Course Overview. Goal

Transcription

1 Website Development

2 Course Overview Goal To inform small business owners about the processes and technologies for creating a successful presence on the Web To share tools and strategies for leveraging a website to improve marketing, sales, customer service, and product development activities To enhance the bottom line! 2

3 Topics Myths Your Business on the Web Tech Stuff Is Your Website Obsolete? The Successful Web Project Where will Your Website Live? (Hosting) 3

4 Topics Design Considerations Web Platforms Search Engine Optimization Web Analytics Site Critiques Q&A 4

5 Myths 5

6 Myths Myth 1. If I build it, they will come. Myth 2. Making money on the Web is easy. Myth 3. The most important part is technology. Myth 4. Flash makes a website better. Myth 5. It s too late to get on the Web. 6

7 Your Business on the Web 7

8 Before You Start Do you have a business plan? Have you done a competitive analysis? Have you profiled your target customers? Do you have a marketing plan? If not, STOP! Do those first!! (ok, let s continue anyway ) 8

9 Do you have a business plan? 9

10 Your Website is A cornerstone of your marketing plan A key part of your strategy for growth Aimed at multiple target audiences Communicates marketing messages as well as basic information An important channel for developing and maintaining relationships with customers 10

11 Remember the Four P s of Marketing? Product What you offer is what they need Pricing Aligned with sense of value and competition Place Make it easy to buy! Promotion Express your value proposition! 11

12 Success Factors Targeted audiences always more than one! Communicates key messages Attractive, visually engaging branded! Useful engaging content; rich media Easy to buy lots of Calls to Action! Tuned in to WII-FM (for the visitor) Compliant (e.g. accessibility, legal statements) 12

13 Types of Website What you see is what you get: Basic Business Card: Here s who we are, Here s how to reach us Brochure: Here s what we do + photos Sales Tool: Act/Buy now! Here s how What s yours? 13

14 What You Need Clearly stated business goals A comprehensive marketing plan Measurable expectations (i.e. ROI) Sufficient resources to do it right Commitment to maintaining your presence on the Web 14

15 Make Your Site Work for You Set quantifiable goals Measure and track activities Evaluate results Adapt accordingly 15

16 Make Your Site Work for You 16

17 Stating the Obvious Going on-line takes forethought Maintaining a website takes time, effort and resources Hits and clicks do not equal revenue and profit! You re on the Web already! 17

18 Is Your Website Obsolete? How old is it? When was the last time you updated it? Is it compatible with all the new browsers and devices? Have you looked at your visitation analytics and reports? 18

19 Why Upgrade? Avoid display issues on multiple platforms An explosion of platforms: PCs, tablets, smart phones, etc. More flexibility in design Offer rich media Provide two-way interactivity Take advantage of more powerful computers and faster Internet speeds 19

20 Popular Web Browsers Internet Explorer (Microsoft) Firefox (Mozilla) Chrome (Google) Safari (Apple) Opera (Opera) Numerous Smart Phone Browsers 20

21 Why It Matters Standards compliance There are display issues Feature sets vary Security risks vary Browser popularity is changing Varying support for Flash, Java, etc. (e.g. iphones) 21

22 Browser Shares 22

23 Browser Version & OS 23

24 Viewing Resolution 24

25 What's your preferred browser? 25

26 The Successful Web Project 26

27 Key Elements Elements of an Effective Web Project Planning Great content Good design Involvement Implementation Follow-up Promotion Maintenance Goals, budget, etc. Content is king! Designed for performance Get visitors engaged Make sure it works Contact, fulfillment Marketing! Keep it up to date 27

28 Suggestions for Success Know your budget Plan out your site in advance Have design parameters in mind Create your content FIRST! Find the right web consultant Build your site in phases Post, adapt, post, adapt 28

29 Post, Test, Adapt, Repeat Your website is a dynamic tool, not a fixed asset Visit your site often Keep it updated Change as your business changes Change as your visitors needs change 29

30 Design for Performance Design for sales & profit, not art or opinion Measure and track activities - KPIs Evaluate results Adapt accordingly Remember: Hits & clicks do not equal revenue and profit! 30

