3D
Modeler
Web 3-D designers creates lifelike dimensional models
of objects or 3-D graphics.
Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs pay web site owners (host sites)
for sending people to their sites through referral
links/banner ads. Affiliate programs use a web application
to allow host sites to track the results of their
participation. The affiliate program will assign the
host site an ID and provide instruction on how to
set up links. Links are typically in the form of banner
ads or sent in e-mails.
Algorithm
The term algorithm describes the method for doing
a task. The term is generally used in the context
of software to describe the program logic for a specific
function. The two important factors in determining
how to design an algorithm are the accuracy of the
result and the efficiency of the processing.
Algorithms can generally be broken down into two types:
definitive and subjective. Definitive algorithms perform
tasks that have a definite answer and a best method
for processing. An example is searching for a word
in a list. Depending on the size of the list, certain
search algorithms are more efficient then others.
Definitive algorithms are typically of interest to
only computer scientists.
Subjective
algorithms are more interesting for business purposes.
In general a subjective algorithm processes information
based on an assumptive model where the "right"
answer is a matter of opinion. Subjective algorithms
are used heavily in social sciences, economics, business
and financial forecasting, etc. The best-known examples
of subjective algorithms on the Internet are those
used by public search engines. Each search engine
uses a different method to determine which web page/site
best matches your search. The designers of the search
engine determine what is "best".
Animation Designer (Web)
Web animators create animated movies and presentations
for the web. Designers must understand the animation
production process and software. Web animators must
know the basics of animation, such as how much animation
becomes too much on a web page.
Flash animation and animated banners are the most
common forms of animation found on most web pages.
Macromedia Flash and Adobe Image Ready are two industry
standard web animation software packages. Flash is
geared more for the animated movies while Image Ready
is for animated banners.
Macromedia
Flash
Adobe ImageReady Applications, Web
Web applications describes a broad range of software
that add dynamic functionality to web sites. Web programming
enables a wide variety of features from the basic,
i.e. visitor counters and button roll-overs, to the
highly complex, i.e. real-time stock trading and online
banking.
Application/programming categories:
Client-Side
Client-side scripting
Java applets
Embedded object scripting
Server-Side
Server-side scripts
Server pages
application development options
Packaged applications
Inexpensive (typically) preprogrammed scripts with
varying degree of customization
Custom applications
Custom designed software, fully customizable to your
specifications
Audio Designer
Web Audio designers creative audio/music clips and
loops for the web. Audio designers can either edit
existing audio, such as a speech or create their own.
One special type of audio designer is a music designer,
someone who can orchestrate digital music.
Banner Ads
Banner ads are advertising on a web site that promotes
and links to another site. Banner ads are ubiquitous
on the Internet as a powerful method for a site to
leverage its traffic to benefit another.
Interstitial (pop-up banner ads)
An interstitial banner ad is advertisement that appears
in a separate pop-up browser window. The advantage
to interstitial banners is that they can be large
(in byte size) while still allowing the main page
to load.
interstitial tips
Be careful of your strategy in using this type of
ad. While some studies show that click through rates
are higher, many people find this type of advertisement
annoying.
Branding Element Design (Logo Design)
Branding design generates any graphical elements that
are central to the aesthetics of a web site theme,
i.e. company, product, or site logos. Branding elements
guide theme/masthead design by setting color and shape
requirements. Often a web site will incorporate multiple
logos build around a central look (Logo Family).
Branding tips
Many companies create new online versions of their
existing print logos either because existing logos
do not translate well to electronic media or they
want to establish a distinct online presence.
The psychology of logos is subtle yet powerful. To
establish a effective connection with your customers
it is vital to thoroughly research and test your symbolic
imagery.
Broadcast E-mail
Broadcast e-mail sends text or web page advertisements
to a list of e-mail addresses. It is the Internet's
version of direct marketing.
Broadcast
e-mail types:
Solicited
(opt-in)
The recipient has given permission to have e-mails
sent to them.
Unsolicited
E-mail addresses are generated from a database of
new contacts.
broadcast
e-mail tips
Whether
solicited or unsolicited make sure your audience is
well targeted.
Be careful about sending unsolicited e-mails many
people will react negatively to the intrusion.
The effectiveness of your message will be greatly
enhanced with a special offer.
Always try to capture the e-mail of visitors to your
site so that you have a ready database of solicited
e-mail recipients
Budgeting
Establishing a budget for your web site will allow
you to plan how your site will get developed. In order
to budget you must project a value for your site.
This can be done by estimating the value of achieving
each web site objective in terms of increased income
or saved operating costs. Once you have a total estimate
you can determine how much a site is worth based on
the return on investment you are seeking. This worth
should form the basis of how much you have to spend
on your site, either in employee time and training
or with outside consultants.
Budgeting considerations
How much is the site worth (demand side budgeting)
How much will it cost to achieve your objectives (supply
side budgeting)
How available are funds to be used
How much would alternative investments return
If your available budget does not match the required
quality needed to achieve your objectives, then you
should refine your mission and objectives.
Bulk E-mail
Broadcast e-mail sends text or web page advertisements
to a list of e-mail addresses. It is the Internet's
version of direct marketing.
Broadcast
e-mail types:
Solicited
(opt-in)
The recipient has given permission to have e-mails
sent to them.
Unsolicited
E-mail addresses are generated from a database of
new contacts.
broadcast e-mail tips
Whether solicited or unsolicited make sure your audience
is well targeted.
Be careful about sending unsolicited e-mails many
people will react negatively to the intrusion.
The effectiveness of your message will be greatly
enhanced with a special offer.
Always try to capture the e-mail of visitors to your
site so that you have a ready database of solicited
e-mail recipients
Client Side Programming
Client-side programming describes any code/software/scripts
that are designed to be executed by the web browser.
Client-side scripting provides a broad range of functions.
Typical functions include:
Dynamic navigational aids
Make graphics dynamic
Verify user's form data
Client-side programming types
Client-side scripting
JavaScript and VBScript in-page code
Java applets
Compiled Java code embedded into a page.
