Project Discovery: The First Step to Building Strong Web Communications

You’re in a hurry to get your Web site going. You’ve got tight deadlines. But don’t let your haste get in the way of your success.

Ultimately, a company’s Web site should embody the company, reflect its values and strengthen its identity. To do that effectively, there are questions that need to be answered before design ever begins. This first stage of the Web site development process is the critical Discovery phase.

Discovery encompasses a full-scale examination of your company and its objectives, leading to a set of goals which the Web site should accomplish. By answering important questions about your company and its inner workings, you can establish the nature of the Web site and what it should do for your business.

Most of the important questions in the Discovery phase fall into five main categories:

• Business goals
• Budget constraints
• Brand identity
• Sales cycle
• Competitors

Know What You Want

Besides identifying the main objective of the Web site, you need to consider the bigger picture. What are your goals for your entire business? A Web site may serve to sell products, but it can also contribute to your company’s ambition to be regarded as a leader in your industry.

Dig out your mission statement. Where is your company going and how will your Web site get you there? Do you claim to provide excellent customer service? Then you’d better spend time on your Web site’s usability. Committed to quality products? Then your content should convey that.

The Web is a lucrative business tool. It can take your company any direction you want to go. But first you have to decide where that is. Take a look at that business plan. Focus on your business goals and design your Web site around them.

Careful Spending

Web sites inherently hold a huge potential return on investment. Remember this when you plan your budget. Good Web sites require time and money. But an effective Web site can be your most potent marketing device.

Not only do you need to ask yourself how much you’re will to spend, but you need to determine what you’ll spend it on. Research suggests that investing in Web site usability can make a tremendous difference in the overall value of your site. Search engine optimization and other marketing tools are also essential to your site’s worth.

Question the importance of every aspect of your site. Assure that every dime is well-spent by investing the most money in those factors that will lead to a purchase. This concept of conversion should be the primary focus of your efforts.

Who You Are

Experts say customers judge companies by their Web site: the way it looks, its ease of use. Your Web site is a point of contact between you and your customers. Make sure it reflects and reinforces your brand.

To do that, you have to ask yourself who you are as a company. What is your company’s primary message? What attributes describe your company? What experience can your customers expect?

Branding a Web site isn’t just about including a logo on every page. It’s about making it easy to do business with you and maintaining consistency among all customer touch points. You have to know who you want to be before you can design an experience around it. An effective Web site will capture the soul of your company and strengthen your identity and value in the marketplace.

The Transaction Process

Research shows that customers are increasingly using the Internet to research products and make purchases. Your Web site can become an integral part of your sales cycle.

How will you design your Web site to be an effective customer acquisition engine? How can your Web site fulfill your marketing strategies? Consider what you want your customers to do and how you’ll get them to do it.

Approach your site as a means to an end. How and why will visitors come to your site? Your site must be convenient and compelling. Content and navigation should all drive your customers to conversion.

What You’re Up Against

You have competitors. They have Web sites. Study them. What are they doing right? What are they doing wrong? Use those sites as a starting point from which you build a better option.

What sets you apart from your competition? How will your Web site show your distinction? Your site is your chance to showcase your strengths.

The Web offers customers a wealth of choices for any product or service. Your Web site needs to offer the best solution. Knowing what’s already out there helps you determine your unique selling proposition. Advertise your advantages.

A Smart Start

Good Web sites don’t just materialize. They result from meticulous planning and intense evaluation. Don’t jump head first into design without deciding what role the site will play.

Your Web site has a lot of work to do. It should aim toward your business goals, act as an investment, solidify your brand, contribute to sales and one up your rivals. To make sure it achieves all that, you have to give it forethought.

By asking yourself key questions, you collect answers that will shape your Web site into an extension of your company. This creates a framework from which the design will grow, forming it into exactly what your company needs.

Your Web site development is too important to hurry through. By taking it one step at a time, beginning with discovery, you not only make a Web site, you make it a success.