31 Your Domain Name & Hosting Difference between your Domain Name Registrar & Website Hosting Provider Domain Name Registrar GoDaddy, Network Solutions Where you register your name and renew Website Hosting Provider Provides the server and place where your website files wll be stored and be accessed from by the visitor Can be the same firm but most often it is better to split due to support, costs and features 31

32 Get Your Domain Name(s) Now! Registering Your Domain name(s) Register variations Register any name you can thing of! URL: Easy to say and remember No dash, underscore Not: No need for the www. when saying or printing OK to use camel case : YourBusiness.com Put It EVERYWHERE! 32

33 Which one(s) fits your business best?.com,.biz Business.org Non-profit.net Network.edu School/college.gov Government.mobi Mobile Stick with what fits best! 33

34 Protect Your Domain Buy variants of your URL Misspellings Similar phrases.com and.biz Buy URLs: For key product/service names For key market/industry terms Buy for the Future Any idea you have! 34

35 Know What You re Getting Web and forwarding? Auto-lock, Auto-renewal? Who Is privacy? Easy to transfer out? Extra fees? Watch out for high-cost, low feature deals 35

36 Example: GoDaddy.com 36

37 Web Hosting 37

38 Where Will Your Site Live? Dedicated or Shared Server? Data Storage Limit? Data Transfer Limit and Overage Charges? IP Addresses: Static or Dedicated IP Address for Business Example: Dynamic IP Address for Casual/Personal not for business 38

39 Important Features Platform: Linux or Windows? Could affect what software tools you can use Software Support: Advanced functions: PHP Database: MySQL Applications: e.g. Wikis, Shopping Cart, etc. Up-Time Guarantee? Tech Support? Backups? 39

40 Example: Web Hosting 40

41 Comparisons: Web Hosting Review Sites:

42 Which host are you using? 42

43 MID-POINT 43

44 Good & Bad Website Design 44

45 Bad Example: No Photos! Boring! Squished Logo! 45

46 Good Example: Modern Layout, Visually Attractive 46

47 Good Example: Modern Layout, Visually Attractive, E-Commerce 47

48 Bad Example: Boring Splash Page! 48

49 Good Example: Striking Intro Page! 49

50 Bad Example: Unattractive Home Page! 50

51 Bad Example: Lifeless Photo, No Key Messages! 51

52 Bad Example: Total waste of precious space! Looks homemade! 52

53 Bad Example: Key messages? Calls to action? 53

54 Bad Example: Terrible Design! 54

55 Good Example: Contemporary Design 55

56 Good Example: Contemporary Design 56

57 Good Example: Contemporary Design, Extensive Video Content 57

58 Good Example: Interesting use of branding graphic elements 58

59 Good Example: Contemporary, Use of Humor to Tell Story 59

60 Building Your Website 60

61 Development Options Build from scratch Buy/customize a template Use a web builder Subscribe to a web service Hire a web developer A combination of the above 61

62 Building Your Own Takes lots of time Takes some technical expertise Takes design talent Takes an HMTL editor: Dreamweaver or MS Expression Web NOT MS Word!! May not turn out as expected 62

63 Using a Template Faster to implement Free or inexpensive Professional design options Often includes cool features Dropdown menus, forms, etc. Still takes some technical expertise and an HTML editor 63

64 Web Templates: It s easy to look professional! 64

65 Using a Web Builder Faster to implement Professional design options Easy to use interface Often integrates with shopping cart Requires monthly subscription fee May have operational limits Number of pages, styling capabilities 65

66 Example: Web Builder Adjust colors, add pages, configure menus Place images in preset areas Paste content in blocks 66

67 What You Need Products! Photos Content Prices & Purchase Information Supporting Information Shipping Details Warranties & Guarantees Return Policy Upsell Recommendations 67

68 Design Considerations 68

69 Making Your Site Engaging Using Rich Media Animated images Audio Video Flash (limited, only with HTML5 players) Interactivity forums, contests, surveys 69