Plug-in scripting
Logic incorporated into various plug-ins
Competitive/Industry Drivers Analysis
The Competitive Industry Drivers Analysis evaluates
the requirements for a web site based on the expectations
established by competitors and related industries.
The primary requirement for business success is to
meet your customers needs better than the competition,
on the Internet the goals are the same.
The competitive analysis first looks at direct competitors,
then expands to include indirect and potential competitors.
Research will focus on the quality and features of
these web sites to establish a set of baseline expectations
your site will need to meet (and beat) to be competitive.
required
expertise
Web Strategist
Activities
Basic
None
Standard
Secondary research
In-Depth
Expanded secondary research
Concept, Web Site
Web site concept development builds a high-level description
of a web site's creative content and features. The
goal of concept development is to build a plan for
success by integrating needs analysis information
with the experience of each web team member and qualified
perceptions from your target audience. Once a quality
set of concepts has been determined they are codified
into a web site specification that will guide site
production.
concept development process
Creation
Brainstorming with the development team
Verification
Check that concept meets all needs and requirements
Specification
Concept documentation
required expertise
Web Strategist
Facilitates concept development
All Development Team Members
Concept creation
Creation
Web site concept creation is where the theory and
ideas are built that drive a web site's themes and
functions. Effective concept creation integrates the
expertise of all web site development team members
to assure quality across all aspects of site design.
The process involves a series of brainstorming and
concept refinement sessions culminating into a cohesive
set of ideas.
Concept Focal Points
Information Architecture
Theme/Masthead
Creative elements
Functional elements
required expertise
Web Strategist
Facilitates concept creation sessions
All Development Team Members
Concept creation resources
activities
Basic
Brief concept meeting
Standard
Concept meetings, research
In-Depth
Multiple Concept meetings, research
Content Design
Content design creates the graphical, text, and multi-media
elements of your web site.
content design tip
Content is the reason people are coming to your site.
The higher the quality and more pertinent it is towards
their needs the longer they will stay.
content design process/types
Theme Design
Development of the site's standard visual elements.
Copy Development
Text organization, writing, and editing
Creative Feature Design
Stand-alone graphics and multi-media beyond sites
standard elements
Copy
Copy is all the written text in the body and sidebars
of a web site. Copy for a web site requires a different
style than other mediums to be effective. It is always
a good idea to use a web writing specialist who understands
the nuances and reader behavior on the Internet to
create your site's copy.
copy development process
Exploration
Information research and organization
Writing
Text generation
Editing
Style review, grammar and spelling proofreading
required expertise
Copywriter
Copywriter
A web site copywriter creates the text content for
a site. Copywriters are responsible for gathering
information, writing, and editing.
Creative Design
Creative design generates the graphical, and multi-media
content within a web site. The majority of creative
elements are static graphics yet as the web matures
other multimedia mediums are becoming prominent. Increasing
importance is being placed on high-quality creative
design to elevate the credibility and perceived value
of a web site, attract customers, and aid in web site
usability.
creative design tip
Custom high-quality design is an effective method
to gain an online competitive advantage. Professional
creative design is the sizzle that sells the web site
to your audience.
creative design types
Theme Design
Development of the site's standard visual elements.
Creative Feature Design
Stand-alone graphics and multi-media beyond sites
standard elements
Creative design types
Graphics
Animation
Video
Audio
required expertise
(Depends on creative design type)
Graphics
Designer
Animation Designer
Video Designer/Engineer
Audio Designer/Engineer
3-D Model Designer
Creative Designer
The web creative designers are responsible for the
visual and multimedia content of a web site. On basic
sites a creative designer may handle and create all
creative elements. On more complex sites, however,
they act more as a creative manager, coordinating
the concept and work of various design specialists.
creative design specialist
Graphics Designer
Animation Designer
Audio Designer
Video Designer
3-D Designer
Creative Feature Design
Creative feature design describes a broad range of
special elements that surpass typical page design,
such as web-based multi-media presentations. Feature
design typically requires skills more specialized
than standard web development. While design times
can be long, special features can often be done independent
of other web development and therefore can be a separate
project.
feature elements tip
Feature elements are not found in your typical site,
therefore, used successfully they can make your site
truly unique while providing valuable functionality.
required expertise
Graphic designer
Animation designer
Video designer
Audio designer
3-D designer
Custom Web Applications
Custom web applications are software that has been
designed and programmed for a specific function. While
all software is technically custom, the difference
is that packaged applications were designed with a
general set of features to be used by a broad range
of users. Custom apps are capable of producing practically
any feature you may desire for your site. Time and
money are virtually the only limiting factors.
application tips
Quality planning and app design is the key to successful
web applications. If you don't have a background in
designing web apps, work with someone who does.
Custom applications can give your site unique and
valuable features, but make sure the return is worth
the cost.
Design
Web site design is where the site content is created
and assembled into pages. Quality web site design
is critical to entice your audience and project a
professional image.
web site design process
Content Design
Theme Design
Development of the site's standard visual elements.
Copy Development
Text organization, writing, and editing
Creative Feature Design
Stand-alone graphics and multi-media beyond sites
standard elements
Production Processing
Makes all content web-ready.
Page Development
Page Development Guide
Documents procedures and standards for coding pages.
Page Coding
Assembling content, scripting, and HTML/XML mark-up
into web pages.
Page Verification
Checks that all pages perform and look as specified.
Designer
The web creative designers are responsible for the
visual and multimedia content of a web site. On basic
sites a creative designer may handle and create all
creative elements. On more complex sites, however,
they act more as a creative manager, coordinating
the concept and work of various design specialists.
creative design specialist
Graphics Designer
Animation Designer
Audio Designer
Video Designer
3-D Designer
Development Team
The web site development teams are the experts responsible
for carrying out the various tasks needed to create
your site. The modern Internet is full of opportunities
and pitfalls; proper team selection is critical. The
difference between a web site and a web site that
gets results is the range of expertise and synergy
of the development team.
