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 Guide to
Website Planning - This is the place to start
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While deciding to go
world wide is a giant step, it is a journey that rewards
you with an extraordinary marketing tool.
However, to be completely successful, you
must be willing to put time and effort into
the project. The process of deciding what elements to include in your
website and how to organize those elements will require
planning, research, and strategy. You should choose a
web design firm that is also a marketing and ecommerce
expert. The WWW is an unique medium. Using
traditional marketing strategies would be a mistake. A
good web designer will be able to make your entry into
the electronic marketplace a smooth and successful transition. In the
meantime, use the following outline to serve as a guide
that will enable you to organize your thoughts.
The elements in our outline will help you
create a solid foundation for your new
website. |
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Domain Name
• First,
your site must have a domain name. This is the name
you will use in between "www" and ".com".
• A domain name must be registered with
the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN). We will register the name for you
for $10 a year.
• We suggest you use the name
of your company, your product, or words that deliver
a message. It should be brief, easy to spell, and
above all, memorable.
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Home Page
• Tell your visitors who you are and what you do in
a few cogent words. Your web designer will
help you refine your copy and make it search engine
friendly.
• Tell the visitor what’s in it for him. “Lowest
prices”, “Highest Quality”, “Best Customer Service”,
etc. Remember that he is already interested in
your product, service, or message. You
must pique that interest in the first few
minutes of his visit.
• Keep it simple and welcoming, with an uncluttered
look. Remember that your site visitor has complete
control over his visit. If your home page overwhelms
him, he can solve his problem with one click…and he
is on to your competitor’s site. |
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Product and/or
Services Pages
• Describe your products or services in detail.
• Support descriptions with graphics.
• Keep size and number of graphics manageable.
Graphics take time to download, and you can’t keep
your site visitors waiting. Your web designer will
prepare the graphics for the web and will know the
loading speed of each page. |
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Contact Us Page
Include a
“Contact Us” page that offers the opportunity for
customer feedback. This will be a source of
important information. Consumers, because of the
anonymity factor, are likely to be forth coming.
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Confirmation Page
Always have a
“Confirmation” page that appears after your customer
has clicked to submit his feedback. This reassures
him that his input has been forwarded to you.
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Keywords
Compile a collection
of key words and phrases that consumers might use to
search for your products or services. Your web
designer will be able to offer suggestions and tell
you the keywords that are used by your competitors.
These keywords should be used in your copy
as often as possible without diminishing the
readability.
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Reciprocal Links
Page
Search engines rank your site partly based on the
quantity and quality of incoming links. In other
words, the more websites that are linked to your
site, the better your chances are for being found by
the search engine. However, the linking web sites
should have some relevance to your business. Your
web designer should be able to offer advice on web
sites that are appropriate and how to convince these
web site owners that reciprocal links are
beneficial. |
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Information
Page
One of the early
uses of the Internet was for educational purposes.
Today’s popular search engines still pay respect to
sites that offer valid information, advice, or
pertinent facts to site visitors. Consider
including a page that offers your expertise in an
educational format. History of your industry,
manufacturing techniques for your product,
background on a charity supported by your company
are just some examples of non-commercial topics you
might use.
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About Us Page
People are
reassured when they know something about you and
your business. A little history and reinforcing the
company’s commitment to its mission statement can
convince the visitor that he wants to do business
with you.
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Offer To Inform
Consider offering a
monthly newsletter or “Sale” bulletin to be
delivered by email for visitors that register. This
is an opportunity to create a relationship with your
customer, but be sure not to over do it by deluging
them with spam.
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If you would like to
offer any comments or ask any questions regarding
website planning, please use the “Contact
Us” page. |
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Copyright © 2003 Computerlite Services
All rights reserved
Revised:
04/07/08
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