How to make a website that works – Part 1

Everybody likes a website that looks terrific. Unfortunately, that’s not what makes a website work. A website that works does more than just look terrific. It

• Gets more business
• Reduces cost
• Improves customer/member experience

What makes a website “work”?

A website works if visitors:

• find the site
• become interested and motivated
• complete a transaction
• come back again and again

You may have noticed that these four elements are similar to those of a personal conversation.

• find the site–make a connection
• become interested and motivated—exchange meaningful information
• complete a  transaction—site owner and visitor each get something of value
• come back again—long term relationship develops

This is no coincidence, because the web is a two-way medium. Unlike print, radio, and TV, which get the message out, a working website is more like a telephone conversation where the visitor and the owner both have their say.

Many websites are not built to take advantage of this conversational nature of the web. Many start up and continue to exist based on the ideas and opinions of the owner and the development team. Little or no attention is given to what visitors have to say. I hope this article will lead you in the right direction to build and continuously improve a website that really works. We’ll look at planning, building, marketing, continuous improvement, and where to go next.

1. Planning—high and low

For a working website, there are two key planning elements: high level and low level. High level planning clarifies WHY the website will exist: what the owner wants, what the potential visitors will want, what the website will do, who will maintain it, how performance will be measured, and what financial resources are available to make this happen.

Low level planning clarifies HOW the website will make these things happen: what name will be used, how the site will be hosted, what functionality will support the high level requirements, what will be the site architecture, navigation scheme, page layout, and overall visual design, what development platform will be used, who will do the work, how will the work be phased, when will the site be launched?

Unfortunately, the tendency is to jump quickly into low level planning before the high level planning has been adequately addressed. Doing so is like putting the cart before the horse. Typically, websites that are planned and executed this way look great, but do not perform as expected. So let’s look at high level planning in a little more detail.

What the owner wants.

Of course, the owner wants a website. But underlying this desire is a more important need: results that will move the owner’s agenda forward. Key results for a website often flow from a business plan and typically include such things as

• Sale of products, services, and/or ideas.
• Sales leads
• Newsletter subscriptions
• Membership sign-ups

Once these desired results are pinned down, they can be translated into ways in which the owner can know if results will be achieved on the website.

What the visitor wants.

In your business planning, you may have defined your ideal customer: those people who will most likely give you their attention, and whose interest, desire, and action you can most likely attract. The key to planning for them is to identify the key words and phrases they will use to find your website. This is a two step process:

• Keyword seed list generation
• Keyword research

Seed list generation

Put yourself in the shoes of the ideal customer you described in your business plan. Sit in front of your computer, and think of a half dozen words and phrases you would naturally use to Google your website. With seed list in hand, you can research whether or not people are actually searching on the terms you have selected.

Keyword research

A few free keyword research tools are available on the web. Their effectiveness is limited. I recommend WordTracker, which is the best at identifying the number of searches on a keyword world-wide, a predicted number of searches in a 24-hour period, the number of websites competing for the attention of keyword searchers, and similar keywords being searched.

This research provides a reality check on your thinking about your website visitor. And it will often lead you in a direction that ultimately will be more profitable than if you had gone ahead and built your website based on your own assumptions about your visitors.

What will your website do?

With a clear picture of what you want and what potential visitors will want, it’s time to think about what your website will actually do to fulfill these two agendas. Depending on your situation, possibilities include.

• Product display and shopping cart
• Program listing and online registration
• Service description and request for more information
• Contact
• FAQ
• About
• Feedback please

How will your website express your brand?

Whether intentional or not, everything you do that other people see is your brand. You may have addressed this in your business plan. It’s important to clarify how you want your website to be perceived by your visitors. This will influence the look and feel of your site, your content, and your images.

What content will be used?

Often content will be selected based on the owner’s initial decisions about what is important. More effective choices can be made, if content decisions are based on keyword research–what information is actually being searched for on the web. With this information in mind, core content can be prioritized and organized in a way that will most likely catch the attention of web searchers.

For example, your core content may be an exercise technique. If your keyword research shows that weight reduction will be a better bet than exercise, you can prioritize the weight reduction benefits of your technique, and organize your content accordingly.

Who will maintain your website?

It’s one thing to launch a website with good content. It’s another thing to keep it fresh, so your visitors will continually return to find out what’s new. Think about how your website will be updated. Will you do it yourself? Will you hire a website specialist, and if so, what kind?

Here are a few options to consider.

• Automate your pages so they work off templates, drawing content from a database. (More long term efficiency, more initial cost, less flexibility)
• Use a content management system. (More initial cost, less long term cost.)

What is your website budget?

Even without the details of your ultimate website plan in place, it is important to consider financial resources. If you have ambitious, high level plans, you can set priorities for the phased launching of various parts based on a realistic assessment of funds currently available.

In part two of this series, we’ll get into building, marketing and continuously improving your website to reach your business objectives.

So what makes your website work—or not?

Please share.