Web site development teams are built in many ways.
You may only need to select a project manager who
will, in turn, build the rest of the team. Alternatively,
you may have to research and evaluate each resource
yourself. There are three possibilities for effective
team members:
Qualified
Internal Personnel
Qualified External Consultants
To-be-trained Internal Personnel
...each with different pros and cons.
core
team members
Project Manager
Responsible for coordinating personnel and tasks
Web Strategist
Aligns business and web strategy
Creative Lead
Manages graphics and multimedia design
Copy Lead
Writes and edits site text
Page Development Lead
Integrates site content into web pages
Technical Lead
Manages programming and server/network development
Marketing Strategist
Responsible for strategy, material development, and
execution of site promotion
Direct E-mail
Broadcast e-mail sends text or web page advertisements
to a list of e-mail addresses. It is the Internet's
version of direct marketing.
Broadcast e-mail types:
Solicited (opt-in)
The recipient has given permission to have e-mails
sent to them.
Unsolicited
E-mail addresses are generated from a database of
new contacts.
broadcast e-mail tips
Whether solicited or unsolicited make sure your audience
is well targeted.
Be careful about sending unsolicited e-mails many
people will react negatively to the intrusion.
The effectiveness of your message will be greatly
enhanced with a special offer.
Always try to capture the e-mail of visitors to your
site so that you have a ready database of solicited
e-mail recipients
Direct Marketing
Direct marketing is a promotion mechanism that allows
focused messages to be received by a targeted audience.
The main difference between direct marketing and other
promotion is that you can closely qualify your audience
to deliver a message that appeals to their specific
needs.
direct marketing types
Broadcast e-mail
Broadcast fax
Direct Mail
Telemarketing
direct marketing tips
Direct marketing can be powerful yet can have a negative
effect if not done properly. Be careful what you send
to an unsolicited audience.
Look to capture potential and existing customer information
on your site or through other means to build a mailing
list of qualified recipients.
Look to provide giveaways or special offers in your
message. It has been proved to produce significantly
better results.
Directory, Web Site Search
AA web site search directory indexes a web site based
on an independent description of a site. While directories
perform many of the same functions of a web page search
engine, their indexing format is different. The main
difference is that directories do not spider your
site to gather information about it. Instead they
rely on a few text entries, typically a site title,
domain name, and description, to determine which keywords
describe your site.
Additionally, directories have hierarchical categories
in which contain the description of your site along
with others like yours. For example, a dry cleaning
site may be listed under "business > retail
> dry cleaning". Thus, users can find your
listings by clicking through categories or using a
search.
examples
Open Directory
Looksmart
e-Commerce
e-Commerce is a special web application that allows
users to browse products and make online purchases
with a credit card. e-Commerce is a very popular mechanism
for companies large and small to sell their wares
on a world-wide market.
e-commerce requirements:
Shopping Cart
Online catalog that allows users to select products
to purchase at 'check out'.
Merchant Account
Service that handles the financial processing of credit
cards.
Processing Gateway
Service that enables transactions from your Shopping
Cart to your Merchant Account
Digital Certificate / Secured Server
Encrypts information to provide secure transaction
processing
e-commerce tips
e-Commerce is available in many packages. Thoroughly
research a solution provider before committing, particularly
those that have low up-front costs. There are often
hidden costs or special terms that will prove detrimental
in the long run.
Be careful when selecting a Merchant Account, read
the fine print in the agreement. (See Merchant Accounts
for more tips).
Embedded Object
A plug-in extends the abilities of a web browser.
They are small pieces of software that allow your
browser to display/execute additional files. Popular
plug-in enable your browser to display animation,
play audio and video, etc.
The term embedded object is typically used synonymously
with plug-in. However, technically an embedded object
is any page element that is not standard HTML/XML,
web graphics, or other native Internet file. The line
between the two has become blurred as browsers evolve.
What was once a plug-in became a built-in feature.
For example shockwave/flash used to be a plug-in but
it has become so popular that many browsers now build
the function into the off-the-self package.
Plug-in
tips
Plug-ins can be powerful tools for giving your site
a unique and professional effect.
Many plug-ins are standard, although their current
version may not be, and many others are not. Try to
use plug-ins that the majority of your audience will
have. Also provide a means for those that do not to
still use your site.
External Search Engine
An external search engine allows searching of pages
across all sites on the Internet. Most users find
web sites using popular external search engines such
as Yahoo and AltaVista. There are thousands of external
search engines available for public use.
search engine tips
Most search engines allow you to add your site to
their database so users can find you.
Most search engines have affiliate programs that will
pay you to add a box for their SE to your site. You
will typically receive between $0.01 to $0.04 per
search performed by a user on your site.
Scripts/programs are available if you want to create
your own search engine. The software allows pages/sites
to be added to your engine so that it can be searched.
Focus Groups
A focus group is a selected set of people used to
test and evaluate a concept or product. Focus group
can be used in web site development to verify various
aspects of site design.
focus group tips
A focus group is an outstanding tool for validating
that your site is in alignment with your target audiences
needs.
Focus groups are most commonly 6 to 12 people made
up of a statistically proportionate representation
of a targeted demographic.
Form to E-mail Script
A web form to e-mail script is a simple mechanism
to implement a web form by turning the information
submitted into an e-mail. Web forms can be nice features
on a web site. However, they require some level of
programming on the server to handle the submitted
information. A form to e-mail script is an inexpensive
way of handling the data by writing it into an e-mail
and sending it to a recipient.
form to e-mail tips
It is more professional to have a web form verse an
e-mail link to direct your customer for input.
These scripts are so inexpensive, sometime even free,
that all but the most budget minded site should implement
them.
Graphics Designer
Web graphic designers create the visual elements of
a web site. Quality web graphics designers are experienced
in traditional design as well as digital media and
web compression formats. Professional graphics designers
can be invaluable to give your company's web site
an unique polished look. required experience
Logo design
Traditional media design
Web visual design
Vector image software
Raster image software
Web graphics production
web graphics designer tips
Many freelancers call themselves web designers because
they know PhotoShop and Illustrator. Their is a big
difference between being technically competent and
being able to produce a quality site.
