Printer Friendly Version                                    Back to Capsules    Building A Web Site Building a Web site begins with knowing what exactly you hope to achieve from the web site. You also need to secure a domain name on the World Wide Web that corresponds to your company name or the name/image you are proposing for your site. You may also want to consider whether the entrance to your web site will be the same for prospects and regular customers, in which case you may need two web sites or two entrances (with two domain names) for the one site. Four Basic Principles It is vital that your web site adhere to four basic principles. It must be information rich, with lots of content. It should have interactive content. It should be attuned to individualized experiences, adapting to the preferences, interest and goals of visitors to the site. And it should be fully integrated with your business, not a stand-alone effort. A good place to start is by researching on the web, looking at other web sites to see what appeals and what doesn't. In particular, study the design of the site since the organization of information within web sites and how you navigate from one point to another can be critical. Users often miss important pieces of information because they're not seen, notably when the material is parked outside the visible areas of the screen. Ideally, people should also be able to find whatever information they're looking for on a site within three clicks. Graphics vs. Loading Speed Don't be bedazzled by the fancy graphics you come across in your web-site search. While that can be important with some visitors to your site, generally the preference is for fast-loading sites, so often with web graphics less is more. In choosing an Internet Service Provider, make sure it is reliable, focuses on the needs of business, and can provide 24-hour-a-day support services, every day. In choosing a designer, make sure he or she is flexible. At the start settle issues like ownership of the site design, the ability to add new features in future, and site maintenance. Advertising Your Site Two key issues in designing the site will be whether you will want advertising on your site and what links you will want to and from your site. Once the site is built, it's vital that you market it. Make sure your site is listed on search engines and, more broadly, that you have a plan in place for getting it known to customers and prospects. Having something on your site that rewards visitors for coming can help. Two possibilities are self-service, which allows customers to save time by taking care of their own needs on the site, and interactive tools and informational packages that may be hard to provide offline but fit naturally online. You'll also want to think about some form of permission marketing to encourage return visits. E-mails can be sent to customers or prospects -- who willingly ask to receive the material -- telling them about new features on your site and in your company. Building a web site is an iterative process -- you build something, test and assess it, then redesign and test it, and so on. You must continually add to the content, so that it has a fresh (but familiar) feeling for visitors. Building a web site is a never-ending process of refinement and improvement. If you would like more information or assistance with building a website for your organization, please contact us.