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Web Publications
The home page of your Web site, is the most critical page. When your prospects, and customers arrive on your home page, they need to immediately find a link allowing them to start their scenario they came for. If your home page doesn’t provide such an entry, then they leave the site and you missed a business opportunity.
Benefit from our large experience in designing effective home pages by understanding how easily and at lowest costs, you can turn your home page into an effective entry portal for your site visitors to let them start navigating immediately your site instead of loosing... Read Publication
Analyst: Steve Telleen
Issue:
How to start measuring the Web site's value?
Response:
Web sites matter for two reasons: today's customers expect a company to have a Web site, if only to provide contact information or locations, and at least some parts of most companies have discovered that Web sites can cut costs, generate additional revenue, or both. However, even a simple Web site comes at a cost, so it is important to make certain that the business value is known and optimized.
For example, if a company spends an average of $20 supporting each call in their call center, and the... Read Publication
Analyst: Steve Telleen
Issue: What are the pitfalls to avoid while aligning the Web site with business objectives?
Response:
For most companies, Web sites have quietly evolved into the integrator of all their communication channels. When the sales reps call on prospects, where do they tell them to go for more information?
Where do the physical brochures and fact sheets they leave behind direct the prospect for additional detail - or for that matter the media advertisements, the product packaging, and the telephone "hold" messages?
Conversely, where do many customers go on their own... Read Publication
Analyst: Steve Telleen
Issue: How to effectively facilitate a Web strategy meeting?
Response
During a consulting engagement, I discovered the power of using the Web site as a tool to keep business strategy discussions on track and make abstract concepts more concrete.
A colleague and I were facilitating a policy and strategy discussion attended by representatives from several divisions of a large insurance company. There was a history of frustration and animosity among some of the participants, and frankly, the meeting was not going well. One of the vice presidents was even threatening... Read Publication
Analyst: Steve Telleen
Issue: Is it better to have a bad Web site or no Web site at all?
Response:
Is your web site running on executive autopilot, created during the excitement of the Internet wave then left behind as executive attention focused elsewhere in the business? If so, it is time to decide what to do with the resources being expended to keep your web site alive.
While web sites are cheap compared to other channels and media, they are not free. The amount of money spent to keep them running is significant, ranging from tens of thousands of dollars annually for small sites, to... Read Publication
Analyst: Steve Telleen
Issue: Who to include in the initial Web team to kick-off a Web project.
Response
The first question in setting explicit web site objectives is: who should be involved? Clearly, the process needs to include all the stakeholders who have an interest in the outcome. Even if you are the owner of only one of the business functions supported by your web site, you will benefit by knowing, and if necessary championing cooperation from all the business areas in setting business objectives for your web site.
Depending on the size and complexity of the web site, and the... Read Publication
Analyst: Steve Telleen
Issue: How to objectively and effectively discuss design implementation?
Response
Web site redesign meetings can be challenging, particularly in large organizations with complex Web sites. Different stakeholders, representing different organizational interests, discuss, debate or argue over the aesthetic designs before them. Everyone is willing to express her or his personal likes and dislikes, but intermingled with the aesthetic discussion are parochial business interests that often are covered.
All organizations have internal conflicts that are tolerated... Read Publication
Analyst: Steve Telleen
Issue:
How to effectively communicate design requirements between business and the development team?
Response:
An issue which has not been given much attention is how Web site business owners communicate with their design group, be it internal or an external agency. Too often the interchange is cursory consisting of a high-level list of functions the owners want the Web site to perform supplemented by questions about the desired style or image asked by the design firm.
The result is a Web site that is heavy on traditional marketing design containing a few... Read Publication
Analyst: Nicolas Bürki
Issue: What is the value of Web Site Design Best Practices for new Web site development?.
Response
Web design best practices serve primarily as a decision tool to reduce time for agreement on the new site design. Best practices allow the Web steering committee to explore proven and successful design options.
At this discovery stage, the value of best practices is to sensibilize the Web team about successful design practices.
The sensibilization phase targets to eliminate the individual team member's visions, which deviate too radically from proven design... Read Publication
Issue: What pitfalls should companies avoid on their Web, Intranet or portal home pages?
Response
The home page of a Web site, Intranet or portal is the most important page. It should tell site visitors, what they can do precisely deeper in the site or at least inform them, what they may be able to expect. However, in most cases, the home page is just a compromise to satisfy internal politics and neglecting site visitors' needs. To set up an effective homepage that matches corporate objectives and user's expectations the following pitfalls should be avoided:
Home Page Design Mistake #1... Read Publication
Analyst: Nicolas Bürki
Issue: Can the usage of Web site analysis tools be a waste of time and resources?
Response
Web site analysis tools provide valuable insights into how site visitors like prospects, clients, partners or suppliers are using your Web site. However, exploiting the data of Web site analysis is time and resource intensive and calls for ongoing actions such as typically improving navigation structure or cross-linking pages.
Only Companies with allocated budget for continuous site improvements, measurable Web site objectives and dedicated Web resources (not just IT staff... Read Publication
Analyst: Nicolas Bürki
Issue: What are the pitfalls to avoid when starting to measure Web site performance using Web Site Analysis Tools?
Response:
Web site analysis tools can contribute to design decisions to improve visitors' online experience but also to inform site owners, business owners about the performance of their Web sites.
However, in many cases, eBusiness Managers, Webmasters or Web operations managers, start deploying Web site analysis tools just as a 'nice to have' tool. Instead of measuring performance and comparing it to the business objectives, they mostly communicate... Read Publication
Analyst: Nicolas Bürki
Issue:
What else than content maintenance functionality should the content editor interface provide to ensure overall site effectiveness?
Response
An effective Web site has two user interfaces, one for site visitors and one for content editors. Many companies spend enormous time and budget to maximize the visitors' experiences but neglect the content editor interface. However, the editor interface contributes as well to site effectiveness. To maximize overall site effectiveness, the content editor interface should not only provide content maintenance... Read Publication
Analyst: Nicolas Bürki
Issue:
What should be at least covered in Web governance?
Response:
Web governance should be defined prior site launch or at best prior site development. However, many companies operate Web sites without Web governance or define Web governance after site launch.
If Web governance is not defined, Web sites risk growing organically (again), decreasing site visitor experience and lowering return on investment (ROI).
Companies without Web governance should define at least the basic Web governance categories to secure current level of site visitor experience. In a... Read Publication
Analyst: Nicolas Bürki
Issue: How to reduce development costs for individual brand Web sites while ensuring corporate Web strategy?
Response
There are various possibilities to reduce the annual recurring Web spending. However, most of them such as typically Web site consolidation or Web infrastructure homogenization result in large projects with significant investment and time to production.
For companies that are not yet ready for such investments or use different Web technologies or companies that want to reduce their Web spending with no technology investment should centralize and... Read Publication
Analyst: Nicolas Bürki
Issue:
What are pitfalls that companies should avoid when specifying Web applications for internal or external development?
Response
Ineffective functional specification for Web projects such as Web sites, Intranets or Portals contribute largely to delays, higher costs or in applications that do not match the expectations. Independent if the Web site, Intranet or Portal is custom developed or built on packaged software such as Web-, enterprise content management or portal software, the functional specification sets the foundation for project delays and higher... Read Publication