Look for your resource's resumes to include a background
in print, multi-media and traditional design along
with marketing psychology.
Look for graphics designers that have an eye for balancing
good design with usability. Their are many freelancers
and firms that produce eye catching sites, yet are
not very usable from the end-users point of view.
Hit
A hit is a statistical term for a requested item from
a web server. While web page hits are mostly focused
on, hits can be measured for other types of requests;
graphics, CGI request, animations, etc. Web servers
log every hit that they receive.
hit tips
Note
that every graphic contained in a page creates its
own hit.
While all hits are of technical importance as a measure
of load on the server, page hits are of particular
importance analyzing user behavior on your site.
Hosting
Web hosting provides a HTML/XML server and networking
that allows the public Internet, or private Intranet,
to access your pages. The scripts for web applications
and e-commerce also reside on a hosting server. All
web sites must be hosted, whether on your own internal
servers or through the 3rd party hosting services.
hosting tip
If you don't have in-house technical web resources,
outsourcing your hosting is probably your best bet.
Much more economical, and typically more reliable,
than in-house hosting.
Interstitial Banner Ads
An interstitial banner ad is advertisement that appears
in a separate pop-up browser window. The advantage
to interstitial banners is that they can be large
(in byte size) while still allowing the main page
to load.
interstitial tips
Be careful of your strategy in using this type of
ad. While some studies show that click through rates
are higher, many people find this type of advertisement
annoying.
Java Applets
Java Applets are small compiled Java applications
that can be run within a web page. Java applets allow
the power of a true programming language to be executed
on the client-side (note: For security reasons some
Java features are not available for applets). Applet's
usefulness is extended by their ability to interact
with JavaScript.
Typical functions include:
Dynamic navigational drop-down and pop-up menus
Text manipulation such as scrolling text boxes
Advanced graphics animation
Keywords
Keyword phrases are the words and control symbols
used as query input for a database search. They are
most commonly used in reference to web page search
engines where the keywords describe the content the
searcher is seeking.
Many public SE's support more advanced Boolean searching
through control symbols. For example in the the phrase
'Paris Texas' -France
the quotes and minus symbol are control phrases. The
example looks for pages where Paris and Texas appear
together but does not have the term France in the
text.
keyword
tips
Most searches on the Internet use two to three words
without Boolean control.
Link Popularity
Link popularity describes the number and quality of
referral links that other domains have to yours. Link
popularity is important for site promotion as a way
to boost traffic to your site.
Link popularity assists in three ways:
When another site links to yours it is an opportunity
for a user to travel from that site to yours.
Search engine spiders will also use the links to find
your site and thus will index it more readily.
Many search engines will rank the pages on a web site
higher if it has a higher link popularity.
Search engines are placing increased weight on the
link popularity of a site for rankings.
link
popularity tips
It is important that the link text for referral links
contain proper keywords for your site. Thus people
who use the link will know what to expect. Additionally
many search engines will boot rankings for the keywords
used.
Many search engines take into account the popularity
of the site that is linking to you as an indicator
of the quality of the referral. Therefore, a few links
from popular sites can be more beneficial then many
from sites with low link popularity.
Links Programs/Management
A reciprocal links program is a service that creates
web pages that link to all member sites. All members,
in turn, periodically post the pages to their site.
Through this mechanism each member gets cross-linked
with each other. Thus, traffic can travel from one
site to another and link popularity is increased.
Marketing
Web site promotion refers to any activity that may
lead users to your site. Proper site promotion is
vital for creating a qualified Internet audience.
Marketing not only creates traffic for your site but
also targets your visitors, molds their expectations,
and enhances long-term branding.
promotion types
Online promotion Marketing done using the Internet
Search engine positioning Tailoring your web pages
to rank well with search engines for focused keywords
Referral links
Published linked advertising on other sites
Broadcast e-mail
Direct marketing via e-mail
Press releases
Promotional articles published in electronic news
sources
Non-linked promotion
General online advertising that does not link to a
site
Offline promotion Marketing though traditional means
Mass marketing Marketing to large segments of the
population, i.e. TV, radio, magazines
Press releases
Promotional articles published in mass media sources
Direct Marketing
Advertising to focused customer segments, i.e. Telemarketing,
direct mail, broadcast fax
Collateral marketing
Adding a web site ad to brochures, business cards,
presentations, etc.
Networking promotion
Personal marketing through relationship building
promotion tip
Web promotion and site design are not independent
processes. To maximize the effectiveness of your site,
many aspects of the design will need to be tailored
to meet marketing goals.
Site marketing should not be done independent of general
company or product marketing. The strategies and branding
should be aligned to create a cohesive
Mass E-mail
Broadcast e-mail sends text or web page advertisements
to a list of e-mail addresses. It is the Internet's
version of direct marketing.
Broadcast e-mail types:
Solicited (opt-in)
The recipient has given permission to have e-mails
sent to them.
Unsolicited
E-mail addresses are generated from a database of
new contacts.
broadcast e-mail tips
Whether solicited or unsolicited make sure your audience
is well targeted.
Be careful about sending unsolicited e-mails many
people will react negatively to the intrusion.
The effectiveness of your message will be greatly
enhanced with a special offer.
Always try to capture the e-mail of visitors to your
site so that you have a ready database of solicited
e-mail recipients
Merchant Account
Merchant accounts and processing gateways are Internet
services that enable online processing of credit cards.
Online merchant accounts are variations of the traditional
credit card processing used by retail stores and phone
order houses. A business must qualify for merchant
account; each provider has a different set of requirements.
Processing gateways are an intermediary to get card
information from your shopping cart to the merchant
account. Often processing gateways are packaged with
merchant accounts.
merchant
account tips
It can be difficult (and expensive) for some companies
to get merchant accounts directly from banks. While
there are brokers, beware of those promoting 'easy
entry' into e-commerce. There are often hidden fees
and conditions that can quickly add up.
