Chapter Fourteen Marketing Site Development: Content, Design, and Construction
Chapter Fourteen Learning Objectives • To examine issues that must be considered prior to web site development • To identify content issues that affect site development decisions • To understand how web site design can advance site marketing goals • To explain the impact of construction issues on web site effectiveness Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Site Fundamentals • An enterprise shows its face to the public through its web site • Each web site is unique • Sites should not promise more than they can deliver • Sites evolve – – Information only Interactive Transaction Community Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Site Fundamentals (cont’d) • Web marketing site development involves decisions about CDC – Content – Design – Construction • CDC decisions are related, should be made concurrently Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Site Fundamentals (cont’d) Figure 14 -1: Developing Web Marketing Sites Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Site Fundamentals (cont’d) • Web marketing sites are composed of two linked sectors • Upfront – What customers see and experience • Backend – Not seen – What makes the site function Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Site Fundamentals (cont’d) Development costs vary greatly and depend on such factors as • Goals • Timing • Targets • Budget • Content • Backend • Size • Tasks Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7
Site Fundamentals (cont’d) • Privacy and security should be planned • Site usability should be tested and retested • Usable sites offer familiar features and design elements • Sites should be consistent • Redesigns must be considered • Update process must be considered Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Web Site Content • On the web, content is king • Content shelf life varies • Most sites are still heavily text based • Information should be chunked • Keep text and nonverbal simple • Content can be generated in-house or from other sources Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Web Site Design • The way a site looks and feels • Structure, organization • Visual and increasingly aural • Combination of aesthetics and usability • Web site atmospherics should be carefully created • Flow aesthetics guide page progression Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Web Site Design (cont’d) Layout Issues • • • Heading Typeface Alignment Text blocks Tables • Tables • Frames • Site map • Colors • • Menus FAQs Visual axis Feedback • Search Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 11
Web Site Design (cont’d) • Graphics and animation should be limited • Some target markets need special consideration Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 12
Web Site Construction • Content must be coded • Backend construction must work smoothly – Shopping baskets should be tested and retested • Security is also a construction issue • A web site is not online until pages are loaded on a server Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.