Greetings and welcome to all of our new readers! I hope you find
this newsletter to be of help to your business and personal ventures!
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The Website Process
When a new client approaches me for a new website, most of them have
no idea what they want. Business owners, as expected, know about
their business, but are unaware of the ins and outs of the website
process. They know they want a website and that's about it. So
that is why I've decided to start a four-part series on what I've
termed the Website Process.

Very basically, the process takes three major steps, with a lot of
small steps in between. The three major steps are: Design,
Development, and Maintenance. Note that these steps do not include
other items of importance such as marketing, search engine
submission, and e-commerce options. Some of that, along with
hosting and domain registration will be discussed in Part Four.
This is meant to be a very general overview of the process to help
you be more informed when you decide to talk to a web
designer/developer.

Part One - The Design
Design doesn't start with the designer. It starts with you.

You are sitting in front of the computer one day when you decide
that your company or idea needs a website. Immediately, some images
are conjured up in your mind. Different options that you want
available are streaming through your thoughts. This is the start of
your design process.

So you call up a web designer (like Lighthouse Technologies) and set
up a meeting. When we meet, there are some things I expect out of
the meeting: your overall summary of what the site is/does, the
purpose of the site, your design ideas (including colors preferred
graphics, and anything else that you want on the site), copy
(brochures, ads, etc.) and budget. The more information you can
provide at the meeting, the better. It is not advised to come to
the meeting without any ideas, as a designer usually does not know
your business, the buzzwords related to it, nor the way you want
your business portrayed.

The overall summary of your site can set the mood. If you sell
chocolates or coffee, you probably want a subtle, calm look.
Whereas, if you offer towing, you don't want flowers and pastels.
Setting the mood is VERY important. Just like walking into a real
store, whether the place is a mess or the rows are neat affects your
buying decisions. Seeing a well put-together website gives the
customer a sense of security and warmth. Customers should feel
welcomed and all information should be readily available.

Your design ideas may include menu items that you believe should be
displayed on the home page. These include the obvious Contact Us
and About Us links, as well as links to your product/services and
other important links.

The most important item that a designer cannot live without is your
copy. Whether you have a brochure, recent ads, or a folder full of
information, your designer will love you if you have these items
readily available. If you sell insurance, you may want to
personally write the copy for each page of your website since the
specialized lingo must be understood by everyone. A telephone
salesman may want to include descriptions of features mentioned,
etc. A web designer cannot just 'make up' words to fill in your
pages.

Budget should also be discussed at the meeting. You may have no
idea what it costs to get a website going. Important things such as
hosting and domain registration should be mentioned, as well as
actual design and implementation pricing for the website itself.
While many designers will not quote a price on the spot, they can at
least give you a general idea of the costs involved. Most likely
your designer will put together a formal proposal and provide it to
you within a few days after the meeting.

It is my belief that the more that can be discussed at the initial
meeting, the more informed both parties will come out. Ask
questions and convey ideas, no matter how silly or minor.

If you are considering a website or have an idea/function that you'd
like your current website to do, contact Lighthouse Technologies
today. We can help you with ideas and provide some pointers for
your online venture.
www.techlh.com
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Sponsor
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See www.YourTownLink.com for more information!
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Feedback - Let Your Customers Redesign Your Website
When you purchase a new item from a Yahoo! Store, you are asked if
you'd like to provide feedback on the transaction. About two weeks
after the initial purchase, an email from Yahoo! Stores shows up,
asking you to provide feedback for the vendor. Whether your
experience was good or bad, the opportunity is probably siezed more
often than not by customers.

Of course, I would bet that bad experiences are more likely to be
posted than the good ones, but I'd bet the number is still
substantial enough to affect the owner's website look and payment
processes.

Does your website have a feedback form? Do you give your customers
an opportunity to tell you how you did? Wouldn't those opinions
help you shape your customer satisfaction and support foundations?
I think so.

Your customer may have a great idea that would compliment your site,
or a function that they would have liked (such as saving their
information if they order often, so they don't have to fill in
purchase forms over and over).

You can set up an automatic feedback email during the initial
purchase, or you can send the customer a letter asking them to
return to your site to provide information. Either way, this
information can be valuable in making future visitors into customers!

Need a feedback form on your site? Lighthouse Technologies can
write one for as little as $45
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Thanks for reading.

Will Hanke
Lighthouse Technologies
www.techlh.com