Web Site Design
"Will you become rich using the web?"
The answer is No! or should I say - maybe. Of the few people who have made a million trading on the internet, there are many thousands, if not millions, who have simply wasted their money. But a website when used properly is a great asset for a business.
Types of Web Site
One of the first decisions you will need to make is what type of website you want for the company. These can be broken down into three basic types
- Brochure site
- Catalogue site
- Online Shop
The brochure site is a website containing single or a multitude of pages. The site is available to tell potential clients about your company and its services or products. It will contain a description of the services or products you offer and your contact details. This type of site is usually the best sort of site to have when you first own a website, it allows you to 'dip your toe in the water'.
"Most companies selling a service will have a brochure site."
You can gauge the response to the site from customer feedback and web statistics, and then adapt your online presence as required, without going to the expense of the next two types of site. Most companies selling a service, such as this site, will have a brochure site.
The next stage is a catalogue site. This is the halfway house and will contain multiple pages. It provides the same information as the brochure site, but will list all your products with pricing and other details, such as offers, product pictures, product codes and specifications. In the site you encourage your customer to phone, fax or email their orders for the listed products.
The final type of site is the online shop, in other words a full e-commerce site. This type of site will have a separate and secure area, from which customers can order and pay online from a list of products. This is the most expensive and most technical of the website options. This type of site is usually only best for businesses that have planned and budgeted for online sales. This might be a business whose whole emphasis will be selling through the internet or an established company that is looking for a new branch of revenue. In addition to the normal web design costs, a shopping cart needs to be purchased and configured, a secure hosting area for your online shop, merchant account abilites to accept online payments and in all likelihood a database.
Web Site Marketing
Unlike the well known film 'Field of Dreams', the saying 'build it and they will come' is not necessarily true. Like all sales and marketing material, a website needs to be promoted. There are millions of websites on the Internet, it is highly unlikely that people will reach your site by trial and error.
Choose a good domain name to help people remember your site, and if necessary, they might be able to guess what they need to type as the URL of your site.
If it is important you may need to consider Search Engine Optimisation, to ensure that when people use a search engine for a particular product, they will be directed to your website. However, remember all your competitors will be doing the same thing!
You need to make sure that your website is listed/printed at every opportunity. Print it on your delivery notes, invoices, letterheads, business cards, acknowledgement slips, all adverts and everywhere you can. The more you display your website address, the more you will drive customers to your site. Other than the obvious potential sales opportunity, you will also improve your site ranking.
Website Content
What should you put in your website? Ultimately, it is up to you. However, it is best to follow the conventions. This is because people are impatient. The process of trial and error has resulted in websites now following a similar theme. This allows people to quickly navigate a website, to find the information they need. If you make it difficult for them, they will look elsewhere.
The basic information you will need is as follows:
- Home Page
- Contact Information
- A description of the Company and its products/services
- A reason why people should return to your site
The Home Page is the first page a client will see when they access your site, it provides the first impression of your company. The home page may be the only page in the site and it would contain all the information you need to display.
However, it is normally a good idea to break up the information into multiple pages, so the client can navigate to the information they want quickly.
The contact page contains all the different means of contacting your company, address details, email, telephone, fax etc. It may also include a feedback form to make it easier for a customer to contact you.
You will need to tell your client about what you are selling, this is often the main reason why people visit a website.
You want to create a reason for people to return to your site. The more often they return, the better they will remember your company, their loyalty will increase and the more likely they are to buy from you. This could be a links page containing useful links, regular Internet only offers, updated information (such as news items or product information), there are many ways.
Website Design Technology
This section is more technical. Websites are created using computer languages, the most common language used is HTML, Hypertext Markup Language. Nearly all websites contain some HTML.
Javascript is used to improve how a client interacts with your website. This might mean that an item moves or changes colour when the mouse passes over them. CSS or Cascading Style sheets are a method of improving the formatting of a website. HTML, Javascript and CSS are client-side languages. This means that the code is sent from the web browser and the website is constructed by the browser on the client computer.
Other languages include ASP, ASP.net, PHP - these are server-side languages. This means that the website is created on the server and then sent to the browser as a complete website. These are typically used when other server-side products, such as databases, are required.
Why is this important?
Good websites are fast loading, poor coding can result in a slow website. It is important that the web designer understands the language used and does not simply use a program that creates its own code. Nearly all of these types of software, such as FrontPage, will create unnecessary code that will slow down a website.
Disability and the Law
The aim of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (Amendment) Regulations 2003 is to ensure that people with a range of different disabilities can still access the same services as people without those disabilities. This Act gives disabled people rights in the areas of:
- employment
- access to goods, facilities and services
- buying or renting land or property
Clearly, the second bullet point is relevant to those that own a website, the DDA specifically mention usage of website to provide services. The "W3C has instituted Priority levels to determine the level of web accessibility of a website. Please click on the links to read more about the DDA/Web Accessibility.
