Fresh, interesting design and content is key to a successful internet marketing initiative. Finding searchers and engaging them with content is vital to success. Along with copy writing and interactive features, design is part of the engage and influence function of internet marketing. Your website needs to communicate who you are and the benefits you offer quickly and accurately.

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Much of the work needed to create an effective website occurs before any actual design takes place. We are much more likely to be happy with the results if we are diligent with research and planning.

PRE DESIGN

1. Define Goals

Before any design begins it is important to define the objectives of the project. Without a clear understanding of the goals the outcome will not meet the needs of the client in the end.

The focus of most local internet marketing is to build business through the acquisition of new customers. But we also need to consider branding and engagement of our searchers in an effort to connect with them to build a relationship. The balance between these goals needs to inform the tone of the website look/feel, layout and copy writing.

2. Define Market Space and Target Audience

A local business and its clients exist in a “real” geographic area. And so does its competition. While the virtual and real world markets do intersect, to a degree the web has its own market space and audience. A person whom is searching for a local house painter on the web may only search on the web and then make a decision as to whom to call for a quote. And why not? They can acquire a great deal of information through the internet including reviews from past customers, BBB information, associations...etc.

People searching for services on the web tend to shop differently than they do in person. They are able to compare much more easily and tap into much more information quickly. The demographics of an online client is also slightly different from the “in person” customer.

This makes it necessary to examine your internet target audience demographics and competition separately. And as your customer can now gain useful information about your business, you are also able to gain valuable information about them. Through online research we can determine the demographics and search behavior of your online customer and better focus our efforts on your core target market.

3. Message and Content

Goals, market space and audience research are used to inform message and content.
Some important questions to ask are:

Copy writing is very important to a website. Defining a voice for the writing and setting a tone mean a great deal. We need to understand when to use succinct writing and when to go into greater detail.

Many times the web searcher is only scanning pages. With so many options on the web, searchers tend to scan to find what they are looking for. By making the content succinct and laid out in a direct manner we can communicate with this searcher and let them know if they are in the right place.

4. Information Structure and Site Features

Before design and implementation begins the information structure should be planned. It’s a good idea to have completed keyword research and selection before this step. Using the keywords that the site will be promoted for we can appropriately name files and design a hierarchical linking structure. A well designed linking structure and naming convention helps specific keyword terms support general terms and improve search engine indexing and ranking.

Site features need to also be planned before design and implementation begins. There are many interactive possibilities to consider and using the right one for the right site can have a tremendous impact. Some available interactive features are blogs, forums, reviews and podcasting. The use of video has seen much growth and this trend will continue over the next several years. What features are chosen depends on a client’s budget and goals for the website.

DESIGN AND LAYOUT

1. Usability

Usability refers to the factors that make the website easy to use
A few things to consider:

Good usability leads to a positive experience for site visitors. Of course, rules are meant to be broken and experimentation is important to internet marketing. The standards should be used as a guideline and not as a dictum. But usability should always inform design, not the other way around.

2. Look and Feel

Finding the right look and feel for a website design is important for several reasons. It allows searchers to experience who the business is, what they are about and who there customers are in an instant without the use of words. It allows for branding; from the searchers perspective, what does it say about my identity if I use this service? Does it coincide with how I perceive myself?

For these reasons it important to identify the core web market target before beginning design. The demographics of the core target market should inform the style. Age, gender, income and education will all come into play.

Market positioning must inform design. Based on demand and the existing competition a strong statement has to be made as to where a business is positioned in the market. Creating a feel that differentiates a business from its competition and addresses their core target market is essential to strategy.

The industry that we are competing in will also influence the feel. The feel for a construction company, for example, will necessarily need to be different than a local internet marketing company. Making sure we have the right fit for an industry will avoid confusion for the searcher.

As in copy writing, design needs to speak directly to the customer’s concerns and needs. Through design, the searcher must feel that this company can solve their problem or satisfy their need. Discovering the underling motivations that drive the purchasing process and incorporating it into the design can be very effective.

4. Layout

Web page layout needs to integrate both usability and design/feel elements. The overall design needs to brand and acquire leads with one view. So each element on the site, where it goes and what functionality it brings needs to be arranged carefully so we are able to influence our visitors.

A great deal of research has gone into how searchers view web pages and their click patterns. There is no lack of information available to understanding and taking advantage of the most valuable real estate on a web page. But every site is different with a varied matrix of goal priorities. An understanding of how searchers view and click web pages combined with an understanding of a client’s goals is used to determine the best possible layout.

4. Implementation

The coding used to implement the layout of a webpage is important for SEO and formatting across different browsers and computer screen sizes. A correctly coded web page will allow search engine spiders index all pages of a site and display correctly in all of the major browsers such as Internet Explorer, Opera, Google Chrome, Fire Fox and Netscape.

4. Install and Go Live

Once the site is live the fun really begins. Setting up a website alone will not accomplish much for your business. There are millions of sites on the web now. But a well thought out, engaging site that is smartly promoted can bring added growth to any business. While the site is in development an internet marketing plan needs to developed. When the site goes live the plan can be implemented.

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