Seek out providers that have experience in your industry.
It will be easier to get a quality arrangement.
With any merchant account you are responsible for
costly fraudulent activities and charge backs from
your customers. Protect yourself through disclaimers
and other legal instruments.
activities, time and costs estimates
The cost of merchant accounts and processing gateways
vary widely. Usually their is an up-front cost, monthly
charges, and per transactions fees (fixed and percent
of transaction).
Mission, Web Site
All web sites start with a vision. Successful web
sites seek to capitalize on specific opportunities
and/or to solve certain problems. To focus your vision,
for yourself and for others, a mission statement should
be created addressing central goals for the site.
Typical web site mission goals:
Broaden customer base
Increase sales to existing customers
Reduce cost of sales
Establish a professional identity
Improve relationships with vendors/partners
Increase employee productivity (Intranet)
Reduce cost of customer support
Create goodwill
Needs Analysis
The web site needs analysis is a process to identify
the requirement that must be satisfied for a web site
to be successful. This process starts by gathering
all pertinent information from a client company. Research
is then conducted to expand the breath of data. All
this information is then organized to assist the strategy
team to develop the web site concepts and requirements.
needs analysis process
Internal Needs
Needs from the company's perspective
End-User Needs
Needs from the customer's perspective
Competitive/Industry Drivers
Requirements to be competitive within your industry
required expertise
Web Strategist
Networking Promotion
Networking promotion refers to a broad range of activities
to market through interpersonal interactions. Adding
web promotion to your networking cost virtually nothing
yet can return powerful gains. The holy grail of networking
promotion is to get people not associated with your
company to promote the site to others because of its
quality and usefulness.
promotion types
Sales calls
Trade shows
Seminars and workshops
Word of mouth
promotion tips
Networking opportunities are everywhere. Train your
employees to take full advantage of them.
Every employee should rehearse a short verbal commercial
to draw potential customers to your site.
Your web site is your salesperson when you are not
in front of your customer; promote it that way.
Objective Goals
Objective goals are project expectations set to obtain
concrete and measurable results.
Objectives, Web Site
Web site objectives are metrics to determine if your
web site is successful in achieving its mission. Objectives
should be specific, measurable results you expect
from your site. For example, if your mission is to
broaden your customer base, an objective may be to
increase new customer sales by 10% in the first year.
Often it can be difficult to create well-defined objectives.
The objective may be difficult to measure, or it may
be unclear if other company activities are influencing
the results. However, focused objectives are vital
to the web site development cycle. They establish
your expectations for the site, both internally and
to outside consultants. The mission and objectives
form the framework for all project strategy and decisions.
objectives
tip
Keep your objectives SMART; Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Realistic, Time-limited.
Offline Promotion
Offline promotion is any marketing that does not occur
on the Internet. Traditional advertising such as magazines,
radio/TV, mailers, store displays, etc. are all examples.
Offline promotion has historically primarily promoted
a company or product, only adding a URL tag as an
afterthought. However, as the web has become more
popular more ads are emphasizing promotion of the
site and its features.
offline promotion types
Mass marketing
Marketing to large segments of the population, i.e.
TV, radio, magazines
Press releases
Promotional articles published in mass media sources
Direct Marketing
Advertising to focused customer segments, i.e. Telemarketing,
direct mail, broadcast fax
Collateral marketing
Adding a web site ad to brochures, business cards,
presentations, etc.
Networking promotion
Personal marketing through relationship building
Online Promotion
Online promotion is any activity that markets to users
on the Internet. Typically, online promotion drives
users, through advertising oriented links, from one
place on the Internet to your web site.
Online promotion is particularly effective because
your audience is already using the Internet and with
one click can be on your site. Additionally, online
promotion qualifies the customer and shapes their
expectations through the linking banner or headline
used.
promotion
types
Search engine positioning
Tailoring your web pages to rank well with search
engines for focused keywords
Referral links
Published linked advertising on other sites
Press releases
Promotional articles published in electronic news
sources
Broadcast e-mail
Direct marketing via e-mail
Non-linked promotion
General online advertising that does not link to a
site.
promotion tips
Search engine positioning and referral links can provide
complimenting results. You should look to achieve
a balance of both types to maximize success.
Packaged Web Applications
Packaged web applications are software that already
exists to provide specific functionality. These applications
usually have a significant cost savings; yet have
limited range of function compared to custom development.
Preprogrammed applications typically have some level
of customization to meet your specific needs. Shrink-wrapped
applications are available for the most common needed
web features.
application tips
Sometime you can get the source code for a packaged
application. This will allow the preset features to
be changed. While the changes will require the expense
of custom programming, it is often less expensive
than custom programming an app. from scratch.
examples
Form to e-mail
Search Engine
Message Forum
Mailing Lists
Account Manager
Page Coding
Coding is where the web pages are physically built.
web pages are coded by using HTML/XML markup tags
to format and layout text, graphics, hyperlinks, and
other page elements. Client-side scripting is also
included to make web pages more functional and dynamic.
development guide tip
Always follow HTML/XML standards and best practices
as established by W3C. Even though some browsers will
forgive coding mistakes, such errors may cause problems
on others.
required expertise
Web Page Developer
Search Engine Optimizer (optional)
Page Developers
Web page developers are responsible for assembling
creative and functional elements into a completed
web site. Page developers mostly work in HTML/XML
and client-side programming (i.e. JavaScript, VBScript),
yet must have a high-level understanding of all site
elements. They are a mix of creative designers and
programmers.
required experience
HTML/XML
markup
Client-side scripting
Server-side scripting interfaces
Web graphics formats
Typography
Multimedia formats
Pay Per Impressions/View/Exposure
Pay per impressions is a typical referral link/banner
ad arrangement where the site wanting to purchase
advertising space pays the hosting site for each time
it displays the ad. Typically, prices are set per
one thousand exposures. Software is added to the hosting
web server to track the number of impressions displayed.
