What makes a good website?
18 November 2008, East City Library
Alan Holding
Manchester Digital Development Agency
manchesterdda.com
1

This workshop is 1 of 5
18 Nov What makes a good website
25 Nov Payment systems
2 Dec Attracting customers – Marketing and
Social Networks
9 Dec Attracting customers – Search Engine
Optimisation & Advertising
16 Dec Stay Legal
2

What Iʼm going to talk about
1. Why have a website?
2. Differences between online and offline shops
3. Differences between global brands and small
business websites
4. Elements of a good website – design, layout…
5. Coffee break
6. Developing a website specification
7. Some quick tips – domain names, keeping a ʻlever
arch fileʼ for your website, statistics
3

Online Xmas shopping in 2008
British shoppers will spend more than £1 billion
online each week in the run up to Christmas.
A forecast by IMRG and Capgemini has
suggested that £13.16 billion will be spent on
internet shopping in the final quarter of the year,
an increase of 15 per cent compared to 2007.
Monday, December 8th has been predicted to be
the most lucrative day for online shopping, with
sales expected to total £320 million.
Source: IAB UK http://is.gd/7Xz9
4

Why have a website?
Raise brand awareness
Provide information on your products and
services
Give customers a way of contacting you
Sell products or services online
Collect data about your clients for later use
5

Why have a website?
Raise brand awareness
Provide information on your products and
services
Give customers a way of contacting you
Sell products or services online
Collect data about your clients for later use
6

Why have a website?
Raise brand awareness
Provide information on your products and
services
Give customers a way of contacting you
Sell products or services online
Collect data about your clients for later use
7

Why have a website?
Raise brand awareness
Provide information on your products and
services
Give customers a way of contacting you
Sell products or services online
Collect data about your clients for later use
8

Why have a website?
Raise brand awareness
Provide information on your products and
services
Give customers a way of contacting you
Sell products or services online
Collect data about your clients for later use
9

Differences between…
Online shop Offline shop
Open all the time Tends to have fixed
opening hours
Available to anyone Number of customers
anywhere they can can be dependent on
access the internet location
Shopping is facilitated Face-to-face interaction
by technology - there is is a big part of the
NO personal contact process
10

Differences between…
Global brand Small business
They donʼt have to People on the internet
explain who they are might not know who
they are
People are usually very Has to explain who
clear on what services they are, what they do
or products that brand
represents Has to work harder to
make themselves stand
out
11

Elements of a good website
Design Layout
Content Usability
12

Why are these important?
A well Good
designed, = customer
usable experience
website
13

Design
Consistent look and feel – website design
follows your “corporate brand”
Good use of images
A sense of professionalism
14

Design
Consistent look and feel – website design
follows your “corporate brand”
Good use of images
A sense of professionalism
15

Design
Consistent look and feel – website design
follows your “corporate brand”
Good use of images
A sense of professionalism
16

Layout
Make it easy to find your way around the site
Position your key messages correctly
People usually scan web pages not read them
Evaluate regularly and change things that donʼt
work!
17

Layout
Make it easy to find your way around the site
Position your key messages correctly
People usually scan web pages not read them
Evaluate regularly and change things that donʼt
work!
18

Layout
Make it easy to find your way around the site
Position your key messages correctly
People usually scan web pages not read them
Evaluate regularly and change things that donʼt
work!
19

Layout
Make it easy to find your way around the site
Position your key messages correctly
People usually scan web pages not read them
Evaluate regularly and change things that donʼt
work!
20

A note about screen sizes
The most common monitor resolution is 1024 x 768
Keep this is mind when having your website
designed
Remember to keep your most important messages
at the top, so people donʼt have to scroll down
pages to see them
21

A note about screen sizes
The most common monitor resolution is 1024 x 768
Keep this is mind when having your website
designed
Remember to keep your most important messages
at the top, so people donʼt have to scroll down
pages to see them
22

A note about screen sizes
The most common monitor resolution is 1024 x 768
Keep this is mind when having your website
designed
Remember to keep your most important messages
at the top, so people donʼt have to scroll down
pages to see them
23

Content
Content is the stuff on your website – words,
pictures, video, audio, forms, error pages, etc.
Your website IS driven by content.
Avoid complex language – use plain language
and say what you see!
Know your audience.
Check for spilling messtakes.
24

Content
Content is the stuff on your website – words,
pictures, video, audio, forms, error pages, etc.
Your website IS driven by content.
Avoid complex language – use plain language
and say what you see!
Know your audience.
Check for spilling messtakes.
25

