Web Solution Team :: Creating Internet Solutions for Business

Dream - the discovery phase

Time to brainstorm. In this discovery phase, the goals of your web site will be clearly defined. The range and scope of your content and functionality will be determined. Once this has been determined, we will work with you to mold your goals and ideas into a tangible site structure. If there has been any previously developed media such as company logo, letterhead or marketing materials that you wish to be

carried through to your web presence, those materials should be delivered during this phase so they can be incorporated into the early stages of web site development. The steps below will help you think through this important process.


1. Write down your marketing objective. Is it to generate leads? Build brand recognition? Build a database of names with e-mail addresses? Give your business a storefront on the Web? Put your product catalog online to eliminate the time and expense of mailing print catalogs?

2. Now quantify your objectives. Do you think having a presence on the web can increase your sales 10% to 15%? Are you looking to attract a million visitors a month? If you don't know what these numbers should be, make your best guess.

3. Make sure your web site has the information your visitors need to make a decision and take the action you want them to take. If you are selling a product, the prospect won't buy unless there's a clear description of each product along with its features and benefits. If you are selling a service, the prospect must be able to get a price on the site or at least be given a phone number to call for an estimate.

4.The prospect must be able to get all his questions answered while on your site. The easiest way to do this is with an FAQ, or "Frequently Asked Questions" page. The FAQ lists the most common questions visitors ask, along with the answers. A number of software products now allow visitors to interact with a customer service rep while viewing sites either via e-mail or on the telephone.

5. Create your content inventory. Organize the content for your site and define the basis for your site's structure. Start out simply - creating basic pages and define the relationships between each. For example, organize all your company background, executive profiles and press releases into an About Us section. Sketch out your site structure to keep you organized and focused when you begin building your pages.

6. Add strategic hyperlinks and site maps to guide visitors to where they want to go and also to where you want them to go. For instance, if you sell mixers and have an articles library on mixing, you might put links on the articles about particular applications to the description of the particular model mixer that handles each application best. Don't be afraid to aggressively lead the visitor toward the solution you want to sell, not just the nice free stuff you give away.

7. Study competitive sites carefully. Creatively select site features and web techniques they are using to sell products similar to yours. There's no need to reinvent the wheel. This is particularly useful for structure and content suggestions.

8.Take a tip from the Yellow Pages.When people open the Yellow Pages, they have an immediate need and are looking for a solution. So the ads are heavy on content, light on fancy design or marketing fluff.Your site visitor may not have as immediate a need as the Yellow Pages user, but she still has some interest or she wouldn't have come to your site. So while prize-winning web design is fine, copy and content that sell are even more important.