Plug-in
A plug-in extends the abilities of a web browser.
They are small pieces of software that allow your
browser to display/execute additional files. Popular
plug-in enable your browser to display animation,
play audio and video, etc.
The term embedded object is typically used synonymously
with plug-in. However, technically an embedded object
is any page element that is not standard HTML/XML,
web graphics, or other native Internet file. The line
between the two has become blurred as browsers evolve.
What was once a plug-in became a built-in feature.
For example shockwave/flash used to be a plug-in but
it has become so popular that many browsers now build
the function into the off-the-self package.
Plug-in
tips
Plug-ins can be powerful tools for giving your site
a unique and professional effect.
Many plug-ins are standard, although their current
version may not be, and many others are not. Try to
use plug-ins that the majority of your audience will
have. Also provide a means for those that do not to
still use your site.
Preliminary Planning
Preliminary planning is a process that will start
you off in the best direction for moving your web
site from idea to reality. Planning refines your vision
and goals for your web site then helps you plan the
resources you will need to get started. web development
is a journey, you must know where your are, where
you want to go and how you can get there.
preliminary planning process
Mission
Define the vision for your web site
Objectives
Determine measurable goals for your site
Budgeting
Evaluate your site and set cost parameters
Development Team
Assemble the resources you will need for development
Preprogrammed Applications
Packaged web applications are software that already
exists to provide specific functionality. These applications
usually have a significant cost savings; yet have
limited range of function compared to custom development.
Preprogrammed applications typically have some level
of customization to meet your specific needs. Shrink-wrapped
applications are available for the most common needed
web features.
application tips
Sometime you can get the source code for a packaged
application. This will allow the preset features to
be changed. While the changes will require the expense
of custom programming, it is often less expensive
than custom programming an app. from scratch.
examples
Form to e-mail
Search Engine
Message Forum
Mailing Lists
Account Manager
Press Release
A press release is a news-style article that is distributed
for publication. Press releases can be targeted for
online electronic publications or offline print.
Publication of a press release is a three part process:
Write
article copy
Distribute to journalists and editors
If article is approved it is published
Press releases differ from mass marketing in that
a third party is used to judge and endorse the quality
of the information before printing. The format must
also differ from traditional advertising in that the
information must be news of interest verse purely
marketing copy.
press
release tips
While press releases can be very powerful, they require
a fair amount of expertise to execute properly. If
you do not have experience in the PR game, it is generally
best to use a professional.
Press releases have a secondary value as news for
your site. An article published about your company
and/or its web site in a respected publication provides
instant credibility.
Who and how the release is distributed is just as
important as the quality of the article. When working
with a consultant make sure both issues are considered
properly.
Primary Research
Primary research describes information gathered through
interaction with other people. Primary research can
be gathered through meetings, one-on-one interview,
focus groups, and surveys.
Processing Gateway, e-Commerce
Merchant accounts and processing gateways are Internet
services that enable online processing of credit cards.
Online merchant accounts are variations of the traditional
credit card processing used by retail stores and phone
order houses. A business must qualify for merchant
account; each provider has a different set of requirements.
Processing gateways are an intermediary to get card
information from your shopping cart to the merchant
account. Often processing gateways are packaged with
merchant accounts.
merchant
account tips
It can be difficult (and expensive) for some companies
to get merchant accounts directly from banks. While
there are brokers, beware of those promoting 'easy
entry' into e-commerce. There are often hidden fees
and conditions that can quickly add up.
Seek out providers that have experience in your industry.
It will be easier to get a quality arrangement.
With any merchant account you are responsible for
costly fraudulent activities and charge backs from
your customers. Protect yourself through disclaimers
and other legal instruments.
activities, time and costs estimates
The cost of merchant accounts and processing gateways
vary widely. Usually their is an up-front cost, monthly
charges, and per transactions fees (fixed and percent
of transaction).
Production Processing
Production processing makes site content 'web ready'.
Graphics are compressed into web formats, text are
translated into electronic form (if it is not already),
and multi-media are processed accordingly. While production
processing is a fairly strait-forward process it can
be time consuming.
processing tip
Provide your developers source material as web-ready
as possible. This will save time, money and lessen
translation errors.
Copy should be in text files rather than print, otherwise
they will have to be retyped or scanned with OCR software.
Graphics, such as logos, should be in digital formats
or at least camera-ready print; otherwise they will
have to be recreated.
Programming, Web
Web applications describes a broad range of software
that add dynamic functionality to web sites. Web programming
enables a wide variety of features from the basic,
i.e. visitor counters and button roll-overs, to the
highly complex, i.e. real-time stock trading and online
banking.
Application/programming categories:
Client-Side
Client-side scripting
Java applets
Embedded object scripting
Server-Side
Server-side scripts
Server pages
application development options
Packaged applications
Inexpensive (typically) preprogrammed scripts with
varying degree of customization
Custom applications
Custom designed software, fully customizable to your
specifications
Project Manager
The project manager is responsible for organizing,
delegating and tracking tasks to be completed in a
web site project. The manager is the focal point for
project communications, administrative issues, and
personnel concerns. The primary goal of the project
manager is to maintain web site quality while keeping
the project on time and on budget.
Promotion, Web Site
Web site promotion refers to any activity that may
lead users to your site. Proper site promotion is
vital for creating a qualified Internet audience.
Marketing not only creates traffic for your site but
also targets your visitors, molds their expectations,
and enhances long-term branding.
promotion types
Online promotion Marketing done using the Internet
Search engine positioning Tailoring your web pages
to rank well with search engines for focused keywords
Referral links
Published linked advertising on other sites
Broadcast e-mail
Direct marketing via e-mail
Press releases
Promotional articles published in electronic news
sources
Non-linked promotion
General online advertising that does not link to a
site
Offline promotion Marketing though traditional means
Mass marketing Marketing to large segments of the
population, i.e. TV, radio, magazines
Press releases
Promotional articles published in mass media sources
Direct Marketing
Advertising to focused customer segments, i.e. Telemarketing,
direct mail, broadcast fax
Collateral marketing
Adding a web site ad to brochures, business cards,
presentations, etc.
