David Meerman Scott had a great article over on his blog about web site design titled Great web sites mix art and science posted below, and is worth a the read when thinking about a new web site. Of particular note, understand the persona of your prospects.
Here are the five important elements that you must artfully bring together to create a great Web site:
Strategy: I’m convinced that the key to all marketing is to understand buyer personas. (Buyer personas also include those who may donate, subscribe, join, or vote). Armed with a) information about buyer personas and b) your marketing goals will reveal your strategy.
Content: The content you offer (text, images, video, research reports, webinars, ebooks, white papers, charts, graphs, and more) is the most critical (and most frequently downplayed) element of your site.
Design: As you think about design, consider your organization’s personality and how design works to enhance your image.
Technology: Obviously an essential element is what technologies will be used at the back end.
Measurement: Once you launch your site you need to measure and make improvements. It is best to build measurement capabilities into the new site from the start.
A well-executed Web site, like a classical music concert, is an effective combination of many elements.
But on the Web, many organizations spend much more effort on the design and technology aspects than on the content itself. Don’t fall into that trap.
Perfecting that critical mix of strategy, content, design, technology, and measurement is where the art comes in.
If you’re considering working with agencies to help build your site, make certain that you know where their bias lies. If you are planning to use an advertising agency, then you need to know about digital masturbation. Is your agency a design agency? Then you need to assert the strategy and content elements as being critical because your agency will drive everything based on design.
Adding personality and authenticity and reaching particular buyer personas makes the challenge even more daunting.
Just remember, there is no absolute right or wrong way to create a Web site; each organization has an individual and important story to tell.
Eric’s background is rooted in the rental and real estate industries. He founded metro Detroit’s Urbane Apartments in 2003, after serving as senior vice president for a major Midwest apartment developer. He established a proven track record of effectively repositioning existing rental properties in a way that added value for investors while enhancing the resident experience.
He also established The Urbane Way, a social media marketing and PR laboratory, where innovative marketing ideas are tested. Eric has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and Business Week Magazine.
You can connect with Eric_Urbane on Twitter.
Eric also writes regular articles for the following publications;
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