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Home  Get Started Web Planner and Guide |
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Web Planner and Guide |
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Following is the full version of our web planner and guide. You can also view this information in condensed format.
We’ve created a helpful list of important factors to consider prior to the development of your new web site.
Technique Web offers complete web planning services for companies looking for turn-key consulting, planning, development, and implementation services.
Creating a company’s image on the Web isn’t an easy task, and is often done without taking the time to properly plan the entire process. It’s our philosophy that Web sites fail from lack of planning. Why else did the million-dollar dot-com companies fail? Companies are now asking for professional assistance in the planning of their company’s web site to remove the high-risk factor.
What is the best way to ensure a successful web presence for my company?
It has always been our philosophy to build web sites in stages. By taking the time to plan several stages in advance, you will not only have budgetary estimates for future development, but your site will continually become smarter and friendlier to users. You will also save money by not making critical and costly mistakes along the way. Here are a few pointers that are often overlooked:
- Call a handful of your top clients and ask them what they would like to see on your site. Not only will your better clients be more than happy to share their opinions, it’s also a great way to show your gratitude and respect for their business, and may actually generate additional sales without consciously doing so.
- Confer with the employees that have the most client contact, regardless of whether it’s the receptionist or the president. This will result in better communications with employees, and will show your obvious appreciation for their position within the company. Employees that have the most customer contact know your customers better than anyone.
- Depending upon the size and complexity of your site, you may want to consider assigning the task of maintaining each area of your site to the employee with the most knowledge of that segment of your business. Many web sites fail because they become stale with old content. Technique Web offers easy-to-use content management tools designed for use by anyone with basic computer skills.
- Reserve time during weekly or monthly meetings to discuss your site with upper management. Brainstorming will bring strong and well-defined ideas to the table and will allow everyone involved to be a part of the creative process.
- Add client- and/or employee-only areas to your site. This undoubtedly adds a sense of belonging to employees and clients. You can add a limitless number of features to these extranet areas including internal news, sensitive data, streaming content, and anything else that would cause greater efficiency and stronger relationships. All of which can be completely customized for each individual accessing the extranet, from weather, news, and often used web sites, to highly-targeted advertising messages for product upgrades or new products.
How do we determine a web development budget?
Determining a budget is one of the most difficult processes we encounter with our clients. Try to figure out how much it’s worth spending to gain a new client, and how many new clients it will take to pay for your web site. Also consider how much money can be saved by putting your expensive print materials on the web, and how much employee time will be saved by having a more fully-featured site. You don’t want to remove the important interaction between employees and clients, but you can save both parties time and money by including the more common information on your site. It’s possible that you will gain more sales by making it easier on clients to re-order products and services online. In addition, some people are hesitant to contact a company only to hear a sales pitch without actually having enough knowledge about the company to make an informed decision. In today’s age, salespeople don’t have much time to explain the true value of working with their company. Ask yourself the following questions to determine a budget:
- What percentage of your current and potential clientele visits your physical location?
- Are current clients using the internet, and at what level?
- How are competitors of the same size promoting their image on the web?
- What are your likes and dislikes of competitor sites?
- What features do competitor sites have that you feel are important to your business, and which do you feel could use improvement?
- What web sites, regardless of the industry, do you like and why?
How do we determine the look, feel, and theme of our new web site?
It’s important to continue your corporate image and marketing theme. Your site should reflect a strong presence among others of comparable size and industry. Keep in mind the type of connections your clients are utilizing to access the internet when choosing the graphics for your site, and what type of image you want to portray. You may want to use the same design criteria for your site that was used to build your physical location. That’s not to say you should spend the same amount, but you should try to promote the same image through your web site. Following is a list of guidelines to follow:
Your company’s web site color scheme should stay consistent with your various other marketing media.
Some colors are better than others for online viewing. We can help you determine which colors to use and which colors may need slight alteration to better promote a strong and professional feel, without removing the color consistencies already developed for your company.
Although this seems quite obvious, your site should be directed toward your client. It’s important to combine your image with the type of industry or industries you cater to.
Unless your web site is developed with a great deal of future thought and planning, you should re-design your site as often as necessary to keep up with technology and trends. Higher-end web sites tend to have a longer shelf life. Depending upon the internet browsing experience level of your clients, and the amount of repeat visitors you receive, it’s sometimes difficult to redesign your site without causing problems for the less-experienced users. If this is the situation, the new design should be developed with a similar navigation structure and graphical interface.
Rich graphics and animations will cause your site to download slower for companies that haven’t migrated to a broadband internet connection. What type of internet connections are the majority of your clients using?
What information are clients and potential clients requesting during telephone conversations and meetings?
Typically the answers are the same, but there are many instances when the information is unique to your industry. Your web site should contain useful and money-saving information that benefits employees, clients, and your company, without removing too much human interaction. Following are the more common requests:
- Catalogs and brochures
- Product specifications and pricing
- Contact information including email addresses, telephone and fax numbers.
- Your mailing address and web site address; it’s possible they did a search on the web but couldn’t find you. You can find in-depth information on internet marketing in the web marketing section of our web site.
Technique Web works with all levels of web development clients, and will be there to assist you during the entire process. Some companies find the web to be a mysterious and unfriendly place, but we think that with proper planning and professional assistance from a knowledgeable and experienced source, the web can become an exciting and integral part of your company’s future. Please feel free to contact Technique Web with any questions pertaining to your web site.
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