Networking promotion
Personal marketing through relationship building
Public Search Engine
An external search engine allows searching of pages
across all sites on the Internet. Most users find
web sites using popular external search engines such
as Yahoo and AltaVista. There are thousands of external
search engines available for public use.
Quality
Quality describes the overall value (both perceived
and real) of your web site from your audience's perspective.
Quality drives the value of your site. While many
people focus on aesthetics in judging quality, total
quality relates to all aspects of your site.
web site quality gauge
Basic:
Packaged template design, light promotion
Competitive:
Custom theme design, strategic planning, functional
features, moderate promotion
World-Class
Elite custom theme design, strategic planning, advanced
creative features, custom functional features, and
aggressive promotion
quality tips
Match your sites quality to its value; your investment
should match projected returns.
If the web offers little value to your company, basic
quality is appropriate.
If your are in a competitive industry with high customer
expectations enhanced quality may be required to achieve
your goals.
Perceptions are important but quality is not all about
aesthetics. It is about effectively meeting your customer's
true needs.
Reciprocal Links
Referral links are when another domain publishes a
hyperlink, usually with an advertising description/graphic,
to your site. Reciprocal links are when two, or more,
sites agree to publish referral links to each other.
Referral links can benefit site promotion is several
ways
Directly
creates traffic
Users can link from other sites to yours
Creates name recognition
Increases people's exposure to you when they view
your ad
Boosts search engine positioning
SE spiders will visit more often and your link popularity
is improved
referral link formats
Banner ads
Graphical (most common) or text links prominently
displayed on a site.
Favorite links page
Web page containing a list of links to recommended
sites
Reciprocal links programs
Web page containing a list of links to recommended
sites
E-mail referral links
Links published in a newsletter or other form of e-mail
message
Hidden links
Links that are not visible on a page. Used only to
boost link popularity and spider travel.
Many other forms of referral links exists. These are
some of the more popular forms.
referral
link compensation
Many forms of compensation for adding referral links
on a site. Below is a list of the more popular ones.
Pay
per impression
A site receives payment for each time they display
a link/ad
Affiliate Programs
Payment for click through or commissions on purchases
Reciprocal links
Both sites get a link to one another
Search Directory, Web Site
A web site search directory indexes a web site based
on an independent description of a site. While directories
perform many of the same functions of a web page search
engine, their indexing format is different. The main
difference is that directories do not spider your
site to gather information about it. Instead they
rely on a few text entries, typically a site title,
domain name, and description, to determine which keywords
describe your site.
Additionally, directories have hierarchical categories
in which contain the description of your site along
with others like yours. For example, a dry cleaning
site may be listed under "business > retail
> dry cleaning". Thus, users can find your
listings by clicking through categories or using a
search.
examples
Open Directory
Looksmart
Search Engine (SE)
A search engine allows people to find web pages/sites
that contain a given keyword phrase. When a user enters
and makes a query the engine returns the pages/sites
that it determines to best match the search criteria.
Each search engine has its own method of indexing
a page/site to determine which ones rank best.
search engine types
Web page search engine
Indexes the content of web pages
Web site search directory
Indexes text descriptions for a site
Note that most public search engines, i.e. Yahoo,
AltaVista, Lycos, actually use both a page search
engine and a directory.
search
engine scope
External search engine
Used to search pages/sites across multiple domains,
i.e. Yahoo, AltaVista
Internal search engine
Used to search pages within a web site.
examples
The following is a list of popular search engines.
Often these search engines are only portals to someone
else's database. For example, Yahoo maintains its
own directory for web site results yet uses Google
for its web pages results. Yahoo used to use Inktomi
for its web page results, which is used by Hotbot
and others.
AltaVista
Directory (by Looksmart) and search engine
Excite
Directory (by Looksmart) and search engine
Google
Search engine
Hotbot
Directory (by Open Directory) and search engine (by
Inktomi)
InfoSeek/Go
Search engine
Lycos
Directory (by Open Directory) and search engine (by
Fast & Direct Hit)
Open Directory
Directory
Yahoo
Directory and search engine (by Google)
The above is just a list of a few popular search engine,
there are literally thousands of search engines and
directories on the Internet.
Scoring
Search engine ranking refers to where a page falls
in the results returned by a SE for a given keyword
phrase. Search engines use a scoring algorithm to
rate results based on how often and where a keyword
appears on a page. For example, in general if a keyword
appears in the title (<title></title>)
it will rate higher then in a header (<h1></h1>)
which will rate higher then in normal body text. If
the keyword appears in all three it will generally
be rated higher then if it appeared in each one.
All search engines use a different algorithm for scoring.
Often other factors are important in addition to occurrences
of keywords in the text.
Examples
of other considerations are:
Link
popularity
How many sites are linking to your site
Number of pages
The total pages of your site may boost ranking
Name of page or domain name
If the searched keywords appear in the page name or
domain
ranking tips
The first step to quality rankings is to provide quality
content.
Site.
An internal search engine allows searching within
a site for pages containing certain keywords. Internal
SEs is particularly useful on large sites as an alternative
to hierarchal menus for site navigation. Many scripts/programs
are available to add searching capability to your
site.
search engine tips
It has been estimated that over half of web users
are search dominated versus hierarchy links dominate.
As your site becomes larger it is important to offer
both options.
All search engine's scripts have different features
and capacities. Use one that meets your needs today
and will in the future.
Spider
A spider is a program that browses (crawlers) web
sites extracting information for search engine databases.
Spiders can be summoned to a site through search engine
registration or they will eventually find your site
by following links from other sites (assuming you
have links from other sites).
spider tips
Spiders do not read pages as browser do. They generally
cannot execute JavaScript, including links performed
by scripting, or frames links.
While spiders will explore your site using hyperlinks,
they typically will only go so many levels deep. Therefore,
it is likely that a visiting spider may not index
your entire site. You may need to register multiple
pages with a search engine.