Content
Content is the stuff on your website – words,
pictures, video, audio, forms, error pages, etc.
Your website IS driven by content.
Avoid complex language – use plain language
and say what you see!
Know your audience.
Check for spilling messtakes.
26

Content
Content is the stuff on your website – words,
pictures, video, audio, forms, error pages, etc.
Your website IS driven by content.
Avoid complex language – use plain language
and say what you see!
Know your audience.
Check for spilling messtakes.
27

Content
Content is the stuff on your website – words,
pictures, video, audio, forms, error pages, etc.
Your website IS driven by content.
Avoid complex language – use plain language
and say what you see!
Know your audience.
Check for spilling messtakes.
28

Usability
If customers canʼt use your website to do stuff,
even if the website looks nice, is it doing its job?
Remember that customers come to your website
to carry out a specific task – find out who you
are, buy something from you, etc.
The design of your website should help
customers do those tasks.
Test the website.
What happens when things go wrong. Do you
know when things go wrong?
29

Usability
If customers canʼt use your website to do stuff,
even if the website looks nice, is it doing its job?
Remember that customers come to your website
to carry out a specific task – find out who you
are, buy something from you, etc.
The design of your website should help
customers do those tasks.
Test the website.
What happens when things go wrong. Do you
know when things go wrong?
30

Usability
If customers canʼt use your website to do stuff,
even if the website looks nice, is it doing its job?
Remember that customers come to your website
to carry out a specific task – find out who you
are, buy something from you, etc.
The design of your website should help
customers do those tasks.
Test the website.
What happens when things go wrong. Do you
know when things go wrong?
31

Usability
If customers canʼt use your website to do stuff,
even if the website looks nice, is it doing its job?
Remember that customers come to your website
to carry out a specific task – find out who you
are, buy something from you, etc.
The design of your website should help
customers do those tasks.
Test the website.
What happens when things go wrong. Do you
know when things go wrong?
32

Usability
If customers canʼt use your website to do stuff,
even if the website looks nice, is it doing its job?
Remember that customers come to your website
to carry out a specific task – find out who you
are, buy something from you, etc.
The design of your website should help
customers do those tasks.
Test the website.
What happens when things go wrong. Do you
know when things go wrong?
33

sensible.com
34

Examples…
35

boomkat.com
36

www.flickr.com
37

waterstones.com
38

www.barnardcastlelife.co.uk
39

apple.com/uk
40

www.coca-cola.com/template1/index.jsp?locale=en_GB
41

moo.com
42

www.jeffreysgroup.co.uk/home.html
43

crowdspring.com
44

www.traditionalpaving.co.uk
45

www.autotrader.co.uk
46

www.bbc.co.uk
47

Coffee break
Please take this opportunity
to fill in the assistance form
that is in your pack.
Thank you!
48

Writing a website specification
Are you clear on what you want your website to do?
Make a list of requirements in non-technical language
Be specific – you want a search, but how should the
search results be presented?
Itemise each requirement so a “cost” can be attached
to them – time, money, resources
Put requirements into phases – this prioritised list
can be the start of your website business plan
Refer to the website business plan in meetings with
developers
49

Writing a website specification
Are you clear on what you want your website to do?
Make a list of requirements in non-technical language
Be specific – you want a search, but how should the
search results be presented?
Itemise each requirement so a “cost” can be attached
to them – time, money, resources
Put requirements into phases – this prioritised list
can be the start of your website business plan
Refer to the website business plan in meetings with
developers
50

Writing a website specification
Are you clear on what you want your website to do?
Make a list of requirements in non-technical language
Be specific – you want a search, but how should the
search results be presented?
Itemise each requirement so a “cost” can be attached
to them – time, money, resources
Put requirements into phases – this prioritised list
can be the start of your website business plan
Refer to the website business plan in meetings with
developers
51

Writing a website specification
Are you clear on what you want your website to do?
Make a list of requirements in non-technical language
Be specific – you want a search, but how should the
search results be presented?
Itemise each requirement so a “cost” can be attached
to them – time, money, resources
Put requirements into phases – this prioritised list
can be the start of your website business plan
Refer to the website business plan in meetings with
developers
52

Writing a website specification
Are you clear on what you want your website to do?
Make a list of requirements in non-technical language
Be specific – you want a search, but how should the
search results be presented?
Itemise each requirement so a “cost” can be attached
to them – time, money, resources
Put requirements into phases – this prioritised list
can be the start of your website business plan
Refer to the website business plan in meetings with
developers
53

