E-Reports.net http://e-reports.net/blog E-Reports on Everything Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:01:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 en Plan Your Site Carefully http://e-reports.net/blog/e-Reporter/plan-your-site-carefully/ http://e-reports.net/blog/e-Reporter/plan-your-site-carefully/#comments Tue, 28 Mar 2006 22:33:32 +0000 e-Reporter Website Planning http://e-reports.net/blog/?p=10 First, identify clear marketing goals for your site, such as generating leads, building a database of potential customers’ names and e-mail addresses, or putting a product catalog online to save the time and expense of printing and mailing. Quantify your objectives—such as increasing sales by 15 percent—so you know whether or not your site is successful. 

Quantify your goals for sales, clicks, or inquiries so you can objectively measure the success of your e-commerce Web site.

Then, figure out what your potential customers need to know before buying your products and services. This might include:

  • An overview of your company, its products and services, and their applications
  • Complete product or service descriptions, including features, key benefits, pricing, product specifications, and other information, for each product or service
  • Testimonials, or success stories so customers can see how similar individuals or organizations have worked with you
  • A FAQ section that anticipates and answers customers’ common issues

Plan the structure of your site, focusing on making it easy for customers to learn what they need to know, make a purchase decision, and then buy quickly. Create a site map that outlines every page on your site starting with the home page and mapping how customers get from one page to the next. Use tools that quantitatively measure site activity-where customers are clicking, how often, and whether they end up purchasing-then compare the results with your goals.

 

]]> http://e-reports.net/blog/e-Reporter/plan-your-site-carefully/feed/ Why is it important to plan your web site? http://e-reports.net/blog/e-Reporter/why-is-it-important-to-plan-your-web-site/ http://e-reports.net/blog/e-Reporter/why-is-it-important-to-plan-your-web-site/#comments Mon, 27 Mar 2006 21:15:12 +0000 e-Reporter Website Planning http://e-reports.net/blog/?p=6  

  • Prevention is better than cure: With an automobile, (where preventive maintenance is preferable to—and less expensive than—post-incident repairs) it is always better to keep the engine’s oil changed on a regular schedule than it is to have to rebuild the motor. The same is true with your health. Exercise and nutrition may prevent more serious disease. When planning a web site, planning ahead will often prevent serious problems later on. There are few things more annoying than changing plans in the middle of a process. Of course you will always be exposed to mischances, but by planning ahead you will avoid potential problems that would require major modifications along the way.
  • Faster development: People needing a web site usually fall into two categories: those who have a clear idea of what they want, and those who want “just to be on the Internet”. At first it would seem that the second type might be more permissive, making the development smoother. But on the contrary, this will often result in objections, additions, and modifications—slowing down the process. If you have not a clear idea at first, you will only know exactly what you want when you see it. And trial-and-error isn’t a wise method for developing anything.
  • Better performance: By aiming to an objective through all the steps of the web development process, the final result will be more consistent with your original idea. The efficiency of your web site to achieve your main goals will rely mainly on your initial planning.
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