a static website with a single webmaster, pages are updated on an idiosyncratic basis: dependent on a set of rules the webmaster uses to determine priorities.

Even for small website, a CMS is a practical way to keep essential information up-to-date. Most small websites are updated by freelance webmasters with many clients. That being the case, they cannot always respond quickly to client requests for minor updates. It is helpful if the client can go into the system and make these minor, but sometimes critical updates, themselves. For example, if your phone number changes, you want the number on your contact page updated right away. Your webmaster may be with another client or involved in a job that prevents them from updating the relevant file(s) for hours, even days.

Click here to download the free website planning workbook. The booklet provides space for you to write down:

• Web hosting information and domain name.
• A vision for the website: what will happen when it is up and running
• 10 topic areas that will provide the basis fpr navigating your web pages
• Specifications and ideas for layout and design of the screen interface
• Details about what should be on the home page
• and more

If you are confused by the constantly changing options on the web, talk to us. We help busy entrepreneurs and business owners, devise and implement strategies for building an online presence without disrupting their business day.

• Have you got a website? Are you wondering if you should have a Facebook Fan page instead, or perhaps a blog?
• Whichever you choose, do you know where to start to make it happen?
• Do your tweets bring you followers? Do your followers send you business?
• Are you wondering how Foursquare works? or if its okay to put your portfolio on Behance?
• Do you have the time for social media? Or the budget?
• Are you looking to establish a strategy and assign resources?

In today’s internet environment, there are many ways to reach your clients, suppliers, staff, and supporters. It can be a full-time job keeping up. You could spend your whole day responding to comments on your website, writing blogs, tweeting, building your Facebook fan base or testing other social networks. Every day seems to deliver a new platform for meeting and greeting.

The person engaged in these conversations should have a deep knowledge of your business and its culture. In other words, it should be you! The problem is, you have a business to run. And to date, social media, though fun, hasn’t brought results. While it’s pleasant to chat online, somewhere along the line you need to acquire trade.

We’re All About Solutions

If you don’t have time to experiment with all the virtual venues, sit down with someone who can help you devise a strategy that builds your online credibility without depleting your resources.

We will work with you to discuss your best options given your budget, resources and goals

We will train you on how to work in the selected venues so that you are networking effectively.

If we can’t help you, we will refer you to someone who can.