The name of this talk is 'You Deserve Full Value from Your Web Sites' ... and you do! So I'd first like to talk about the most vital action that you absolutely must take if you wish to create and run a successful Web site.
The most important thing when designing a Web site is pretty simple, actually, but it's amazing how many organizations never bother to do it, or if they do engage in it, they do it ineffectively. I'm talking about planning.
Make sure that you plan everything you wish to accomplish with a Web site, and make sure than anyone you work with on the Web site, whether inside or outside your organization, has a defined process for the work they want to do. Think of your Web site like you would a business. When you start a business, you should have a business plan; in the same way, you should have a Web site development plan.
One of the biggest parts of your planning should encompass something called 'Information Architecture.' It's one of the most important yet most often overlooked aspects of Web development. Basically, it's the study of how best to organize information so that Web site users can find it, or, as one speaker once put it, 'How can you make it easy for your site visitors to find all of your fantastic content?'
Many of the people I speak to know how to architect information for television, or radio, or print, but the Web is different. Unlike those other media, a Web site is a living, dynamic creation, and you need to plan and document its creation and growth, in the same way you would if you were building a new wing for a hospital. Even the best Web site in the world becomes a jumbled mess if you haven't figured out what you're doing with it first.
Remember the cardinal purpose of Web sites: users come to your Web sites to get something (information or software or a PDF) or do something (subscribe to your newsletter, or donate to your cause, or buy your book). Anything that delays the user's attempts to get or do something only serves to increase the likelihood that she will leave. Anything that blocks or frustrates the user's attempts to get or do something guarantees that she will leave. Make things easy for your users, and they will use your site, and thereby strengthen the relationship between your organization and your users.
Additional resources
Much of what I discuss in this section and in other sections in this document is amplified and deepened at the Web site of WebSanity, a local firm that does Web consulting. I encourage everyone to spend some time on the WebSanity site, as it has a wealth of information on it. You can find it at http://www.websanity.com.
For more information about information architecture, see http://www.jjg.net/ia/, which offers an enormous collection of resources on the subject.
To get the ball rolling, ask yourselves these questions (there are more, but these are a good start):
1.Why do we want (or need ... those may be two different things!) a Web site?
2.If we had a Web site previously, what did it do well? What did it fail to do well?
3.What are our competitors doing on the Web? What can we emulate? What should we avoid?
4.How can we use our Web site to solve a problem or capture an opportunity?
5.How can we use our Web site to make money, or save money?
6.Who's going to be providing content for the initial rollout of the Web site? Who's going to provide content after that? Who's going to place the content on the Web site?
7.Who are our audiences for the Web site? Do they all need or expect the same information? What information do all visitors need?
It all comes down to planning. Plan and research your needs, your probable content, your audiences, and your content creators & maintainers. Good planning makes or breaks a Web site.
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