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Commentary on web standards, development and running a small business.

May 7th, 2006

5 Steps to Building Better Websites

So it is time to jump head first into the digital realm. It is time to take your business or career to the next level, and you are convinced a great website is the answer. The problem is that most anyone can start planning for a new website and get completely overwhelmed within the first five minutes.

While the process of building a website can sometimes be long and complicated, ensuring a successful project is absolutely within grasp. Having an understanding of some foundational principles will certainly get you on the right track, and we are here to help. Thus the reason we have created 5 things you can do to build a better website.

1. Create a Call to Action

The first step in creating a successful website is to create a call to action. So many people get wrapped up in features and design elements that add no real value to the project. Sure those are important, but not nearly as important as your call to action.

Think of this as your overall objective, your goal. If users do this while on the website, we have achieved what we set out to do. One of the most common points of action is a purchase. Others want visitors to sign up for a mailing list, or fill out an application of some sort. It could also be to persuade someone to visit your place of business or upcoming event. These are all examples of a call to action, the foundation of a website.

Once you have come up with a call to action or possibly 2-3 of them, that becomes the basis for everything else you wish to accomplish. These are our objectives, and every image, every page, every pixel should revolve around achieving your goal at the very highest possible rate.

Having a call to action also helps you to make key decisions in the web development process. With each added feature or element, just ask yourself, “Is this helping me to achieve my objective?” If not, it is quite possibly in your best interest to move on.

Conversely, if you narrow your objectives down to one or two, it is much easier to come up with strategies that could help you create the desired action. For instance, let’s say your #1 call to action is to get visitors to make a purchase. A great way to give visitors more confidence in making the purchase would be to list a page of positive testimonials. You could actually setup a module where people could talk about their experience with your product, and others could read the submitted testimonials. That adds instant credibility to your product and helps you to create the desired action with the visitor.

2. Plan Ahead

After laying a foundation with a couple overall objectives, now is the time to build on it with content. While your web development team should be of great assistance in helping you narrow things down, it is a great idea to get your ideas on paper. I always like to start with the main menu items and work down until each and every page is in its proper place.

Be sure to use a pencil during this process, because it could get messy! Writing out each main menu link, then each page within that main menu area really helps you to grasp the “big picture”. How does your website structure line up with your primary objectives so far?

At this point I want to offer a word of encouragement to the “creative-types” reading this essay. I am a born planner, so this is not hard for me, but I know enough creative people to understand how excruciating this is for you. No one says it has to be perfect, but spending 30 minutes trying to grasp the big picture of what you would like to accomplish through your website can really keep you on the right track.

The best possible way to plan for a website it to learn from those that do it best. Find successful websites that provide similar products or services, and simply take notes. Chances are your website does not need to re-invent the wheel, there are others already doing what you want to do well. Take the time to do some research, and other websites will practically do the work for you.

3. Don’t Make Me Think!

This title is borrowed from the great book by web usability expert Steve Krug, called Don’t Make Me Think. This concept is the easiest of the five, but so many fail to embrace it. It all revolves around the word “simplicity”. When it doubt, keep it simple, period.

You experience the highest possible success rate by making the design and content functional. Stop thinking about what will look cool and impress people, and make things easier on the user. Whomever you work with to build your website should have expertise in this area, but here are a few things you should be prepared to avoid at most any cost:

• Inappropriate use of flash
• Annoying advertising
• Hard to find contact information / help
• Text displayed as an image
• Text/content displayed on a dark background
• Confusing industry-specific jargon

These are very basic rules to go by, so make sure your developer understands your desire for clear functionality throughout the site. If it does not help your visitors act on the desired outcome, then there is no place for it on your website.

4. Content is King

The perfect design, page structure and site simplicity really add up to very little without effective content. That’s what your audience is there for. They typed in the address or found it from a search engine because they are in need of information. If you do a good job of convincing them that you have what they need, your call to action will be successful.

Not only is properly placed, effective content crucial to the success of your website, but it is also important to keep it updated on a regular basis. Give people a reason to come back by keeping your content current and making sure the public knows about it. Some ways of adding new content would be through a “latest news” section, email blasts, or a blog. Just try to find a way for your audience to keep coming back if at all possible.

5. Own It

As you have seen, there is a great deal that goes into the development of a successful website. While there are proven steps and methods that can guarantee your success, someone has to own the responsibility of making it happen.

Whether you are a one man/woman show or you have a team at your disposal, a desire for consistent improvement is the most important element of this equation. Sadly, there are no shortcuts to success on the web. Like any other venture, it takes dedication, passion and vision.

If you outsource a company for the development of your website and they give you the best possible solution, just remember that in the end you have to “own it” for the long term to ensure continued success. While this process is not profound or innovative, it does work. Follow these simple steps and you are on your way to a successful web project.

Posted in Web Development -

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