Ten Basic Steps For Building A Web Site That Works

1. Assemble a web site development plan that is integrated with your overall marketing processes; the content should be consistent with offline materials, the graphics/images don't have to be identical with traditional media, but should be consistent with your overall branding, style guide, usage of colors etc.

2. Hire a web site design firm that understands your market position and one that won't get "geek crazy" - meaning they are so in love with their own design capabilities, your site gets bogged down with graphics, plug ins, GIF garbage, etc. But, conversely, check your ego at the door when you work with your design firm - I've see so many good web site designs get ruined by clients who can't or won't listen to what we tell them!

3. Pay attention to "load times," how long it takes a web site to load on a 56 KBPS modem (this is an industry average), if its more than 12-18 seconds you may experience the "click of death" - the site doesn't load quickly and the surfer is gone. Of course, if your targeting broadband customers who are reaching your site via ISDN or DSL then you can build a site that incorporates multimedia-ready content that may include streaming audio or video, or Shockwave or Flash capabilities - go ahead and let those digital geeks get carried away with cutting edge content!

4. Dare I say it, "keep it simple" - make your site easy to move around in, build a menu structure that is consistent with industry standards, local menus (for a page or section) on the left and global menus (overall site navigation) at the top and/or bottom of each page, keep as much information "above the fold" (above the cutoff point at the bottom of a monitor), don't make people use horizontal scroll bars unless absolutely necessary.

5. Inculcate "digital speed" into your overall site design, your client/customers should be able to get to their desired area of your site within one or two mouse clicks; they will quickly get frustrated if they have to click-through multiple menus to find information they are seeking.

6. Develop content that is web-enabled, people don't read web site content like they do offline media, keep your paragraphs short no more than two to three sentences, build in white space with your content, include links in your pages - don't try to tell your whole marketing story on your site - get people to call you (hello the telephone still works!), e-mail or fill out a profile form (see below).

7. Make your site permission-based marketing ready - I love Seth Godin's "Permission Marketing" book, http://www.permission.com, and we recommend it to all of our clients - he champion building a long term relationhip with a customer by asking their permission to continue to market to them and incorporating value/information in all marcom processes.

8. Ensure your site is optimized for Search Engines by identifying 8-12 keywords that people will use to find your site, then incorporate these keywords in your site content (to drive relevancy with s/engine spiders/bots) and then manually submit your site to the top ten search engines. We don't' recommend most of the free or $19.99 specials available; yes, all will get your registered with the s/engines, but getting listed on page 75 of 350 pages (for example) won't really drive qualified traffic to your site, you need page 1-3 listings on the top ten engines to really drive qualified traffic.

9. Delve into your log server files to uncover "digital tracks" made through your web site - your log files are raw files that show how and from where (in most cases) people accessed your web site, where they went on your web site, how long they stayed, etc. Web Trends is the defacto industry standard, http://www.webtrends.com/default.htm, but we use and recommend a market-experienced firm in Europe, Fantomaster, Ltd. to our clients http://www.fantomaster.com - they have a suite of Search Engine products that can be downloaded for free or purchased.

10. Think global in your overall site design - the greatest Internet growth is occurring outside North America, so it is essential to build a site that can be accessed easily by people around the world. What issues do you need to look at? Load times are very important (again), develop content that avoids colloquialisms that may not be understood by others who may not speak the same language, you may want to make your site content available in diverse languages, there are a number of emerging application that will facilitate this process, ensure your e-commerce capabilities can be utilized by all.

About The Author

Lee Traupel has 20 plus years of business development and marketing experience - he is the founder of Intelective Communication, Inc., http://www.intelective.com, a results-driven marketing services company providing proprietary services to clients encompassing startups to public companies. [email protected]

[email protected]

