Principles of Internet Marketing

Principles of Internet Marketing Chapter 8 Planning and Developing the Site

Objectives In this chapter you will learn about: • The beginning stages of Web site development • The importance of understanding a site’s target audience and how that understanding can affect site development • Methods for getting a site developed • Baseline considerations for every site, including navigation, organization, graphic design, and content development Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers

Getting the Site Started • Site developers need to take many steps before you can begin to program a site • Development begins with conceptualization • Developers need to have a full understanding of their goals and the required resources in advance of actually building the site Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers

Developing the Idea Regardless of the Web site’s purpose, all sites start with an idea To create a successful site, a developer should have a concept about which he or she is passionate and knowledgeable The idea should be on a subject of interest to the intended audience It also must be able to be easily translated into a Web site (given the budget and resources available) Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 4

Defining the Site Objectives Once the developers have finalized the concept, they must establish the objectives of the site, which could include one or more of the following: To generate direct revenue through e-commerce capabilities To generate indirect revenue by enticing visitors to contact the company and engage in a business relationship To build brand recognition (which ultimately leads to generating revenue) Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 5

Defining the Site Objectives (continued) To build traffic for the purposes of generating advertising revenue To meet other like-minded people To express opinions To share one’s creative talents relating to music, art, etc. Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 6

Needs Assessment Web developers conduct a thorough needs assessment for their projects prior to beginning development Skills and resources required to build a site can be numerous and can include: Graphic design Programming Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 7

Needs Assessment (continued) Content development Product inventory Site hosting These and other needs and resources cost money The level of financial resources that a development team will need in order to develop a site largely depends on the idea for the site and the level of programming complexity Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 8

Understanding the Audience In order to develop a successful Web site, developers need to understand: The potential audience (their target market) The target market isthe audience most likely to visit their site and consume their products or services What the audience wants What the audience will likely respond to What will make the audience take action Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 9

Understanding the Audience (continued) Target markets are defined by demographic and psychographic data: Demographic data provides information on large groups by standard and specific population characteristics, such as age, marital status, gender, race, and religion Psychographic data defines audiences by personality and lifestyle characteristics, such as types of hobbies, recreational sports played, hours per week spent online, and shopping/spending habits Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 10

Understanding the Audience (continued) Knowledge of the target market translates into a site’s ability to devise an effective marketing strategy (the strategy that a site or company employs for gaining more customers and revenue) Without doing any market research at all, site developers may design the site using colors, text, images and content that the target market won’t relate to Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 11

Gathering the Information Researchers use a number of different methods to collect market data, including: Conducting personal interviews with people (either existing clients or random people) Telephone surveys Focus groups that represent the target market are gathered together and engaged in a discussion about a topic of interest to the marketer Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 12

Gathering the Information (continued) Newer methods of research with the growth of the Web, including: Online surveys Careful review of the blogosphere Customer reviews Social networking Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 13

Gathering the Information (continued) Figure 8-1 Sites like SurveyMonkey make market research over the Web easy and efficient. Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 14

How the Target Market Affects the Development of a Web Site Data that defines a target market can be used to shape the choices made during a Web site’s development, such as appropriate colors, graphics, photographs, social media applications, core messages, and personality Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 15

Getting the Site Developed Businesses can handle site development one of two ways: Internally by having their own employees create the site Externally, by hiring another firm to build it for them There are pros and cons associated with both in-house development and outsourced development Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 16

Getting the Site Developed (continued) Pros of in-house development Potentially lower costs Better knowledge of the products, services and information the site will promote Total control is maintained Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 17

Getting the Site Developed (continued) Cons of in-house development Site development involves more than just programming—It requires copy, graphic design, and organization, which can be time consuming In-house development often gets pushed aside when more pressing projects come up, resulting in extended launch times It can be tough to judge the quality of work when it’s being done in-house Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 18

