how to successfully create and manage a website project

1. Workshop Aims & Expectations
• Identify website aims
• Understand key components for a successful website
• Overview of layout, structure and content
• The different website technologies available
• Successfully managing a website project
• The pros and cons of in-house versus external development
• Website maintenance

2. Identify aims and requirements
• Make sales
• Promote brand
• Create impression
• Provide services / information
• Who are the stakeholders?

3. Ingredients of a Successful Website
• Clear and simple
• Good navigation
• Good design
• Good layout
• Mobile friendly
• Clear and focused call to actions
• Consistency

4. Content
• Homepage
• Fold
• Slideshow with text and links
• Changing featured items
• Images
• Definition/Styling

5. Website Technologies
• Static HTML
• Content Management System (CMS)

6. Static HTML
• Non changing content
• Simpler to maintain
• Non-hackable

7. CMS 1
• Update content
• Organise content – categories, tagging
• List content – events, news etc
• Manage media, files and other resources
• Allow login and give permissions
• Editor workflow (draft, published)
• Modular functionality

8. CMS 2 – Nuts and Bolts
• Background database
• Front end website
• Templates
• Themes
• Core and plugins/modules
• Custom development
• Upgrading core and modules

9. CMS 3 - Choices
• Main choices
• Wordpress
• Drupal 7 / 8
• Joomla
• https://w3techs
• .com/technologies/overview/content_management/all
• Others (Wix, SquareSpace, Facebook)
• Maintenance and Updates

10. CMS 4
• Finding a developer
• Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla

11. Website Project – Initial Considerations
• Budget
• Comparative quotations
• Technology – Client led or contractor led
• Documented agreed requirements, timescales and costs
• Ease of maintenance and extending functionality and updates
• Hosting considerations
• Client perspective / developer perspective

12. Development Stages
• Initial documentation
• Design
• Development
• Testing / Feedback
• Make live

13. Managing a Website Project
• Good
• Single project manager
• Easy communication (phone,
email, slack etc)
• Good internal communication and
agreement
• Update schedule
• Flexible and proactive
• Bad
• Style opinions
• Committee decisions
• Backtracking

14. Practical Example – Pauls Cancer
• Initial contact and agreement
• Main project manager
• Design
• Development
• Feedback
• Live

15. In-House Vs External
• Available in-house skills
• Costs
• Ongoing development / one off project
• Maintenance
• Administration

16. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) - 1
• Importance of being found
• Identify competition
• Site structure
• Focused page content (Keywords and phrases)
• URL
• Internal linking
• Images

17. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) - 2
• Mobile friendly
• Page speed
• Social media
• External links
• Regular updating
• Google business
• Analytics
• Webmaster tools

18. Exercises
• Identify stakeholders
• Identify aims
• Identify key components for the website
• What will make the website successful?
• What do you think makes a good website?
• What are your website strengths?
• What are your website weaknesses?
• Who is your competition?

19. Example Sites
• www.integritycoaching.co.uk
• www.hmrc.gov.uk
• www.pauls.org.uk
• www.wfto.com
• http://stmargaretcarshaltonb.uk/
• www.thefundingnetwork.org.uk
• www.crash.org.uk