Writing a website specification
Are you clear on what you want your website to do?
Make a list of requirements in non-technical language
Be specific – you want a search, but how should the
search results be presented?
Itemise each requirement so a “cost” can be attached
to them – time, money, resources
Put requirements into phases – this prioritised list
can be the start of your website business plan
Refer to the website business plan in meetings with
developers
54

www.37signals.com/papers/introtopatterns/
55

Homework
Be clear on what you want to achieve
Think about your audience
Research other websites – competitors, market
leaders, websites your target audience would
visit
Ask friends, family and colleagues what
websites they like and DONʼT like – and why.
Make a list of websites you like, donʼt like,
compete against or aspire to
56

Homework
Be clear on what you want to achieve
Think about your audience
Research other websites – competitors, market
leaders, websites your target audience would
visit
Ask friends, family and colleagues what
websites they like and DONʼT like – and why.
Make a list of websites you like, donʼt like,
compete against or aspire to
57

Homework
Be clear on what you want to achieve
Think about your audience
Research other websites – competitors, market
leaders, websites your target audience would
visit
Ask friends, family and colleagues what
websites they like and DONʼT like – and why.
Make a list of websites you like, donʼt like,
compete against or aspire to
58

Homework
Be clear on what you want to achieve
Think about your audience
Research other websites – competitors, market
leaders, websites your target audience would
visit
Ask friends, family and colleagues what
websites they like and DONʼT like – and why.
Make a list of websites you like, donʼt like,
compete against or aspire to
59

Homework
Be clear on what you want to achieve
Think about your audience
Research other websites – competitors, market
leaders, websites your target audience would
visit
Ask friends, family and colleagues what
websites they like and DONʼT like – and why.
Make a list of websites you like, donʼt like,
compete against or aspire to
60

Find and employ a web
professional
61

Some quick tips…
62

Domain names
Do you know who owns your domain name?
Do you know when your domain name will
expire?
Do you have an automatic renewal process in
place?
Do you know which company you registered
your domain name with?
Use a service like whois.net or nominet.org.uk to
find out details about your domain name
63

Domain names
Do you know who owns your domain name?
Do you know when your domain name will
expire?
Do you have an automatic renewal process in
place?
Do you know which company you registered
your domain name with?
Use a service like whois.net or nominet.org.uk to
find out details about your domain name
64

Domain names
Do you know who owns your domain name?
Do you know when your domain name will
expire?
Do you have an automatic renewal process in
place?
Do you know which company you registered
your domain name with?
Use a service like whois.net or nominet.org.uk to
find out details about your domain name
65

Domain names
Do you know who owns your domain name?
Do you know when your domain name will
expire?
Do you have an automatic renewal process in
place?
Do you know which company you registered
your domain name with?
Use a service like whois.net or nominet.org.uk to
find out details about your domain name
66

Domain names
Do you know who owns your domain name?
Do you know when your domain name will
expire?
Do you have an automatic renewal process in
place?
Do you know which company you registered
your domain name with?
Use a service like whois.net or nominet.org.uk to
find out details about your domain name
67

A “lever arch file” for your site
Keep all the paperwork about your website in it
Keep a copy in another location
Keep it up-to-date
If you can, make scans of those paper
documents and save them as images or PDFs as
backups
68

A “lever arch file” for your site
Keep all the paperwork about your website in it
Keep a copy in another location
Keep it up-to-date
If you can, make scans of those paper
documents and save them as images or PDFs as
backups
69

A “lever arch file” for your site
Keep all the paperwork about your website in it
Keep a copy in another location
Keep it up-to-date
If you can, make scans of those paper
documents and save them as images or PDFs as
backups
70

A “lever arch file” for your site
Keep all the paperwork about your website in it
Keep a copy in another location
Keep it up-to-date
If you can, make scans of those paper
documents and save them as images or PDFs as
backups
71

Website statistics
Do you get statistics on the use of your site?
Do you know about statistics services like
Google Analytics and Mint?
Use statistics to find out things like
• Popular pages
• Search phrases
• Which sites are linking to you
• Popular times people come to your site
72

Website statistics
Do you get statistics on the use of your site?
Do you know about statistics services like
Google Analytics and Mint?
Use statistics to find out things like
• Popular pages
• Search phrases
• Which sites are linking to you
• Popular times people come to your site
73

Website statistics
Do you get statistics on the use of your site?
Do you know about statistics services like
Google Analytics and Mint?
Use statistics to find out things like
• Popular pages
• Search phrases
• Which sites are linking to you
• Popular times people come to your site
74

See you next week
Manchester Digital Development Agency
manchesterdda.com
twitter.com/mdda
mdda.blip.tv
delicious.com/mdda
75