Getting the Site Developed (continued) Pros of outsourced development Faster time to launch—outside companies are more likely to make an account their priority The site and message will get developed from an outside perspective The outsourced company will likely have expertise in all areas, including programming, organization, design and copy writing Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 19

Getting the Site Developed (continued) Cons of outsourced development Potentially more expensive Loss of complete control Outsourced company will not have direct (or as intimate) knowledge of the products, services and information that the site will promote Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 20

Outsourcing from the Client’s Perspective There are many questions that a company looking to develop a Web site needs to ask when selecting a development partner, including: What is the breadth of the agency’s experience? What is the agency’s general type of experience? What is the agency’s proficiency with various programs and languages? Does the agency understand all of the social media tools and how audiences interact through these tools? Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 21

Outsourcing from the Client’s Perspective (continued) Questions when selecting a development partner (continued): How large is the agency? Does the agency handle all aspects of the site in-house, or does it have to outsource certain tasks, such as the graphic design? What is the agency’s primary business objective? Will the agency provide you with client referrals? Has the agency had experience in the same industry as the company hiring it? Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 22

Outsourcing from the Client’s Perspective (continued) Questions when selecting a development partner (continued): How much will the project cost, and how is that figure derived? Will the agency fix the site if it something goes wrong with it after launch? Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 23

Outsourcing from the Agency’s Perspective Agencies have a different set of concerns that they need to question and satisfy before contracting with a new client, including: What is the purpose of the client’s Web site? What is the industry and market that the client is serving? What is the client’s understanding of the Web? How creative will the client allow an agency to be? Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 24

Outsourcing from the Agency’s Perspective (continued) Agency questions before contracting with a new client (continued): Does the client have an organized brand that can be incorporated into the site? Does the client already have some content created? Does the client have an established budget for the site? How is the client’s credit? How does the client typically pay? Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 25

Web Site Navigation Aside from the interactivity that the Web provides, Web sites allow visitors to review information in a non-linear fashion, jumping from one page to another in any order that they would like Due to the non-linear nature of the Web, developers face a dual responsibility Create a navigation and hierarchy of content that makes finding information easy for site visitors Serve information in such a way that visitors are led to pages that the site’s owners most want them to view Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 26

Web Site Navigation (continued) Navigation should not be thought of simply as links from one page to another, but as the specific and planned organization of certain links, which provide the organizational structure of a Web site Navigation can be provided through a number of different methods, most commonly links within text, graphic buttons or Flash buttons Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 27

Web Site Navigation (continued) Most developers use a schematic that shows how the content of a site will be organized and broken down into tiers Once established, the navigation should remain exactly the same on all pages, to avoid confusion Within each category, other topic-related pages may be required, known as the second tier of the site Lower tiers of a site are usually accessed through a separate navigation system for each category, or as drop down items from the main navigation menu Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 28

Web Site Navigation (continued) Figure 8-6 A basic schematic that shows the categories of information that are directly accessible from the Home page Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 29

Web Site Navigation (continued) Figure 8-7 The schematic has expanded to show the pages that are accessible from each category. These are second tier pages. Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 30

Web Site Navigation (continued) Figure 8-8 The schematic has been expanded even further to show the individual pages that can be accessed through second tier pages. These pages are considered third tier Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 31

Web Site Navigation (continued) Figure 8-9 The main navigation for this site appears across the top. This page, on consulting services, presents second tier navigation on bar down the left hand side of the page. Both areas are highlighted in the figure. Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 32

Web Site Navigation (continued) Figure 8-10 This site uses drop-down menus for the navigation, giving easy access to all pages within all categories, from anyplace on the site. Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 33

Navigation Elements: Search Engines, Site Maps, Tag Clouds, and Breadcrumbs Along with the standard navigation, other means of finding information also help users find info Search engines invite users to type in a word or phrase that they wish to search for within a site Site maps re-create the original schematic on the site A tag cloud is a collection of tags (or keywords) that are popular among users Breadcrumbs are an aid to determining one’s location within the site, by showing the path of links the visitor took to get to the page they are on. Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 34

