WEB SITE PLANNING TIPS

GETTING STARTED

In the race to launch their Web sites, many organizations short-changed the planning process. The results did not meet their expectations, and many sites were not worth the money invested. Striving for the "sticky" stuff that would entice and capture traffic, most sites grew flashier, but the strategic thinking needed to satisfy customers, members and other key stakeholders was still lacking.

Before rushing off to build or revamp a Web site, do your research:

• Surf the Web
• See what others in your industry are doing
• Define your objectives:
  
  
  Do you want your site to...
  
  
  • build brand awareness?
  • increase corporate profile?
  • facilitate customer service?
  • develop leads?
  • generate sales?
  • generate revenue from advertisers?
  • help defray costs of producing and shipping print materials?
    
    
• Consider all of your stakeholders
  
  
  • Which of their information and service needs could be satisfied through your Web site?
  • Assess how the site may impact the way in which your organization does business.
  • Determine the people and budget you can commit to the site's development and maintenance.

• Develop a strategy:
  
  
  • that supports your objectives
  • that takes advantage of the interactive potential of the Net
  • that's in line with your internal resources
  • that's conducive to keeping your site current and evolving, and that can be rolled-out over time
    
    
• Build in means to measure your site's effectiveness

"For companies who want to market through vehicles such as the Internet, use the information-rich approach of public relations instead of the hard sell of advertising."

Bill Bishop, Author Strategic Marketing for the Digital Age

"It's much more than an advertising medium, it's a communication medium. That's a fairly radical step for those used to thinking about 30-second TV spots and one-page magazine ads." Don't just re-purpose' content. For it to be engaging, you must develop it with interactivity in mind."

Jonathan Nelson, CEO
Organic Online

"Because readers scan a page of text on screen, they will be better served by material that's been edited down to the bone... Online a lot of text is just excess baggage that makes it harder to find those key words."

Shel Holtz
ABC Writing for the Wired World