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Plan & Succeed
By Deborah L. Daily
Many times when people discover we design and create websites, they immediately ask, "Can you build a website for my company and how much will it cost?" That's no different than asking a homebuilder, "Can you build a house for me and how much will it cost?" Before building any home, a builder will need architectural blueprints defining your exact needs and preferences. Do you want a one or two story house? Do you want a basement or a screened in porch? How many rooms will be in your new home? Are there any special electric or cable needs to accommodate an "in-home" office? How much land do you want to build on? How much square footage do you need? The list goes on and on and on.
In designing and building any website, up-front planning is one of the most important steps. What types of information do you want to convey? How will your website grow? Do you need e-commerce capabilities, online business solutions, Intranet, video, audio, web cam or animation? |
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| In designing and building any website, up-front planning is one of the most important steps. |
If your budget doesn't allow for immediate implementation, have you allotted the necessary space for growth and change? Can your site grow with you? Your website is a "virtual" store front for your company. How will you tell prospective clients where you live and drive traffic to your store?
| 1. |
Create
a well-defined business plan for your site |
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Work within a budget |
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Plan on changes and
revisions |
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| 2. |
Build the site for
the CUSTOMER not for yourself or the web designer |
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Make
it easy for the customer to find information quickly - they're in
control |
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Think of your website like a virtual store front. If your customers are uncomfortable, if service is slow, or if it's a confusing environment,
chances are they won't come back |
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| 3. |
Practice
the K.I.S.S. Principle (Keep It Simple Stupid) |
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Quality
over quantity |
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Less
is more |
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Start
small, be clear, concise, and to the point |
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| 4. |
Know
your customer |
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What
kind of information and services do they expect to get from your
website? |
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Will
they have the latest PC's or older ones? Design the website for the
proper level of technology. |
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| 5. |
Market
Research & Log Analysis |
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Use technology
to understand who's visiting your web site and where they are going |
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| 6. |
Map
out your website before you build it |
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| 7. |
Don't
make your site too shallow or too deep. |
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Break your content
down into a handful of easy to understand categories. |
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| 8. |
Don't
forget about marketing the site |
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If you build it, will
anyone know it's there? |
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| 9. |
Put your
URL address on everything - business cards, letterhead, t-shirts,
newspaper ads, promotional items, etc. |
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| 10. |
Think
of your site as a new business property |
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How attractive
is the storefront? |
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How will
customers know where to go for help? |
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When
you answer the phone, what are the top questions they ask? |
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Frustrated
web customers = missed opportunities |
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| 11. |
Over
time, plan on adding more unique content only available on your website |
The Gain - An Easy-to-Use, Interactive, Well-Designed Website
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Building a website without a "floor plan" or "blue print" is a waste of both time and money. Without proper planning, your site may appear to be nothing more than a set of disjointed, unrelated web pages. Truly professional sites have these common factors:
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Easy navigation |
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Easy to locate information |
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Text segmented into "byte
sized chunks" |
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Fast graphic downloads |
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Limited link choices for
each screen to reduce confusion |
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Short and sweet shopping
cart processes |
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Refreshing and updated
content |
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Easy to remember domain
names |
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For assistance in the strategic planning and execution of your website, or a FREE site analysis for existing sites,
call Buckaroo Technology Group for a FREE CONSULTATION TODAY!
Be Visible. Get Noticed.
For more information, contact Buckaroo Technology Group by calling us toll free at 877.344.0290 or 317.845.0830 or click here.
Final Thought...
"You can always amend a big plan, but you can never expand a little one. I don't
believe in little plans. I believe in plans big enough to meet a situation which we
can't possibly foresee now."
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