How to Build a Better Website

by Michael Villa & David Prince

Building a website is a daunting task for anyone, but especially for the business person just starting out. However, there are proven techniques for creating a successful site and this article will outline the basics: design, navigation and content.

DESIGN - NOT JUST ART

The design tells the first chapter in the story of your company, and begins to answer the initial questions a visitor will ask during the first ten seconds of their visit. These questions are not website-specific. They are, however, marketing-specific.

A good design is not solely defined by something that looks nice. Design is not the same as art. First and foremost, any good design has a function. Any effective corporate design must simultaneously serve two functions:

• To establish a corporate identity in a visual way, and
• To be appealing to its intended audience.

Your website design also reinforces other media that your organization utilizes. Never try to reinvent or contradict your corporate brand and identity with your website.

NAVIGATION - NOT JUST MENUS

Once the visitor answers their design questions, they need to be escorted to the real reason they've stopped by for a visit - your content. Spend as much time thinking about how they are going to get around as deciding which content will be included.

When most people think about website navigation, they think about menus. To build a successful website, though, you need to think of navigation as more than simple menus. Come up with more than one way to get people to their desired destinations. Every visitor is unique, and therefore every visit is unique.

Develop methods of navigation that provide as many possible ways to travel through your site as you can. Effective sites have at least four main navigational techniques:

• button menus,
• drop down menus,
• quick find menus, and
• text-based footer menus.

Also keep in mind that each navigation technique should be represented on every web page throughout your site.

CONTENT - NOT JUST AN E-BROCHURE

Every business has a unique story to tell and your website is the place to tell it. If you expect visitors to understand enough of your company to do business with you, you'll need to be sure not to leave the content creation task for the end of the process. Be sure to develop a process for continuing to develop content that will be used to update and grow your site in the future.

Selecting which content is ideal for your business and leveraging items together helps to make your site a destination of interest that can do a lot more than just provide company information as an electronic brochure.

Your design will hook visitors into your site. Your navigation will make sure they can find the information they want. But it's your content that will keep them coming back. When used properly and consistently, the World Wide Web is the most cost-effective way to reach your target audience and generate new business opportunities.

Dovetail Internet Technologies LLC provides website, intranet and e-commerce solutions through its Dovetail brand of content management software and professional hosting, design and implementation services. For more information visit our website at www.dovetailinternet.com