Building a Web

Workshop Objectives  Why the Web?  Web Site Planning  Web Site Building  Web Design  Publicizing Your Web Site  Search Engine

Why the Web?  The growing number of web users  Speed of locating information  Cost-effective way to reach people instantly

Why the Web?  Allows people to Discover you Understand you Contact you Share articles and other written information

Why the Web? Attract new members or clients Build a community through a message board Obtain funding through online donations “The source for information”

Web Site Planning  Clear Vision Why are you building a web site? Is it for the right reasons?  Concise Plan A good web plan will pose challenging questions Organization Administrative operations Delivery of services to its community View of its community

Web Site Planning  What do you want? Investigate other web sites Ask questions Make lists Content Features Design elements Bookmark the good and the bad

Web Site Planning  Define your audience. Community Board members Potential Members Supporters Colleagues Sponsors Policymakers Volunteers  Are they online?  Are they active?  Who are you not reaching now? Media Partners Donors Competitors Local Community

Web Site Planning  Develop a story about you. Identify material you want in the web site. Identify the material you may wish to collect by the web site. Coordinate your online and print media design strategies.

Web Site Planning  Evaluate the administrative implications of each feature. Look for opportunities Look at the workload you need to support your Web site and determine how you will manage it. New content Updating and revising old content Evaluating usage Responding to information requests and feedback Managing the demands of a higher profile

Web Site Planning  In-house vs. outside development In-house Be prepared for turnover Web design and management should not be dependent on one individual Outside Look for nonprofit experience Volunteers Colleges and University

Web Site Planning  Understand challenges and cost factors Revisit your wish list Implications Cost User capacity to handle advanced applications Loading times Management requirements Plan for future growth

Web Site Planning  Keep focused on your vision

Web Building  Audience  Impact  Identity  Content  Structure  Domain Name

Web Building: Audience  Who is your web audience?  How would they come to your site?  What would they be looking for?  Why would they return to your site?  What level of technology does your audience have access to?

Web Building: Audience  What will be the skill level of your audience? Beginner Intermediate Expert  How might this audience differ from the audiences you might want to target?

Web Site: Audience  Design for your audience Don’t mirror your organization Remember the “3 click rule” Label sections clearly and accurately Navigate easily Use shorthand (e.g., Feedback) Create an interactive environment (e.g., respond to a poll, take a quiz, sign-up for a mailing list, send a letter to your legislator, pledge money, check your organization’s wish list)

Web Site: Audience  People scan, they don’t read Highlight keywords Sub-headings Bulleted lists One idea paragraphs Short statements Minimize graphics

Web Building: Impact  What overall impression, experience or look and feel do you hope to convey?  Is your website accessible to all your users?  Does it use language that is easily understood?  Is it an appropriate visual representation of your organization.

Web Building: Identify  Are there certain logos, colors, or photos that you want to include.  Are they visual cues that remind the user of your organization?

Web Building: Content  What content would be available on your website?  How much of this content can be gathered in digital format?  Which content lends itself to on-screen viewing and which needs to be available in downloadable or printable format?

Web Building: Structure  Do you need to construct the website so that content is presented to different audiences in different ways?  What are the most important elements to keep close to the top of the site?  What are the navigational concerns? Simplicity Consistency Robustness

Web Building: Domain Names  Extensions of your organization  Signature  Gateway  Portable

Web Building: Domain Names  Be cautious in using free web hosts for your domain name. The web host will include their name in your URL Could get lost on the net Lose credibility

Web Building: Domain Names  ** **  Web Hosting Services

Web Design  Make sure you information is easy to access  Provide an index or table of contents  Include a navigational bar on all pages  Keep your home page clean and crisp  Limit graphics  Provide contact information in several places  Always use width and height tags for images  Keep load time to under one minute

Web Design  Include a feedback link mailto: link address Forms

Web Design  Avoid Poor Designs Too many words Choose words carefully Important words at top Synopsis with link to full text White space

Web Design  Poor Web Design Unreadable text Tiny or cute fonts Colors that don’t work together Huge Pictures and Graphics Long pages Blinking, twinkling, twirling images in garish colors

Publicizing  After you build your Web site, publicize.  Two key audiences Those you know Those you don’t know

Publicizing  Those you know Add your Web address to every piece of communication. Business cards Letterhead Newsletters Brochures Press Release Fax Cover Sheet Action Alerts

Publicizing  messages List your Web address at the bottom of every message Make sure everyone in your organization adds the address

Publicizing  Tell the media  Tell your membership  Cross-link with friends  Communicate changes to everyone in your organization

Publicizing  Those you don’t know Search Engines Google AltaVista FAST search Yahoo Open Directory Look Smart Ask Jeeves

Publicizing  Add your web site to search engines listing. You only need to visit their web site and follow instructions.  Descriptive Title Organization Name  Keywords  Description – Mission Statement  Don’t waste too much time on optimizing your listings on various search engines.

Search Engines  Index your web site based on its relevance to a particular query or topic  Rank - based upon the repeat use of keywords  Number of hits  SeachEngineWatch - Tips on how to get your site on the top search engines  SelfPromotion.com - Tips on getting noticed

Resources  CompuMentor A nonprofit organization specializing in technology assistance for community-based organizations and schools. CompuMentor offers technology planning, implementation, and support services.

Resources  Helping.org After you get online, start using , or build a Web site, you'll want people to know you're here. Here are recommendations for publicizing your online efforts.

Resources  EPage A list of the various search engines and subject directories that will list your site

Resources  Web Development Resources

Summary  Strong Vision to Guide You  Plans to Control the Process  Collection of Documents for your Web Site  List of Ideas, Wants, Wishes  Resources – Start with TechSoup.org