Castles in the Sky

July 2006

Castles in the Sky

We all prize a business location that is convenient for our existing customer base – attracts a high number of new potential customers and offers us the facilities we need at a competitive price.

The goal of any web site is to achieve those same objectives on the roads and streets of the worldwide web – a castle in the sky if you will.

This is a introduction to creating a presence on the web for businesses looking at building their first web site or those looking to launch an e-business.  It outlines an approach for developing a clear web strategy and outlines some of the key considerations that are often overlooked (that are often difficult and expensive to put right at a later date).

Web Strategy

Is the creation of a clear vision of what you want your web site to achieve both now and in the future and the steps necessary to execute that vision.

By envisioning your web site as your business premises on the web you can more clearly identify your requirements.

Your Business Premises on the Web

Building a web site is akin to selecting commercial premises. Your physical premises provide a location where customers can visit you, obtain advice and purchase your goods or services. 

Your web site is the virtual equivalent of your premises – it must therefore be appropriate for the size and nature of your business. 

Domain names are your street location / post office and web based communication system.

Hosts are your virtual landlords providing you with land, parking spaces and basic utilities etc.

Web Designers are the architects and interior designers

Web Developers are the builders

As with real property – websites can be

• bought pre-built (purchased complete from another business)
• ‘do-it-yourself’
• economy templates (kit set homes)
• customisable templates (bought off plan)
• standard plans (builder designed)
• custom (architect designed)

Whilst a standard retail unit may suit a number of shops – certain businesses will always need custom fit-out.

Web promotion is a combination of your advertising and marketing campaigns, signage and window displays.

By using the analogy of commercial premises it is easy to identify some of the issues that may arise on the web – you wouldn’t leave your warehouse unlocked / a property without resource consent is un-saleable / you wouldn’t build on someone else’s real estate / what happens if the landlord increases the rent etc.

We will now look at the components of a web presence with some practical hints and tips.

Domain Names

Are your street location / post office and web based communication system.

The general rule for selecting domains names is to acquire an easy to remember (and spell*) name that reflects your brand. 

If possible or if it is a new business - it is desirable to register your domains in conjunction with registering your company this provides a consistent brand and is easier to acquire domains that have been acquired by squatters.

* If your customer cannot spell the domain name then consider registering alternate spellings and have those domains point to the correct address.

Where possible register .com / .net and the .co domains for countries you want to do business with. As a minimum check that the equivalent .com / .net domains do not contain competitive or unsavoury data.  i.e. somecompany.co.nz is free but somecompany.com is an ‘adult’ site.

Check the NZ Intellectual property website and more importantly check the US trademark office for global trademarks – a lawsuit is not the best way to launch a website.

Whilst this sounds simple even experienced people get this wrong – an experienced IT professional in the UK set up a company ‘Java….’ – since JAVA is a trademark of SUN Microsystems he was hit with a law suit and forced to close both the web site and company.

A domain registrar is a company that will register your domain names.  Whilst many of these offer a cheap service it is critical to check whether there are additional fees if you later want to move the domains to another supplier. (In the UK .com registration can be as low as a few pounds however moving the domain can incur fees in excess of £100 if you select the wrong supplier).

Hosting

There is much debate on the web about the relative merits of Linux versus Windows hosting.

As a general rule Linux hosting is cheaper (as there are no Microsoft server fees).  There is no difference in the type of websites that can be hosted on either platform. 

The distinction between the platforms is usually only really relevant when you are building a more complex database driven website. 

Linux based sites tend to use a ‘MySQL’ database which is free and uses PHP (a web programming language) to generate dynamic web content.  PHP is open source technology and there are many ‘free’ components e.g. discussion forums etc that can be incorporated into your site.

Microsoft servers incorporate support for MS Access and SQL server databases. Active Server Pages (ASP) are use to build dynamic web content.  Similarly there are many free or cheap ASP components that can be incorporated into an ASP site.  .NET (dot net) technology provides an enhanced version of ASP with improved functionality but at additional cost. 

For ‘do it yourself’ web design Microsoft servers provide support for web pages developed in ‘FrontPage’.

For websites where handling of image data is more critical - Linux and open source technology is more developed and cost effective. Where your other business systems (accounts / inventory etc) are Microsoft based a Microsoft platform may provide easier integration to these systems. In many cases the selection of platform is likely to be down to the skills / preference of your builder.

The key considerations for your web host are:

A company that has been in business for a period of time.

A company that guarantees it’s uptime. (the difference between 99% and 99.99% uptime is potential 4 days of downtime p.a. vs. 90mins)

A company that has it’s own real servers (a lot of cheaper hosts share time in the US etc which makes fixing an issue difficult.)

