Web Site Design and Technology Solutions
The 5 W's and an H of Web Site Design
Website Creation
Creating an internet presence is more of a requirement rather than an option these days. In real estate for example, 86% of all buyers and sellers search web sites as their primary research tool when shopping for a home or realtor. If you’re in that industry and don’t have a web presence you are severely limiting your prospect base.
5 W’s and an H of Website Creation
Why do you want a web site?
Who is your customer?
What do you want your website to look like?
How many pages?
Where is your target audience (other languages, local or global)
When do you want to launch?Why do you want a web site?
Since millions of US households have computers and regularly use them for researching things on the internet you might wonder why everyone doesn’t have a website.
First, think about what you want to accomplish with your website. Are you trying to:
Generate leads?
Provide information?
Sell a product or service?
What do you want to communicate to your visitors and what is their ultimate goal?
Order products/services?
Provide additional information?
Fill out a form?
The ultimate goal is very important when designing a web site in order to get the customer to the right pages quickly. A general rule is to get your customers to the right page within three clicks.Who is your customer?
A key concept in marketing, understanding your target audience, applies to website design as well. There is a big difference between someone looking for a retirement home and someone looking for a new snowboard. Identifying your target audience and creating your site with that audience in mind will greatly influence the content and overall feel of the site design.
What do you want your site to look like?
One of the best ways to get your head around this concept of “look and feel” is to look at other web sites and jot down what you like and don’t like about them. Do you want the site design to have an elegant feel or a fun feel? Do you like to click on buttons or text links? Do you want the site to move with Flash? When looking at other site designs, make note of things you must have, things you want and things you don’t want. For example, you may like certain colors and font or you may like the Flash presentations as opposed to the more basic website designs.
If you are moving a current business to an online presence, you may already have a look and feel, or branding, to communicate. It is important to communicate this to your website designer.
How many pages?
Although there is no limit to the number of pages on your web site, the easier it is to navigate, the better for your customer. It must be user friendly. Who hasn’t been on a website that took more than a few clicks to get to what you wanted? Again, the general rule is that your visitors should be able to get where they want to be within three clicks, or they’ll go away.
A few “must haves” are:
Home page – this is your introduction page and your first impression – make it count
About us – more detail about the company
Products
Services
Contact pageAdditional Content
Be sure to discuss with your website designer anything and everything you can about look, feel, colors, navigation and your goals for the site. Typically, all of the copy for the site will come from you, so knowing about what you want to say on each page will help to determine a cohesive design.Where is your target audience?
Is your business a local or global organization? Do you need your site translated to different languages? Do you deal in multiple currencies?When do you want to launch?
For many businesses, there are cycles of slow and busy times. Launching a “back to school” website in July might not generate much web traffic. The timing of your web site launch should be tied to your business cycles.
So get out there and get on the www before it runs out of space!
If you would like more information, drop me an email at: Jim@systemslogik.biz
Or give me a call at 719-593-7355