Business Plan Flow Diagram

Planning: How-To Take The Guesswork Out

Planning Your Web Site – No Guessing, No Fear

By David Ashley – Journey Internet / Director CS Development Group, LLC and
Gary A. Clark – Write4Me/ Director CS Development Group, LLC  

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry,” wrote Robert Burns – in a poem that is often quoted by those who avoid any reasonable time to planning or thinking about their web site.  Granted, not every perfectly constructed plan goes off according to the detail of its first inception.  However, I assure every businessperson reading this article – with an approach like the pessimistic planner, you will surely suffer the conclusion of this poem: “And forward, though I cannot see.  I guess and fear.” 

As strategizing is important to any business, it is no less important when it comes to planning the business web site.  Minimize the guessing and minimize the fear.  This article reviews five critical tips in planning a web site. 

Consult the Business and Marketing Plan

If the business and marketing plans include a web component, review these plans for currency and make any appropriate changes before proceeding.  If there is no business or marketing plan, or if the existing plan does not include a web component, start by creating one.  Think through how a web site fits into your business execution before getting started with building the web site.

These plans are the framework for the entire business.  They prove the viability of the business, give purpose, define goals and set the direction.  These documents are important.  They will answer the most fundamental questions:  Why do we need a web site?  Who do we want to attract as customers?  What are we expecting them to do?  What purpose will it serve for our business?  How much will it cost us and what do we expect in return?  

Create a Requirements Document

Although the business plan might define the purpose and goal of the website and in general terms outline its roll and even some of the features, it won’t give the detail required to construct and maintain the web site.  This is the purpose of a requirements document. 

The Requirement Document is a detailed technical description or blueprint of what is to be included in the definition and functions of the site.  It usually has process flow diagrams, a site map, and technical specifications.  This is the information a web developer needs to build the site and what can be used in the process of finding a web developer to offer a proposal for the work. 

Each area and page of the website is described here in detail.  If the website has a database backend, the requirements document will detail the use, handling and disposition of the data.  It will outline security requirements, login authentication requirements, architecture, the desired development platform and even the web server specifications. 

It should contain detailed information on any multimedia components.  If there are any necessary timelines, the requirements document is the place to list them.  Essentially, every detail of the web site should be contained in this document.  This document can also be used as part of the post-launch technical document package for historical and life-cycle purposes.

Rely on Professionals

A common mistake is to trust the work of building a web site to the inexperienced.  The temptation is to find the least expensive way of getting the work done.  Much time and money is lost having to redo these sites because they suffer performance and capability losses, reputation loss, and ultimately revenue losses, all because someone selected the lowest bidder. 

The solution is to hire a professional with the demonstrated ability to do this work within a reasonable budget.  It will save you much time and money in the long term.  The web professional should submit a detailed and well-written proposal – not fluff, just a good solid and proven approach.  They should have references and work examples.  Executing due diligence here in proportion to the expected return is important.

Collect and Analyze Data

After the web site is built, many site owners neglect to build in performance indicators from which to gage expected outcomes.  For instance, from the marketing effort there should be measuring points like landing pages to determine real traffic numbers at specific time frames.  This is also assuming you are working to drive business to your website.  If you are passively waiting for your site to sell for you, you are going to wait a long time for results. 

A good web site analytics software package will go a long way in determining success and failure of a web site.  This tool will reveal the volume of visitors, entry pages, navigation paths, time on site, search words used, downloads, and a whole array of important traffic information that can be used to determine the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, content and navigation construction, and the general build of the web site.

Usability studies are also quite revealing in determining actual visitor behaviors on the web site.  Another method of data collection is feedback surveys.  Gather as much data as you can and set up a routine to analyze that data at certain intervals (monthly, quarterly, etc) to determine the need for any changes to the web site.  But don’t expect the surveyors to do your work for you.  You have to keep up with trends and changes your market is demanding. 

Make Fact-Based Changes

Another common mistake is to make changes to the web site based on very limited information.  If a single person calls to complain about not finding a link on the site, the best thing to do is to take a note and wait for more data instead of rushing to fix something that may not be a problem for most people. 

Aside from the more critical technical issues that demand immediate responses, the temptation is to work up a technical answer with every complaint.  But the reality is that there are too many factors that will prevent you from economically or logistically doing this.  The general rule is to make changes that are fact-based on reliable and adequate data that satisfies 90% or more of your customer base.  Obviously, this line at 90% is somewhat of an arbitrary number; your business will determine where your cutoff should be. 

No doubt, the web site must progress, and the site owner should expect to make changes on a routine and continuing base – but avoid doing any changes based on a hunch or on limited information.  Never make any significant changes without a plan, which takes us back to the first tip. 

Conclusion

Plans can go awry sometimes.  But with enough fore thought and flexibility in the plan, the guesswork and fears are diminished.  However, no planning will surely cause a web project to go awry.  To better ensure your next web site won’t go bad, consider the five tips offered in this article.

About the Author

Gary Clark is a freelance commercial writer whose services span two continents. He has been writing for and consulting with companies about their market communications for over 25 years. His website at http://Write4Me.net has additional articles for use by the business publisher. He can be reached by e-mail at GAClark@Write4me.net or by phone at 719-536-0505. —- David Ashley is a veteran with 20 years of USAF experience in communications and technology with a degree in Electronic Systems Technology and Liberal Arts.

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