If you have sensitive information you do not want
indexed on a search engine you can use meta tags or
a special instruction file to block them from certain
pages.
Your web server logs can tell you when and what pages
a spider has visited.
Search Keywords
Keyword phrases are the words and control symbols
used as query input for a database search. They are
most commonly used in reference to web page search
engines where the keywords describe the content the
searcher is seeking.
Many public SE's support more advanced boolean searching
through control symbols. For example in the the phrase
'Paris Texas' -France
the quotes and minus symbol are control phrases. The
example looks for pages where Paris and Texas appear
together but does not have the term France in the
text.
keyword
tips
Most searches on the Internet use two to three words
without Boolean control.
Secondary Research
The Competitive Industry Drivers Analysis evaluates
the requirements for a web site based on the expectations
established by competitors and related industries.
The primary requirement for business success is to
meet your customers needs better than the competition,
on the Internet the goals are the same.
The competitive analysis first looks at direct competitors,
then expands to include indirect and potential competitors.
Research will focus on the quality and features of
these web sites to establish a set of baseline expectations
your site will need to meet (and beat) to be competitive.
required
expertise
Web Strategist
Activities
Basic
None
Standard
Secondary research
In-Depth
Expanded secondary research
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Search engine optimization is a set of techniques
that tailors your web pages to place well on search
engines. Each search engine uses different criteria
to determine how to rank web pages. Optimization formats
the content of a web page so that it best meets the
criteria of what a SE wants to "see" from
a page for top rankings.
optimization tips
Quality SEO uses a vast maze of techniques. For most
companies using an expert who knows the maze is the
best way to go.
Be careful with SEO, whether doing it internally or
using a consultant. Many popular techniques are considered
spamming or may be in the future. Search engines that
think you are spamming may permanently ban you.
Make sure your Page Developers understand SEO so that
they can build pages with the best chance of placing
well.
Server
A web server is a computer with special software to
host web pages and web applications. Web server's
traditional function has been to serve static HTML
(and more recently XML) pages. As the Internet has
become more functional, i.e. e-commerce and dynamic
sites, increasing emphasis is placed on a servers
ability to host web applications.
Many different servers are in use on the Internet.
Some of the more popular ones are:
Apache
Free open source server
Internet Information Server (IIS)
Microsoft's web server included with Windows NT/2000
Netscape Enterprise Server
Popular server runs on NT and UNIX
Server Pages
Server Pages describes a technology for embedding
scripts into web pages that can interact with the
web environment. Server pages provide virtually the
same dynamic abilities as server-side scripting. However,
because they are mostly standard web pages it is usually
easier for web designers to alter for non-dynamic
content. Server pages typically have a performance
advantage over CGI scripts (not Servlets).
Typical use of server-side programming:
Personalized page content to the user's needs
Enable the web browser to act as a database interface
Alter page content based on browser/OS platform
common serverpage types
ColdFusion
Popular scaleable web app.'s can be purchased for
most UNIX and WinNT servers
ASP (Active Server Pages)
Microsoft's version of a scaleable engine. Built into
Microsoft IIS
JSP (Java Server Pages)
Newer, very powerful platform. Built into some web
servers can be purchased for others.
scripting tips
Carefully select your server pages platform. While
each version can accomplish nearly identical functionality
some will be a better fit for where you are and where
your web future will be.
If you use 3rd party hosting check to see which server
pages they support and if there are any additional
costs.
Server Side Programming
Server-side programming describes any code/software/scripts
that are executed by the web server. Since these applications
reside on the server they can interface with other
server-side resources such as e-mail and databases.
Typical use of server-side programming:
Personalized
page content to the user's needs
Enable the web browser to act as a database interface
e-Commerce shopping carts
server-side programming types
Server-side scripts
Programs that build dynamic web pages
Server pages
Web pages that have scripts embedded to created dynamic
content
Scripting
Server-side scripts are small programs that reside
on the web server to interact with the web environment.
When browsers execute scripts that link to the code
file, the script will do its designed functions and
return a dynamically generated page.
Typical use of server-side programming:
Personalized
page content to the user's needs
Enable the web browser to act as a database interface
e-Commerce shopping carts
server-side scripting types
CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
Simple scripting mechanisms supported by practically
all web servers. Most commonly written in Perl, C/C++,
or Python.
Java Servlets
Ability to execute Java objects on the server. Newer,
less common technology but has dramatic performance
advantages over CGI.
scripting tips
When browsing the web you can typically tell that
a hyperlink is calling a script by the file extension.
Instead of the standard .html/.htm you will see .cgi,
.pl or other extension.
Many inexpensive, even free, scripts are available
to enhance your web site.
With most scripts the source code can be changed allowing
custom applications at a fraction of the costs.
Size, of Web Site
Web site size is generally described in number of
total site pages. The appropriate size of a site depends
on the organization, the message that needs to be
communicated and the amount of information that is
to be provided.
web site size gauge
X-Small: 1-8 pages
Small: 9-20 pages
Medium: 21-50 pages
Large: 51-100 pages
X-Large: 101-250 pages
XX-Large: 251+ pages
size tips
To determine the number of pages your site needs,
take the total number of words in your main text (count
articles and longer sections separately) and divide
by 100.
For very large sites it is often useful to organize
information into sub sites to aid users in finding
what they need.
Strategic Planning
Web site strategic planning maps a path for maximizing
the effectiveness of your web site. Strategic planning
directly impacts your web site's success as it forms
the framework for how your entire site is developed.
web strategic planning process
Preliminary Planning
Create web site mission, objectives, and resource
requirements to determine project scope.
Needs Analysis
Develop requirements from a company, customer, and
industry points of view.
Concept Development
Specify site concepts to achieve requirements.
required expertise
Web Strategist
Business exploration, facilitating, focus group design,
survey design
All Development Team Members
Concepts Creation
activities, time and costs estimates
Basic: 1 Week, $1,000
Preliminary planning session, concept meeting, internal
review, concept summary
| 