70 Examples: Headings Which headings are more engaging? Spa and Body Massage OR Relaxing European Day Spa Experience Driveway Repair OR Our Driveway Facelift: Makes Your House Look Like a Million Bucks! 70

71 Examples: Images & Photos JPG for clear images & photos GIF & PNG for logos and transparent images Note: Always resize before uploading 71

72 Appropriate Navigation Good Menu Structure Site Map Few clicks to get to key information Menu locations: header, footer, sides, etc. Cross linking pages Use Landing pages for special promotions Animation? Yes, but carefully 72

73 Grab and Convert Over 4,000,000 views on YouTube dollarshaveclub.com 73

74 Site Compliance 74

75 Web Advertising 75

76 Ways to Make Money OK: Hits / Impressions / CPM ( eyeballs ) Better: Click-through / click-through rate Best: Conversions = sales! Ads: Banners, pop-ups and other styles Join affiliate programs to get paid for ads 76

77 Critical Issue: Ad Placement 77

78 Web Platforms 78

79 For Content Management Popular CMS Platforms: Drupal Wordpress Joomla Xoops 79

80 For E-Commerce Secure socket layer ( SSL - https) Shopping Cart Inventory Management Credit Card Processing Paypal, Verisign, Authorize.net Transaction processing Automatic receipts Order tracking 80

81 Search Engine Optimization 81

82 Best Practices for SEO Meaningful Meta Tags: Engaging Headings Useful Content Links to your site Traffic! Panda is now Penguin OUCH AND it s often out of your control 82

83 Meta Tags Embedded in HTML <title>harvey s Pizza House</title> <meta name="description" content= Harvey s Pizza House - the best pizza in the Bay Area!"></meta> <meta name="keywords" content= pizza,bay area, gourmet,pizza to go"></meta> 83

84 Scenario: Finding a Restaurant What a Difference an S Makes! 84

85 Web Analytics 85

86 Making Your Site Perform Use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Track Your Web Traffic Google Analytics, SiteMeter, etc. Understand SEO Reports and Algorithms If you don t, work with an SEO specialist or research SEO on YouTube for great up to the minute video info/tutorials 86

87 Example: Web Stats 87

88 Example: Web Stats 88

89 Example: Web Stats 89

90 It s Your Responsibility To maintain your website: Up to date information Make sure all links work! Works in all browsers Evolves with your business To maintain your presence on the Web (some of which you may not even know about!) 90

91 Have you Googled your business? 91

92 What s on the Web about YOUR Business? 92

93 Be Aware of (and Respond to) Your Reviews! 93

94 Maintaining Your Reputation Respond to complaints Admit faults Don t make excuses, offer solutions Communicate key messages: Under new management New on-line order tracking system Invite customers to try again! 94

95 More Help & Training Selling on-line? ecommerce Class More web traffic? emarketing Class Social Media? Social Media Class Improve customer tracking? CRM Class Help with business plan and marketing? Meet with your local SBDC consultant 95

96 Let s Look at YOUR Websites and Answer Your Questions 96

97 Web Resources Web Builders/Templates Search on-line Analytics Sitemeter, Google Images/Photos pond5.com dreamstime.com istockphotos.com Music Clips themusicbakery.com shockwave-sound.com Blogging Blogger.com Wordpress.com Web commercials Search online On-line sales: ebay, Amazon 97

98 Evaluation Thank You for participating in this CARAT webinar! When you log off the webinar, don t forget to check the box to download the course materials. A short evaluation survey will pop up shortly. Help us improve the program by letting us know what you think. Website Development CARAT

99 Next Steps Thank You for participating in this CARAT webinar! More CARAT Technology Trainings Offered Free Training Courses offered until December 2012 Training topics include: Collaboration Management Customer Relationship Management E-Marketing E-Commerce E-Procurement Online Communications Online Financial Management Purchasing & Inventory Website Development Project Management Tools Social Media for Small Business For more information, go to Website Development CARAT

100 Notification This published material was prepared by CARAT, under award number B from National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the US Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NTIA or the US Department of Commerce. 10 Website Development CARAT