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This Build Web Business Web Business Th 2011 02 01 Kadangi Nekilnojamojo Turto Agentas Gali Realigro Savyb S Gydyti Daugelio Myli 8006 Web Business 12 Website Design Decisions Your Business or Organization Will Need to Make Correctly (or you'll have to do it all over within a year)

This Build Web Business Web Business Th 2011 02 01 Kadangi Nekilnojamojo Turto Agentas Gali Realigro Savyb S Gydyti Daugelio Myli 8006 Web Business

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2. Decide Whether to Outsource or Do It Yourself

After clarifying your purposes, you need to decide whether to outsource the design of your website or to do it yourself. Let me tell you my bias. For nearly all businesses and larger non-profits I recommend outsourcing initial website design, but be very sure that you bring site maintenance back in-house. (See Point #12 below.)

Website design done right is complex and requires a number of different skill sets that aren't commonly found in any one person, especially someone that doesn't do this for a living. Some of these skills include:

• HTML savvy. Good web design software can help. But the kind of HTML code produced by many WYSIWYG ("what you see is what you get") programs can be kludgy and hard to maintain. Fine-tuning your design requires you to get into the raw HTML code.
• Graphic design, color experience and good artistic taste. No software package bestows artistic taste on its user, but good taste is indispensable for an attractive site. Of course, graphic software expertise is required to produce attractive and clean photos and site graphics, optimized to the smallest possible file size for quick loading.
• Website navigation design and implementation. Helping visitors get where they need to go quickly and efficiently is difficult, especially on sites over 20 webpages or so. Good navigation design comes from experience, not from good software.
• CGI and database programming. Even smaller sites use a "contact us" form and often a site search program that require CGI program installation and configuration. Larger sites may need to be integrated with an online database, which is no job for the faint of heart.
• JavaScript and Flash programming. Functional websites are dramatically helped by Flash and JavaScript features such as animation, drop-down navigation menus, and small windows that open to answer a hyperlinked question. Automatic pop-up windows that encourage e-zine subscriptions can be effective, but can be annoying if you don't make them to turn off after one pop -- and these days are increasingly blocked by pop-up blockers.
• Marketing and business experience. An outside company doesn't really understand your business like you do. Make sure you communicate exactly what you need to achieve. The best website design firms understand how to build Web marketing into the site design to make it search engine friendly, to make the sales pages really sell, etc.

What does outsourcing cost? For a simple five or six page website, expect to pay $750 to $1,500. For a more complex site you may pay $3,000 to $10,000 and up. For database-driven sites you'll need custom programming. Of course, sites designed for high traffic or for Internet-focused companies can cost much more.

If you have no money, it is possible to teach yourself website design. I did. Arm yourself by reading some website design books first and expect to make some mistakes.  A couple of great beginners' books are Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to (X)HTML, Style Sheets, Web Graphics, by Jennifer Niederst (Third edition; O'Reilly, 2007, ISBN 0596527527, paperback, 480 pages) and Web Design All-in-One for Dummies by Sue Jenkins (For Dummies, 2009, ISBN 047041796X, paperback, 656 pages). I find myself constantly referring to Web Design in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference, by Jennifer Niederst (O'Reilly, 2006, ISBN 0596009879, paperback, 826 pages). It's full of the nuts and bolts of website construction for more experienced developers who maintain and improve websites. You can also find lots of online help at WebReference.com, WebMonkey.com, and Builder.com. You'll need some good web design software such as Microsoft FrontPage or Macromedia DreamWeaver. Don't just forge ahead, though. Read and understand the design concepts first, then proceed step by step.

Another approach is to a build a site using built-in templates and site-building wizards that come with programs such as Ken Evoy's Site Build It! Evoy's Site Build It! has the added advantage of a dozen tools to help increase your rank on the search engines. I can't recommend this highly enough for newbies who want to learn how to do business on the Internet!

Another approach is to hire a website design firm to design the website templates, navigation system, CGI and JavaScript programming, and perhaps do usability testing. They would set up the basic structure, and you could build it out using their template and design. The old website design contract (www.wilsonweb.com/worksheet/pkg-con.htm) I developed when I was in the design business will give you an idea of some of the business issues that may come up when outsourcing. If you do outsource, be sure to conduct a "due diligence" investigation of the design firm by talking to previous clients, looking at their work, etc. Make sure they spell out in writing exactly what they agree to do for how much money, and provide a firm deadline by which their work will be completed. Partial payments should be made as specific milestones are reached and approved.

I stronglyy recommend that you build your website using a Content Management System (CMS), rather than from single webpages uploaded and linked together. You can find such systems available from many popular hosting services. One I've used successfully is CMS Builder from InteractiveTools.com. It's not for the newbie, but if you're having your site built for you, ask your designer to build your site on using this program. It's very flexible! The big advantages of a CMS system are: (1) You can make changes yourself, without HTML expertise or contacting your web designer. (2) Your website is infinitely expandable as your business grows. Your designer sets up the basic templates; then you take it from there.What's the design decision here? To decide whether to outsource none, part, or all of your website project.

3. Divide Your Website into Logical Sections

My first website had 100+ pages and I made the mistake of dumping all the webpages into a single directory. What a mess! I learned quickly that you need to organize your site both logically and with multiple directories, one for each section. Here's a typical small-site structure:

This site layout isn't meant to be prescriptive, but only suggestive. Get a blank piece of paper and begin to lay out what your site will look like, with similar functions grouped together.

Don't be afraid to create multiple subdirectories to keep your site organized. When you're setting up newsletter archives, for example, create a directory for each year of issues so a single directory doesn't get too cluttered. Remember, you're not designing for just the present moment, but for the growth your site may undergo over the next two or three years.

I set up my file structure with a /syspix subdirectory that contains the system graphics which appear on nearly every page of the site. I also use an /images subdirectory under each major section of the website to contain the graphics used in that particular section. You may know where everything goes right now, but what happens when you try to make sense of it a year or two from now? Organize!

Your home page should provide a statement of exactly what your company or organization does. Preparing a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for your company is a great way to begin. I'm amazed at how many websites don't really tell me what they do. I have to nose around trying to figure it out. That's stupid! State precisely what you do, and then provide links to the rest of your site so your visitor can learn more. For more information, see my article "Just Who Are You Anyway? Developing a USP," Web Marketing Today, 3/1/2000 (www.wilsonweb.com/wmt5/plan-usp.htm).