Paula G. Web Design

Designing your website is a strategic undertaking.  To be successful you want to begin with the end in mind.  The site map is a tool that will help you do that.  The benefits of taking the extra time up front to complete this task will include:

• More effective website
• Reduced costs in the long run
• More ROI on your website investment because you can build on this strong foundation over time

Recently I had the pleasure of presenting  “Web 101″ with my colleague Chanin Walsh of Brown Dog Design for the Bucks County Network Now group. We often collaborate on the branding and creation of websites and this was our first chance to co-present at an event like this.

Chanin created the standout handouts and covered the topic of branding your business. I talked about planning your website and implementing your online marketing strategies. We then both presented ways you can save money when you work with a web team like ours.

I want to share with you a 6+ minute audio snippet from that talk. It focuses on the importance of the site map.  If you’re not sure what a site map looks like — here’s a picture of what one looks like (click to enlarge the image).

 It is a generic map, but gives you a sense that it is a visual representation of what you want to say and do with your website.

Now — listen to the audio clip and learn more about the site map and how to plan your website.

 Want to get started on your own?  Check out the Free Website Planner on the right sidebar - sign up and get one of your own!

Whenever you are creating a new website it is imperative to begin with the end in mind. You might not have the time or resources to implement everything you ultimately want your website to do right away, but you need to plan taking the big picture into account. Why is this so important?

Besides the fact that beginning with the end in mind is simply a sound strategy for most things (just scan the chapters on this topic in Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” book if you want to go in depth), it is crucial for both the graphic designer and the web programmer so they can ensure they build a strong foundation for your site.

For instance, if you think only about the next 3-6 months and Phase I of your project which consists of just a few pages but fail to mention to your web team that in 12 months you’ll be rolling out and launching a large number of products for sale, you may find yourself with a site that cannot easily accommodate your business’ strategic plans and growth. I’ve been invovlved in more than one project in my 12+ years of doing this, especially while working internal to organizations, that went wildly over budget and awry because no one ever took the big picture into account. Read the rest of this entry »

What are the top core values of your business? Who are you and what do you stand for when it comes to your business?

I believe orienting your business (and life for that matter) around your values is the surest way to ensure you are on track and feel great about what you do and offer every day. Not to mention I’ve found that people who orient around their values are far more successful at wealth creating than anyone else.

However, many people have trouble thinking in these terms, especially when faced with their website. One of the best questions (and often a stumper) that I ask when speaking with potential clients is this:

• What are your top 5 values? What would you like clients to say about you? (ex: honesty, integrity, timely, quality)

When someone visits your site, what do you want it to say? Do you want it to scream that you are a person of integrity? Are you super high quality? Perhaps speed, cost, or ease is what you value most. Whatever it is, your site needs to speak it loudly and clearly.

Whether you already have a website or are just planning for one, take some time today to ask yourself this question. Just notice what comes up for you…

If you’d like the complete website planner - you can get it by signing up on the sidebar.

A lot of times clients will ask me if they can maintain the content on their website on their own. There are a number of different ways I can help make that happen. One way is to build the website on a content management system platform.

What is it?

A content management system (CMS) is a piece of software installed on a web server (where you host your site) which provides a foundation for many powerful website features. What that means is you build your website on this platform much like you build a house on a foundation. Typically the features available through a content management system driven website include things like:

• WYSIWYG editor so you can update your content on your own
• Advanced user permissions so you can have different people update different parts of your site
• Sitewide search
• Custom functionality through various modules
• Easier site management
• Integrated file management
• Template support to customize design

Do I Need One?

If you have a website that you want to update on your own regularly or want to have a lot of dynamic functionality built in, a CMS system may be for you. Some things you want to consider Read the rest of this entry »

If you have an existing website up and running for any length of time and it has any level of real functionality, migrating your site has all the appeal of a trip to the dentist for a root canal. Yet, if you’re finding your current service unacceptable in terms of reliability, uptime, functionality, or customer service, it is often better to take the plunge and endure short term pain for long term gain.

Before you set the wheels in motion on your migration you need to determine what your current website makeup includes. The following list should get you started:

• Basic website (static web pages)
• Blog
• Shopping Cart
• Mailing List/Newsletter
• Autoresponders
• Databases
• Other Dynamic web content (message boards, database interaction, scripts)

The good news is that usually your shopping cart and newsletters are services provided by someone other than your website host. However, in some cases you may have been hosting your site somewhere that provided this all in one package at which time the migration is an even bigger project because you need to change everything at once. The good news in the end is that you will no longer be relying on one provider for everything (no more all your eggs in one basket) and you’ll have more flexibility and often better service. Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve succeeded in driving traffic to your website. Once these visitors get to your site, is it clear what you want them to do?

No matter how much you love your website or how much time and money you sink into it, the truth is the time you have to grab a visitor’s attention is barely longer than the blink of an eye. As Content Marketing Today states in their article “6 Essential Lessons Your Website Should Learn from a Shopping Mall”:

I was surprised to see that a talented website window designer said interestingly, You have only five seconds to capture the attention of prospective customers walking by. That sounds pretty darn familiar to Web marketers because you have less than 10 seconds to capture your Web visitors’ attention.

Less than 10 seconds. Now that is short. And, remember that it is an average. If you’re anything like me when I surf the net, it can sometimes be even quicker. That means you need to grab their attention and move them into action quickly. Read the rest of this entry »

This sounds like a simple question, right? I mean everyone has a website these days and it is almost required to have some sort of Internet presence even if you are a brick and mortar company so people can find you when they do local searches on Google and other search engines. Yet I am always surprised how many people come to me wanting a website but can’t answer the question “Why do you want a website and what do you want it to do for you and your business?”

Can you answer that question?

The truth is there are many different reasons to want a website and the sky is the limit with the funky things you can do with technology to make the web work for you. However, if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want and how that integrates with your overall marketing strategy you could be in for a rocky road of paying too much for stuff you don’t need or building a site on a shaky foundation.

Ask yourself some of these key questions before you get started:

• Why do I want a website?
• What do I want a website to do for me?
• How does my website integrate with my overall marketing strategy for my business? (and if you don’t have an overall marketing strategy - consider taking this course . I did and it made a WORLD of difference.)
• Do I want to capture prospects’ email addresses by offering a newsletter or freebie?
• Do I want to sell products online?
• Am I committed to keeping the website fresh with updated content and investing the time and money to do so? (the web is not a once and done project)
• What do I want people to know about me and my business?
• What is my overall budget in terms of time and money to devote to the website project?

Read the rest of this entry »