Creating a Purpose-Driven Web Site
With a new web site or a redesign, the typical order of topics between most web designers and their clients follows this course: price, page counts, visual layout, artwork, text, search engine optimization, increasing traffic, revisions, maintenance, and the need to get more value from the web site. This, of course, is completely backwards.
A move in the right direction
Before we can talk about money, either initial production costs or, ultimately, web-generated sales revenue, we need to turn things around. Let’s start with your site’s purpose so we can select the right content and presentation methods to achieve worthy and measurable goals.
Understanding your web requirements, desired execution level, and budget, begins with a simple planning exercise . . .
Plan purposefully
The best way to start planning a successful web site is by thinking about these key areas (in order of importance):
- Foundation: Your site has to be able to stand up today and stand the test of time. To help customers ensure that they’re starting with a solid platform, we developed a proven web-standards framework called PageWorx. It helps sites maximize compatibility with current and future web browsers and web-enabled devices. It increases performance, reduces bandwidth, and improves ranking in search engine results. It makes your site accessible to more people, even the physically impaired. And PageWorx enables other capabilities, such as multilingual support, web-based content management, and more.
- Objectives: Truly successful web sites are consistent with their purpose in serving their organizations. We start with a list of company goals, and then we meet them thorough precisely selected and organized content. That drives everything else: functionality, navigation, visual design, and sound web marketing practices.
- Functionality: It’s what makes web sites do, not just be. We use technology to handle and route inquiries from your contact page, collect customer information digitally, present a portfolio or photo gallery, ease site management tasks, enable ecommerce, and integrate with back-office processes. If your web site isn’t actively using dynamic functionality to help your customers or employees, it’s just sitting there.
- Design: This is the time to creatively brainstorm design ideas that take full advantage of your site’s framework, content, and functionality. Everyone wants to do this part first because it can be a lot of fun. We’ll exercise restraint and patience.
Now, you know the right order of operations. Steps 1 and 2 address the what question (determining your site’s purpose and potential for longevity). Steps 3 and 4 address the how question (establishing an execution level). So with all that in mind, you’re ready to ask the how much question.
What if your goals are greater than your finances will bear? (As is the case 9 times out of 10.) It’s perfectly reasonable to aim high and adjust your sights as needed. Since you understand your site’s purpose, knowing the key areas to focus on becomes obvious. You can reduce content, execution level, or build your site in manageable phases. When you have a plan, you have choices.
Wise counsel makes it work
The best sites are built not by graphics designers, programmers, marketers, technologists, or MBAs alone, but by people with a healthy mix of these qualities. They take the time to educate and walk you through all the aspects of discovering your site’s purpose. They can help you realize the best way to use effective web technologies and presentation techniques, and they can coach you on where to make adjustments in your plan to get the most value.
Bottom line: The more you know and plan properly, the more successful your site will be. Seeing it come together based on a determined purpose is a process that all business owners can enjoy.
