|
The Birth of a
Professional Web Site
Part Two Your Strategic
Plan
by Shelley Lowery
There are millions of web sites on the Internet today with thousands
more being added each day. The competition is fierce and in order to be
successful, you must stay one step ahead of the game.
Although designing a professional web site is an important part of
your strategic plan, it is only the first step. Before you begin the
actual design process, you must first determine your overall strategy
and design your web site accordingly.
Internet marketers have basically two choices:
-> Design a mini web site that focuses on just one product or
service, with no other content of any kind.
-> Design a content web site that includes not only your products and
services, but also information and resources that will be of interest to
your target market.
Although both types of sites can be effective, your success
ultimately depends on your site design and marketing strategies. Both
will play a very important role.
Content Web Sites
Content oriented sites are sites that provide visitors with content,
such as articles, tutorials, free ebooks and resources. This type of
site attracts their target audience with incentives. Their products and
services are mentioned on the main page with a link to further
information.
Content sites usually profit by educating their visitors. For
example, a content site focusing on dog grooming might provide a basic
tutorial to assist their visitors in learning how to groom a dog. They
provide this tutorial completely free; however, the main purpose for
this tutorial is to educate their visitors and promote their products.
When you provide your visitors with quality information that teaches
and informs, you are not only gaining their trust in you by sharing your
expertise, but you're also building your credibility, which is very
important on the Internet.
The key to using this technique effectively is to provide content
that targets your potential customer.
Mini-Sites
Mini-sites are different from content sites, as they don't provide
any content. They usually contain one or two pages and completely focus
on one product or service. Basically, the site is just a sales letter
for the product.
No matter which type of site you design, keep in mind, your web site
is a direct reflection of you and your business. The appearance of your
web site is the most important factor in determining your web site's
value. If your site doesn't look professional or pleasing to the eyes at
first glance, it's perceived value will be low. The perceived value of
your web site will have a great impact on your success.
On the other hand, you may have a great web site, well designed and a
quality product or service, but if it takes too long to load, the value
will still be perceived as low. Why? Your potential customer will not
wait -- ultimately costing you business.
If you're serious about your Internet business, designing a web site
specifically designed to sell your products is an essential part of your
success. Everything within your web site should have one specific
purpose -- getting your visitors to take action.
Your Strategy
Prior to designing your web site, you must decide on the type of
response you're looking for. For example, if you're selling a product,
the response you're most-likely trying to achieve is to make a sale. If
you're developing a content site, your main goal for every page of your
site should be to lead your visitors to your sales page. You can
accomplish this in a number of ways, including:
1) Display a graphic image of your product on your main page with a
short ad and a link leading to your sales page.
2) Create a "Products" section within the navigational menu of each
page with a short description and link to each of your products.
3) Write articles that focus on the same topic as your product. At
the end of the article, within your bylines, provide your visitors with
information about your product.
4) Write tutorials that target your potential customer. At the end of
the tutorial, provide information about your product.
5) Provide your visitors with a free autoresponder course. Your
course should identify a problem, provide advice in regard to solving
the problem and provide the solution with your products or services.
Keep in mind, your course should not be written like a sales letter. It
must provide quality information written to teach and inform.
No matter what type of response you're looking for, your site must be
specifically designed to achieve your goal.
Every part of your web site must be strategically designed. From your
overall design to your sales copy -- each will play a very important
role.
Your web site is the most important sales tool you have. A
professional web site should be pleasing to the eyes, well organized,
easy to navigate, load quickly and be optimized for the Search Engines.
Above all else, you must specifically design your site for your
potential customers. Provide them with the information they desire,
while continually mentioning the benefits of your products, and you'll
reap the rewards.
(Continued in part three)
Copyright © Shelley Lowery 2003.
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of the highly acclaimed ebook series,
Web Design Mastery -- An eight volume (500+ pages) in-depth guide to
professional web design. Web Design Mastery is being hailed as the
"Bible" for professional web design. http://www.webdesignmastery.com
|