Website planning

There are five steps to a successful website - and we can help you with them all!

1    Planning

Before you go out to tender to find a good website designer/developer, it is essential you are clear about what you want your website to do for you, your organisation, or your business. You need to prepare a brief which will ensure the resulting website works for you - not the designer! Planning well can save you a lot of problems - and money - in the long run.

How the website developer responds to your brief will help you decide who to choose to do the work. All creative people will tell you that they achieve the most for clients who know what they want, and are very clear about the brief.

• Clarify what the website aims to achieve (its 'call to action') and how that will be evaluated
• Agree WHO the website is aimed at, WHAT information they are seeking and HOW the new website will meet that demand
• Finalise core 'sections' (pages) of the proposed website and what information those pages will contain, and in what format (eg simple text and links, interactive listings, images, documents to print off, interactive map etc)
• Create a schematic 'web map' showing core sections, sub-pages (drop-down lists) and internal links (what goes where)
• Consider what you might need in terms of, for example, sign-up forms for newsletters, news links, a blog, e-commerce requirements, password-protected elements
• Agree Content Management System (CMS) requirements which allows you, the client, to maintain and update the content of the website in future.
• If you don't already have one, develop a design identity/logo/branding as this will lead the design of the website (eg colours, fonts)

2    Content development

Prepare introductory text for the Welcome/Home page and for each section and gather any required files – images (all images will need to be copyright-free or used with written permission from image owner), Word documents, pdfs etc) for each section. Writing for websites has its own rules and needs to encourage Search Engine Optimisation. Text needs to be kept to a minimum but should be informative and authoritative, with links to more information if required.

3    Website design & development

Using everything you have agreed during your planning process, draw up a detailed brief for a website developer to respond to. Include your schematic web map, some samples of the sort of website style you like (and a couple you don't!). Ask around for recommendations - or ask us!

4    Launch of website and web optimisation

Launching a website needs to be supported with a marketing campaign to tell people it's there - in addition to working on your search engine optimisation (SEO) to ensure your website comes out on top in searches. SEO can need some expert support from webmarketeers, but understanding what your customers or clients are looking for, and then including key words, is ultimately is at the heart of it. There are free analytics programs available to help you understand how people are reaching your site, and what they do once they get there.

5    Maintaining & updating website

Websites need maintaining in terms of the 'back room' techie stuff, but above all, they need to be kept regularly updated with new information. A content management system which allows you, the client, to update the website is fantastic - so long as you have the time and resource to update it. Be realistic about that; you will need to spend some time every week (and in terms of a e-commerce, every day and potentially every hour of the day) to keep it interesting and relevant.

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Marketing materials

Ten questions to help you

With many years' experience working closely with expert designers and printers, we offer you the support you need to produce any publication - from researching and writing the text, commissioning powerful photographs, through design to final print and distribution.

We will work with you to decide which sort of publication will best meet your needs in order to communicate in the most effective way with your target audiences.

From annual reports to interactive e-newsletters, from banners and stands for conferences to promotional postcards and other 'giveaways' let us help you get the best deals for the most effective resources.

Before you consider producing marketing materials, ask yourself the following ten questions:

1. What do you want your marketing to achieve? What is the 'call to action'? People need to see what they need to do if they're interested in your product or service.

  Will the call to action be to email or phone to find out more, or to visit your website for more details? If you have a website, is it up to date? If potential customers visit your website, have you considered how to 'capture' their information for future contact?

  Note: your existing business branding (logo, font, colours) should be reflected throughout all your marketing materials including your website and any printed or virtual documents. Ensure your messages are consistent across all your marketing (website, brochures etc).

2. What is your offer? What is your Unique Selling Proposition; what makes your service or business different from your competitors, how do you stand out from the crowd? Experience, cost, added value, locality…? Could your leaflet include a discount/special offer or signpost to a discount on your website? People need motivation to take action.

3. Who are your target customers? Try not to be too vague 'anyone over 20 with a pulse…'; your business plan should already identify your potential customer base.

  Once you are clear about who your potential customers are, you can be more precise about how your business or service is going to fulfil the needs of your customers. Potential customers want to know: "What's in it for me?" Your marketing needs to tell them, quickly and powerfully, how your product or service will make their life better/easier/more profitable

4. If you are already established as a business, what words do your existing customers use to describe your service or business?

  Do you have, or can you supply, brief testimonials from (named) existing customers which you can use in your marketing? If you have well-known existing clients whose company logos might be recognised, would they be prepared to let you use their logo to illustrate their testimonial?

5. If relevant, do you have powerful print-quality copyright-free photographs (not stock photos) of you, your team, or of your products or services which can be used and would enhance your marketing materials? If not, would you be prepared to commission professional photography?

6. Where and how do you think your potential customers will see or pick up your marketing materials? What are your distribution plans? Will you need leaflet dispensers? If you are planning a postal mail-out, do you have a reliable database? If you are planning to hand out marketing materials at events/conferences, do you also need a pull-up banner to enhance your visibility?

7. In addition to traditional printed marketing materials, have you considered creating a 'virtual' (pdf) version or e-newsletter which can be emailed and can include hyperlinks to your website (resulting in a better opportunity to capture information and convert interest into sales)?

8. How are you going to maintain stocks of printed materials? Have you considered how many you will need? While there are economies of scale in bulk print buying, you don't want thousands of unused leaflets still in boxes two years hence.

  Keep the information on the leaflet as timeless as possible: set up email addresses from your website, use a telephone number which will not change, decide on a url for your business website that will not change.

9. Will you be embarking on a wider promotional campaign? Have you considered targeted advertising and PR?

10. How will you evaluate the success of your marketing materials? Do you have a system whereby you ask clients how they heard about you/where they picked up your leaflet etc? Your website should provide this information in analytics software for website visitors.

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