Navigation Elements: Search Engines, Site Maps, Tag Clouds, and Breadcrumbs (continued) Figure 8-11 The Wal-Mart site provide a search engine for finding products front and center at the top of the page. Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 35

Navigation Elements: Search Engines, Site Maps, Tag Clouds, and Breadcrumbs (continued) Figure 8-12 The site map on the Apple Web site Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 36

Navigation Elements: Search Engines, Site Maps, Tag Clouds, and Breadcrumbs (continued) Figure 8-13 The tag cloud on the flickr site Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 37

Page Layout Successful site layout will accomplish very specific goals: Make the purposes of the site clear Promote the brand Provide easy access to information Lead the user to specific areas of interest or areas that the site owner wants them to see Provide an attractive, aesthetically pleasing environment for the user Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 38

Page Layout (continued) Sites will typically have two page layouts: One for the Home page, and a second for all interior pages Sites tend to be more graphic heavy on the Home page, where the pages need to catch the user’s eye and entice them to browse further In the lower tiers, after the visitor has already committed to exploring the site, pages tend to be more copy or content heavy Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 39

Page Layout (continued) Figure 8-15 and Figure 8-16 The home page layout and interior page layout of a B2B site Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 40

Page Layout (continued) In developing the layout, developers often try to design sites for the lowest common denominator—The worst viewing conditions that could reasonably be expected Developers need to put important information above the fold—where any page might be cut off by the bottom of the browser window The area above the fold is considered the most valuable real estate on the site Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 41

Graphic Design Sites often reinvent themselves as the need to update content grows, new tools—such as social media applications—become available, and design styles evolve Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 42

Graphic Design (continued) While styles change, all Web-based graphic design shares the same commonalities: Graphics are typically displayed in one of two bitmap formats JPGs can use millions of colors to display each image and are static; they cannot be animated GIFs use far less colors in their representation, and can be animated (although animated GIFS are often somewhat crude) Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 43

Graphic Design (continued) While styles change, all Web-based graphic design shares the same commonalities (continued): Bitmap graphics are sized to 72 pixels per inch Which is how computer monitors display information Colors in graphics are presented in RGB A combination of red, green, and blue that can be shown on a computer monitor Vector graphics cannot recreate photographic quality in an image, but they are good for illustrations Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 44

Content Development Content for a site (copy, video, blogs, etc) comes from two sources: The developers or marketers of a site, who present content that appropriately represents their site, brand and message User-generated content provided by visitors to the site (YouTube, Facebook, etc) Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 45

Summary • All sites begin with an idea • It is important to work from an idea about which the developer is passionate and knowledgeable and that the audience will be interested in • It is equally important to define the objectives of the site so that it can be built to meet the stated goals • It is also essential to assess the particular needs of the site, including appropriate financing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers

Summary (continued) • Understanding the audience is vital for both the site and the brand • Without this understanding, it is practically impossible to build a site specifically for a target market • Marketers have several different tools for collecting market data on a specific audience, which is defined by the demographic and psychographic traits its members share in common • These methods include conducting surveys, organizing focus groups, and tracking usage of the blogosphere and other social media Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers

Summary (continued) • Sites can either be developed in-house or by hiring a third party developer • Each of these options comes with certain pros and cons, specifically in terms of cost, speed to completion, and knowledge of content. • When working with an outside company, the relationship is vital to site success, and each party needs to carefully understand and analyze the other before engagement Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers

Summary (continued) Basic site design and development issues that all sites need to consider include navigation, which is critical to helping move users from one page to another Navigation needs to be planned in advance and be consistent throughout the site Sites get organized into tiers, with lower tiers favoring content over aesthetics Creating a page layout that fully engages site visitors is similarly important, as is developing appropriate content. Principles of Internet Marketing Principles of Internet Marketing: New Tools and Methods for Web Developers 49

Principles of Internet Marketing