MORE RESOURCES

People Locator find anyone in the USA

RELATED WEB SITE DESIGN ARTICLES: Creating Your First Website? Your Option Creating your own website is great fun! But how is it done? Well, there are five main option, read this carefully and choose which one you think is best for you!Use software you already have:You may not know this, but you can actually use Microsoft Word to create webpages! This is great, since you can save yourself the cost of buying expensive new software. Just create your document as you would do normally, and then just select "Save As" from the File menu. Are You A Bill Clinton Webmaster? One of the most frequent question I get asked about my ebook, Don't Get Banned BY The Search Engines, is whether I amended it to include post-Florida Google. "Florida" is the code name that search engine optimizer wizards gave to a November, 2003, shakeup at Google that left many webmasters covering themselves up with makeshift fig leaves while dangling upside down above the proverbial crocodile moat. Maximizing Web Site View ability - Browsers With so many different configuration internet users have their computers set up with, it can be difficult to decide how web sites should be configured so that it is viewable in as many configuration as possible.So in the last 6 months i have been logging the statistics from my web design site to achieve as accurate a result as possible to answer this question. Your Free Guide To Obtain A Cheap Web Design Quote Website design is a very competitive area and there is no longer any reason why people should pay large amounts for web design services.This article describes and explains where to find very very cheap web design services. Color Scheme for Your Website? Yes, in a world that is obsessed with makeover madness, even your website needs to follow specific color guidelines when picking out "what it will wear". The colors you use when designing your website tell an awful lot about your business, though you may not know it. Through The Looking Glass My mother used to take me along when she visited an old lady down a cobbled lane who had a crystal ball on her dining room table and a pack of playing cards. My mother was superstitious and really believed a lot of what she was told by the old lady. Web Site Templates and Their Benefits Unarguably, the most important part of your website is content. To draw in clients or customers, you need captivating content and search engines are blind to web design. The Next Marketing Tool: Design Design sells. It's something that all of us know, but few of us conciously acknowledge. Winning Websites Customers will form an opinion of your business as soon as they look at your website. Therefore the same basic rules apply that you use in the production of your brochure and your business card - It needs to grab attention, be easy to read, have a benefit statement, be friendly and make a statement about your business. Website Promotion and Design Tips Are you thinking that it is about time your small business had an internet presence, however are not too sure how or who to go to build and promote the website.This article will hopefully be of benefit to you as it will give you free tips on website promotion and on how to obtain a website on the cheap. 10 Things All Webmasters Should Know Geared Up with a website and lots of energy to make a mark online? Spare some time and go through this. You'll be glad you did. How to Prepare Your Project Before You Order Website Design Are you serious about get this website done fast and clear and want to make money with your website? Then you will absolutely need some good web design agency to build the website of your dream and that it the aim, right?Web design studios may be local and virtual. Local studio may be your choice if you live in a big city and you know at least couple of web designers across the road. Got Web Traffic but Still Low Sales? Ten Ways to Selling Success - Part 2 Part one of this article is available at www.bookcoaching. Using CCS to Eliminate Tables CSS or Cascading Style Sheets has opened up tremendous possibilities for improving web site designs, web page layouts and adding new features. The HTML code can be made shorter, cleaner and simpler by CSS resulting in faster loading of web pages, and making them more accessible to search engines. How To Design Your Web Site With CSS Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) allows you to create fast loading pages, increase your search engine rankings, and modify your whole site with one style sheet. So why don't more people use them? This is because they got so used to html design and are afraid or too lazy to upgrade their skills. You Need RSS, Atom, and ROR/RDF Codes on Your Website--Now You Need Google Sitemap as Well! Do you have a website? If so, you need an ROR XMLNS code button which leads to a full ROR/RDF code page for your website. This code tells search engines all about the special details you input into the code about your website. Let Your Website Make You $$$ While You Sleep! and All That Other B.S.! Well, you've got your product, started your home business, and even have your website up on the internet. Only one problem, where is that money you were supposed to be making? Nothing! No one is knocking down your door to buy your product! Well, here is the real world answer. Website Redesign for Existing Websites Does your website need a re-design? Here are some question to ask yourself when you are looking for investing in your website redesign.1) Is your website fresh - Having a website fresh helps your visitors to stay on your website rather than skipping your website? When I mean fresh, fresh with content, Every website owner should have their website updated with latest content, Search engine spiders index new content and in turn your website will rank high on search engines. Learn the Truth about Your Web Design Company by Its Portfolio When you start building your online business and search for a web design company that will implement all your needs for the web site you must understand that it is a very serious step because you are entrusting your business along with its reputation and future.That's why it's very important to make the right choice. Good Websites Stand Out From The Masses Of Boring, Hard To Travel Sites Good websites stand out from the masses of boring, hard to travel, and overly commercial sites that now rule our Cyberspace. Interactivity and integrity are necessary for a site to become a hub of activity.