A host that provides options for upgrading your site as you grow.

Customer service and recommendations from existing users.

Website Planning

In planning a website we need to answer 5 questions :

What should it look like from the outside – what is the initial impact of the site

What should the look and feel of the site be – i.e. the internal ambience of the site

What facilities does the site offer – are will selling goods / services / advice etc

How does the customer navigate the site

How does the customer communicate with a real person

The answer to these questions is unique for every business – the following provides some examples to illustrate each point:

The cardinal rules isAlways put yourself in the customers / visitors shoes.

Remember :

• If a page doesn’t load in less than 15 seconds they will click away
• If the client cannot access the information in less than 3 clicks they will go elsewhere
• Once someone doesn’t like a site they are unlikely to ever visit again
• “Stickiness” – provide content that will get your visitors to come back frequently

What should it look like from the outside

In much the same way as the real world a new customer will only enter your premises if they are interested in what you provide or sell.  The first question every site must answer is who are you and what do you do?  This will also form the basis for how you are listed on search engines.

Make a clear statement about what you do and how your business is different.

Choose a website format that is appropriate for your business –

• if you are an on-line shop you need to show your specials offers / promotions and new stock prominently
• if you are a service provider you need to detail your uniqueness and ensure that it is easy for the client to contact you / or you them
• if you are in a design focused business – the site needs to showcase those skills

What should the look and feel of the site be

There is no definitive guidance that can be given on this as one visitor may love a website / another may hate it.  However, it is good practice to go for a professional image unless your business demands an alternative approach. Remember few people object to a well lit reception area with comfortable seating with a friendly receptionist.

You should consider what your target market is likely to be impressed by.  Images should be used carefully and sparingly. Flash animation should be avoided unless your business dictates a visual approach – some corporate and personal firewalls will block Flash sites

Check what your competitors do both well and badly – you do not need a flash fully animated site to sell socks – you may need a well designed graphically site with sound if you are showcasing your talents as a DJ.

What facilities does the site offer

As with any physical business – once the client has established that you may be the right business and entered your site the next key questions they need answering are usually:

• Do you sell / provide x ?
• How much does it cost ?

Make a clear statement about what you provide via the web-site and what further goods / services you offer via phone etc.

Consider

“We provide washing machine parts – email us with your requirements”

vs.

“We provide a full range of washing machine parts for most manufacturers including X…..,

use our search engine to locate your part and purchase on-line (items are dispatched within 2 working days).  Can’t find the part you are looking for call our freephone number for our free part locator service.”

We can assume that the person looking for a washing machine part has some idea of how to replace the item OR is trying to source the item on the web at a more effective price than the local plumber.

In the first case the visitor can establish that the company may have the part he is looking for but it requires him to take further action and give out his email.  They have no idea as to whether the price of the product is competitive = They will only use this vendor if other routes fail.

In the second case the visitor can quickly establish if their make of washing machine is included.  They can locate the part and view the price immediately and if the part isn’t listed there is a free option to track the part down if it is an older model etc = This site is likely to generate a purchase unless there are multiple similar sites listing the product at a cheaper price or it is dearer than their original quote.

Fundamentally there is no difference between the 2 businesses – in fact the first supplier may be cheaper. However, people are ‘time poor’ and take the option that requires the least effort on their part.

The second website more clearly defines what it provides via the web-site

How does the customer navigate the site

When a customer arrives at your premises he is greeted at the door.  In retail you have staff to field questions and direct customers to the right aisle and product.  On the web the customer needs to find the product themselves.

Your website needs to provide a clear mechanism for the customer to find the product or service. – Think very carefully as to how you would find the product if you were a new customer.

Key considerations are:

Clear navigation menus

Site maps

Search engines if appropriate

On-line support if appropriate

How does the customer communicate with a real person

As we have previously noted – the web does not provide real people – at some point the visitor may wish to communicate with a real person. Phone and Email is not the only way.

Web forms can get a more targeted question from the visitor and do not require your email account to divulged.

On-line chat and help applications or VOIP eg Skype can let your customers talk to you via the web.

FAQ and help screens can eliminate many obvious questions

Feedback forms and discussion boards improve your website and provide another method of communicating with visitors.

The set-up of good communications is a matter of personal preference – an on-line store should have minimal dialogue with the client – a service provide may wish to build a physical connection to generate further sales opportunities.

The key thing is to make it as easy for the visitor as possible.

If you have detailed answers to the preceding 5 questions – you should have an excellent outline of what your website should look like.