Lecture - Website Strategy + Planning
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The document outlines essential elements for creating a successful website, comparing it to a theme park that needs to attract and engage visitors. Key considerations include defining the target audience, organizing content effectively, designing a welcoming experience, and implementing analytics to track engagement and optimize the site. It emphasizes the importance of clear calls to action, fresh content, and marketing strategies to encourage return visits.
Lecture - Website Strategy + Planning
- 1. TONIGHT’S FIRST QUESTION WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A GOOD WEBSITE? ... PREPARE TO DISCUSS
- 2. TONIGHT’S LESSON LET’S LOOK AT A WEBSITE. LIKE A THEME PARK.
- 3. WEBSITE = THEME PARK + CREATE AMAZING ATTRACTIONS + GIVE VISITORS A WARM WELCOME + MAKE IT EASY TO SEE IT ALL + MAKE SURE THEY TAKE SOUVENIRS + INVITE THEM BACK FOR MORE
- 4. WHO WILL OUR VISITORS BE?
- 5. TARGET = VISITORS + HOW DO WE DETERMINE TARGET? + WHAT IS THEIR AGE RANGE? + WHAT IS THEIR PSYCHOGRAPHIC? + ARE THEY ONLINE? + WHAT WEBSITES DO THEY USE NOW? + WHAT “THEME” WILL ATTRACT THEM?
- 6. WHAT ATTRACTIONS WILL WE FEATURE?
- 7. CONTENT = ATTRACTIONS MAKE A LIST OF POSSIBLE CONTENT + WHAT DO THEY NEED TO KNOW? + WHAT DO THEY WANT TO SEE? + WHAT DO THEY WANT TO EXPERIENCE?
- 8. HOW WILL THEY GET AROUND THE PARK?
- 9. SITE ARCHITECTURE = MAP + ORGANIZE INTO CATEGORIES + DETERMINE EXACT PAGES + REMEMBER 1 PG CAN HOLD MORE THAN 1 THING. + BUILD A ROUGH WIREFRAME + BUILD A SITE MAP
- 10. SITE WIREFRAME
- 11. SITE MAP
- 12. HOW DO WE WELCOME THEM?
- 13. DESIGN = EXPERIENCE + EASY TO SEE WHAT THE THEME IS + NOT OVERWHELMING + CALL TO ACTION FOR MAIN AREAS + EVERY PAGE IS HOME PAGE
- 14. WHAT WILL THEIR EXPERIENCE FEEL LIKE?
- 15. DESIGN = EXPERIENCE + GET PROFESSIONAL DESIGN + DESIGNER + DEVELOPER NEED TO BE ON SAME PAGE + TELL DEV ABOUT ALL FEATURES + DOES IT NEED TO HAVE A CMS? + CHOOSE A DEVELOPER + CHECK EVERYTHING RELENTLESSLY
- 17. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS + SCREEN RESOLUTION + TYPE OF CONTENT + HOW MANY PAGES? + COLOR + NAVIGATION + IMAGERY + CLIENT PARTICIPATION
- 18. MARKETING CONSIDERATIONS + What do you want them to do on the site? + Make it obvious to them + Use a layout that’s easy to understand + Use calls to action + Use imagery that directs their attention + Forms are important for tracking + Don't bury important pages
- 19. WHAT SOUVENIRS CAN WE GIVE THEM?
- 20. SUBSCRIPTION = SOUVENIR + FRESH CONTENT IS KING + BLOG / NEWS + FORMS + EMAIL LIST + SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES + RSS SUBSCRIPTION
- 21. HOW CAN WE MEASURE ATTENDANCE?
- 22. ANALYTICS = ATTENDANCE THINGS WE CAN TRACK + Most popular pages + Number of hits per page + Amount of time spent on the page + How they found your site + Referrals from Twitter, Facebook, etc.
- 23. ANALYTICS = ATTENDANCE THINGS WE CAN DO + See which visitors “converted” + Modify the site based on findings + Ex. Add calls to action on popular pages + Ex. Try to reduce “bounces”
- 24. HOW CAN WE GET THEM TO COME BACK?
- 25. MARKETING = RETURN VISITS + SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION + SOCIAL MEDIA + PAID SEARCH + VIRAL / WORD OF MOUTH + E-MAIL MARKETING
- 34. THE ASSIGNMENT (IN CLASS)
- 35. DISCUSSION PICK A NUMBER BETWEEN 1 AND 5
- 36. Joe’s Fitness Center needs a website. He offers personal training, group exercise classes, and of course equipment. • What information would potential gym members want to learn from the site? • What should his call to action be? • What can he do to make his site stand out?
- 38. HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT CHOOSE A WEBSITE DRAW OUT THE SITE MAP (USE ILLUSTRATOR OR PHOTOSHOP) BLOG ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS ARCHITECTURE (INCLUDE IMAGE)