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The very first step in creating a website is to identify the overall purpose of the site. This is important because it will impact the overall structure and mechanics of your site. For example, will the site be predominantly an information sharing vehicle or an e-commerce site? (E-Commerce is a fancy way to say “selling stuff on the internet.”). You may want to start out with an information site that will grow into an e-commerce site, but that should be thought about before the site’s created. Once you’ve decided on the overall purpose for your site, you and the design team (yes, it really takes a team to build a site) work together to determine the top 1 or 2 goals of the site. This step is important because the goals drive the design as well as the copy that’s written. One of the goals should be to capture visitors’ email addresses. This is important to build “your list” for future marketing purposes and is critical in permission-based or opt-in marketing. Permission-based / opt-in marketing is really the professional and preferred way to market on the web because it keeps you from being perceived as a spammer. People who have given you permission allow you to send them periodic emails with the understanding that they can “unsubscribe” or “opt out” any time. This concept is so important that we’ll spend an entire newsletter or two just on the topic of permission-based marketing. The second goal of the site should be to sell yourself. People do business with those they know, like, and trust. Chances are good that prospective customers won’t buy from someone the first time they visit a site. The individual or company needs to build up trust with the site visitor. Once the purpose and goals of the site have been determined, the next step is to consider the site’s content and lay that out page by page. This process is referred to as creating a storyboard and it allows you and the design team to consider how information will flow on the site. While people don’t always move through a site logically, the information needs to flow in a logical manner so the site is easy to navigate through. With a website, simple is definitely better than complex. Once this point is reached, the copywriter starts to write. Writing for the web is much different than writing for anything else. The primary reason is technology and multi-tasking have made everyone very impatient. Readers want the facts and not a lot of fluff. They also won’t waste time waiting for elaborate graphics to download, clicking what they feel are too many links, or searching for the information they want. If they can’t find it simply and easily they’ll give up and visit your competitors. The overall tone of web copy is different from print copy too. While it’s important for the copy to convey the overall tone of your brand, it should still be written in a conversational style. This is done to help prospective customers know, like, and trust you. In Part 3 of our website series you’ll get ideas for expanding your offerings to increase revenue and we’ll introduce a very important element in creating an effective website -- search engine optimization. About Abiah Designs Abiah Designs is a brand strategy / full-service marketing firm whose unique, proprietary research process creates and revitalizes brands that resonate with their target markets, leads to increased brand awareness, develops strong customer loyalty and improved market share. Visit our website (www.abiahdesigns.com or blog www.brandreturn.com) to view our portfolio, read our case studies, and begin to imagine how we can help you. To grow your brand call 609 653 2233. | ||||||||||
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Concept Marketing Group, Inc.