interactive + print design

what should i do to prepare to launch a new (or redesigned) web site?

It's a given that prospective customers will visit your Web site (or search for it in vain if you do not have one yet) before making the decision to do business with your company. The question remaining is: Will their experience on your site (or lack thereof) will improve or diminish your odds of converting them?

Thinking in these terms can be exciting or paralyzing, depending on your confidence in your ability to create an effective Web site. Today, Web sites do carry a significant responsibility with respect to convincing prospects to act and existing customers to return. Fortunately, you can create a successful Web site by following a methodical four-step process:

1. Identify your objectives for the site
2. Plan, organize and produce the site's content
3. Develop a design that is consistent with your brand and promotes usability
4. Maintain and enhance the site's content and structure

Identifying Your Objectives

For most businesses, a Web site is a tool for increasing the value of existing customers and identifying and converting prospective customers. The methods by which your site achieves these goals is its objectives, which may include:

• Presenting information to assist in a purchase decision
• Showcasing products or services
• Enabling online transactions
• Offering customer service or support
• Generating sales leads
• Providing insight into customer demographics and preferences

While the objectives for your site may grow and change over time, clearly identifying them at the beginning of your project is a critical step in the process because they will dictate the content, its organization and the site's overall design.

Planning, Organizing and Producing Content

Begin by creating a content checklist for your site by considering each objective individually and the requirements for accomplishing it. Compile your requirements for each objective (many may overlap) to create your content checklist.

A checklist for an online retailer might look something like this:

• Company information (history, philosophy, policies and physical address)
• General product information and tips on making a selection
• Product summaries, details, images and comparison matrix
• Sitewide search
• Phone number and chat capabilities for questions
• Form for requesting information by email, phone or a consultation
• Shopping cart for online transactions
• Sign-up form to be emailed about new products and specials
• Customer service and shipping information

Once you have an exhaustive checklist of the site's content, organize it into "sections" of related content. Spend time considering the logic of your sections so your site's users can easily find the information they are looking for.

At this point you should have a fairly concrete diagram of your site, including the information you want on your home page, how many sections it will include, and what those sections will contain. As you prepare to produce the content you have now planned and organized, consider how you want it to be used. For example:

• Do you expect your product section to generate search engine traffic? If so, make sure it adheres to basic search engine copy writing practices. (For more information about this, read How Do I Get My Site to Show Up on Google Searches?).
• Is it likely a prospect will enter your site by clicking directly into a product detail page (perhaps from a Google search or an online ad) rather than coming in from your home page? If you are getting traffic from online ads and Web searches, there is a high probability of that so you must ensure each page is effective even when it is the first page a user sees. (For more information about this, read What are Microsites and Landing Pages?)
• Will your email sign-up form be the primary (or only) source for building your email marketing list? If so, make sure it's highly visible and includes clear benefits for signing up. (For more information about email marketing lists, read How Do I Manage My Email Marketing List?)

Taking time to thoughtfully consider how your content will be used will help you craft more effective copy and increase your site's ability to achieve its goals and objectives.

Developing the Design

The foundation of a good Web site design is a thorough understanding of its objectives and content. By now the objectives should be clearly stated and the content should be planned, organized and possibly even produced. If the content is not already produced, you should at least answer the following questions:

• What content will the home page contain?
• How many sections will there be (and will there be subsections)?
• What content will each section contain?
• How long will your longest page be, and how short will your shortest page be?
• What images (and how many) will be on the site?
• What (if any) interactive elements will the site contain? Interactive elements are things like forms, site searches, shopping carts, animations, videos and podcasts.

This information will ensure the design enhances the content and maximizes the site's usability, making it easier for prospects and customers to find what they are looking for quickly.

Additionally, it is important the design is consistent with your branding (logo, business cards, brochures and other marketing materials). If at this point you realize your marketing materials are not consistent, this is a good time to develop a consistent identity design. (For more information about this, read How Do I Develop a Business Identity?).

Maintenance

At this point you have a useful tool for building loyalty and attracting new customers, but the process does not end here. The Web is a continually changing medium; to maintain your site's value you must consistently seek opportunities for improvement.

1. Measure - Track the visitors to your site, noting how they got there (search keywords, referring sites, etc.) and what paths they took while visiting.
2. Analyze - Examine what happened to visitors when they came to your site. What is your goal conversion ratio? Is there a particular point or points where sales were abandoned? Does it appear users understand the site's navigation and content structure? What can you learn about your customers and prospects based on their behavior on your site?
3. Improve - Use the data you've collected to improve the usability of your site, enrich content and make other enhancements that will help your site accomplish its goals.

Regularly repeating this process will keep your site fresh and well functioning.