This presentation goes through the difference between online & offline shops and the different building blocks for a good website. You should leave the session with the knowledge & tools to development & define a website specification for your business.
What Makes A Good Website - Central Sth Man Oct. 09
1. What makes a good website? Presented by: Steve Gale Pyxisoft Ltd www.pyxisoft.com
2. This workshop is 1 of 4 What makes a good website “Which payment system is right for your business and your clients” Marketing and Social Networks Search Engine Optimisation & Advertising
3. What I’m going to talk about Why have a website? Key elements of a good website – design, layout and content Coffee break Developing a website specification Quick Overviews – domain names, hosting, statistics & e-Commerce Homework Questions
4. Internet ad spend ‘up in Q3’ This is the first time since the second quarter of 2008 that the publication has shown online ad spend to grow.The study also reveals that no other marketing categories - such as PR events or sponsorship - witnessed an increase in expenditure. Some 47 per cent of companies surveyed for the research claim they had improved prospects, consistent with the UK's economy returning to growth. Source: IAB UK http://tinyurl.com/yjggrj6
5. Why have a website? Raise brand awareness Provide information on your products and services Give customers a way of contacting you Sell products or services online Collect data about your clients for later use
7. Why are these important? A well designed, usable website Good customer experience =
8. Design Consistent look and feel – website design follows your “corporate brand” Good use of images A sense of professionalism
9. Layout Make it easy to find your way around the site Position your key messages correctly People usually scan web pages not read them Evaluate regularly and change things that don’t work!
10. A note about screen sizes The most common monitor resolution is 1024 x 768 Keep this is mind when having your website designed Remember to keep your most important messages at the top, so people don’t have to scroll down pages to see them
11. Content Content is the stuff on your website – words, pictures, video, audio, forms, error pages, etc. Your website IS driven by content. Avoid complex language – use plain language and say what you see! Know your audience. Check for spilling messtakes.
12. Usability If customers can’t use your website to do stuff, even if the website looks nice, is it doing its job? Remember that customers come to your website to carry out a specific task – find out who you are, buy something from you, etc. The design of your website should help customers do those tasks. Test the website. What happens when things go wrong. Do you know when things go wrong?
13. Top Tips Make good use of the space Sometimes “less really is more” Ensure important messages are clearly visible Put yourself in the place of your visitor – what would they want/do? Make life easy for your visitors Invite interaction with your visitors
23. Writing a website specification Are you clear on what you want your website to do? Make a list of requirements in non-technical language Be specific – you want a search, but how should the search results be presented? Itemise each requirement so a “cost” can be attached to them – time, money, resources Put requirements into phases – this prioritised list can be the start of your website business plan Refer to the website business plan in meetings with developers
25. Domain names Do you know who owns your domain name? Do you know when your domain name will expire? Do you have an automatic renewal process in place? Do you know which company you registered your domain name with? Use a service like whois.net or nominet.org.uk to find out details about your domain name
26. Web Hosting What is it? What options are there? How much does it cost?
31. Off site authenticationTo do either you need a PSP (Payment Service Provider You might need an SSL Certificate Hosting provision is even more important
32. Homework Be clear on what you want to achieve Think about your audience Research other websites – competitors, market leaders, websites your target audience would visit Ask friends, family and colleagues what websites they like and DON’T like – and why. Make a list of websites you like, don’t like, compete against or aspire to