Transcript 12 Website Design Decisions Your Business or Organization Will

Chapter 9 Presentation
By: Deanna Buxton, Jen Kling, Corinn
Tessitore, Jon Robb, and Stacy
Speicher
Web Design

Significance of web design

Important for all types of businesses




Completely Online (Amazon)
Click-and-Brick (Best Buy)
Those Providing Information (DuPont, Any University)
Effects of good web design




Attractive
Easy to Use
Customer Satisfaction
Customer Retention
Good Web Design Pays Dividends
By: Jim Rapoza
Redesigning Your Web Site

2 Most Useful Elements

Site’s traffic logs



Dead ends
Infrequently used click paths
Regular visitor base

Web based polls
Developing a Web Site for a New
Company




Simple flexible design
Constantly analyze usage
Talk to visitors
Research competitors
KISS Principle




Standard left or top navigational bar
Fairly sparse but clean content
Create a site that is viewable in all web
browsers
Avoid



Link overcrowding
Overzealous page breaking
Over the top advertising
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)
By: Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, E-Commerce Consultant
Web Marketing Today
August 4, 2004
12 Website Design Decisions
1. Determine your website’s chief purpose: be
clear and focused
2. Decide whether to outsource or do It
yourself

Outsource initial design, but do maintenance inhouse
3. Divide your website into logical sections


Logically and with many directories
Remember that your site may grow
Typical Small Site Organization
12 Website Design Decisions
4. Develop a site navigation system


Left-side menu, tabs, site search, bottom links,
site map
Use some for a small site, more for a large site
5. Give your website an attractive ‘look and
feel’


Reflects you and your business
Simple, clean business look
12 Website Design Decisions
6. Build Basic Design Templates



Constructs every part of a
webpage
Server Side Include (SSI) file
Cascading Style sheets
7. Construct your site to be search
engine friendly


Vital to get traffic
Include title, meta tags, headlines,
and body text and hyperlink text
and filenames
12 Website Design Decisions
8. Write and fine-tune focused content pages


Write a series of focused content pages
Each page should feature a specific topic
9. Incorporate Customer Communication
Systems


Include contact information so customers can
contact you
Builds trust
12 Website Design Decisions
10. Create and test effective sales pages


Want high conversion rate
Track sales percentages and make small
changes
11. Conduct usability trials and incorporate
changes

Have 5 internet novices look at site
12. Plan to maintain your site for the long haul


Life isn’t static and websites shouldn’t be either
Have someone in the company learn to make
everyday site changes
Whirlpool Website Redesign
By: Jason Brown
PR Newswire
February 1, 2005
Whirlpool Redesign


http://www.whirlpool.com
Chief Purpose




Outsource or In-house


Speak directly to customers
Reinforce brand image
Provide information that shoppers need to make informed
product purchases
Outsourced – Fry, Inc
Logical Sections

Homepage => Product Category =>Specific Products =>
Product Model => Checkout
Whirlpool Redesign

Site Navigation System







Left side menu for owners of Whirlpool products
Tabs at the top of the webpage
Search option
Section for new products
Bottom links
Site map
Attractive Look and Feel



Clean and understated
Quick loading
Easy navigation system
Whirlpool Redesign

Search Engine Friendly




Fine-Tuned Content Pages


Text is short and to the point
Customer Communication Systems



Title: Whirlpool
Meta Tag: Manufacturer of ranges and ovens, washers
and dryers, freezers, microwaves, and refrigerators
1st result on Google
“Contact Us” Response Form
1-800 Number
Maintaining the Site

Contracted Fry to provide maintenance on an ongoing
basis
Goals and Challenges

Goals in effective web design





Reinforce Brand Image and Personality
Speak to Customer wants and Needs
Navagability and Easeability
Unique, Creative, and Effective Interface
Challenges in Creating Superior Websites



Transitioning from older web based content
Creating a unified corporate message and
image (departmental interlock)
Balancing the Demand of Advertisers and the
Demand of Consumer ease of use
Resources and Suggestions

Resources to Aid in Better Web Design




Site Traffic Logs
Regular visitor base
Both aid in determining usability and efficiency (If it isn’t
clicked, why keep it?)
Overall Suggestion




Keep in mind the 12 steps outlined in previous article
View site maintenance as important step in improving
channel efficiency
Remember it’s a marketing tool, so keep the customer and
your brand in mind when designing or redesigning
KISS
Bibliography



Brown, Jason. “Fry, Inc. Helps Manufacturer Whirlpool Launch
Redesigned Website.” Find articles.com. 1 February 2005.
Findarticles.com. 10 March 2005.
<http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4PRN/is_2005_Feb
_1/ai_n9478729>
Wilson, Ralph F. “12 Website Design Decisions Your
Business or Organization Will Need to Make Correctly.” Web
Marketing Today. 4 August 2004. Ralph F. Wilson. 10 March
2005.<http://www.wilsonweb.com/articles/12design.htm>
Rapoza, “Jim. Good Web Design Pays Dividends” eWeek Labs
Reporting. 28 February 2005. Lexis Nexis. 10 March 2005.
<http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_
m=0c95b6b857ff5542682e00f826d387e&_docnum=1&wchp=dG
LbVlb- zSkVb&_md5=ba5f159393c2d0e501388c8e51a6069a>