1. Store Web Site Design Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill/Irwin

2. Topics ■Planning for the Web Site ■Selecting a Designer ■Creating the Web Site Concept and Content ■Ensuring Easy Navigation ■Creating and Registering a Domain Name ■Selecting a Web Site Host ■Search Engine Optimization 16-2

3. Planning for the Web Site: Preparing an Online Business Plan ■Opening an online store is like opening any new store and requires just as much planning ■Major Business Plan Sections Summary Description of Business (type of business and goals) Description of Product or Service Competition Marketing (objectives, target market, promotion methods, pricing, distribution channels) Operations (facilities, staffing, inventory) Management (key players and board) Financial Data (financing, financial projections, legal issues) 16-3

4. Planning for the Web Site: Setting Marketing Objectives for the Site ■After outlining the business plan, the next step is to decide what the web site must accomplish. ■Examples: Establish a brand image Generating leads or qualify prospects Generate revenue through sales 16-4

5. Planning for the Web Site: Defining the Target Market ■The future of e-commerce for entrepreneurs lies in smaller retailers that can focus their energies on a relatively small market. ■Specialized target market – but broad geographic reach ■Define target market in terms of: Demographics Psychographics Geographics Benefits sought 16-5

6. Planning for the Web Site: Examining the four Ps ■Product – whatever goods or services the retailer sells. Am I selling what my target market wants? Do I have enough products in the online catalog to compete successfully? ■Price There is significant price pressure on online stores How can small online retailers compete pricewise? Focus on customized goods or services, not standard manufactured goods. Offer unique benefits ■Promotion – all the different ways the retailer communications with its target market Integrate both online and offline promotion ■Place 16-6

7. Deciding Who Will Design the Website ■Most retailers should not design their own web site. ■Using a professionally Designed Template Templates take care of design and programming so the retailer can focus on content Templates can be customized, but are not as flexible as a custom site Templates cost less money Can select a package solution or just buy the template alone Examples of Template Sites: allwebcodesign.com; templatemonster.com 16-7

8. Deciding Who Will Design the Web Site ■Using a Professional Web Design Service Larger retailers that need more customization may choose to use a web design service More expensive and time consuming to set up How to find a designer? Select designers who come from a marketing communications background Look at sites you love - find out the designer Ask others in the local trade association for names Look through web site designer directories Prepare a request for proposal and submit to the most desirable designers 16-8

9. Developing the Concept ■The concept is the design metaphor that holds the site together ■See AcomaSkyCity.org ■Web designers adjust the font style, graphic style, colors, images and white space to communicate the concept ■Put the retailer’s logo on the Web Site 16-9

10. Developing Content ■Content refers to everything the retailer provides for the Web Site, from written copy to photographs to product information ■Writing Effective Copy Use the inverted pyramid Grab readers with headlines and subheads Write strong leads Avoid long scrolling pages Use active voice Emphasize second person Stay informal Keep it short Include text links 16-10

11. Developing Content, cont. ■Using Pictures Effectively It is critical to show pictures of any products sold on the website Use photos to tell a story Use pictures of people Crop photos to remove extra background information Do what it takes to acquire high quality photos - hire a pro, buy stock photos, find images in the public domain Save photos in the correct format for the Web (JPGs with a file size of no more than 85K; less if using multiple photos on a page) 16-11

12. Ensuring Easy Navigation ■Navigation is concerned with the way visitors move through a site by using menus, links, and sitemaps ■Tips for good navigation Make sure the main menu options appear consistently on every page in the same place Make sure the footer of each page includes links to the main pages Use secondary menus Use a linkable sitemap or index Use an onsite search engine for large, product loaded sites Make sure the navigation has words, not icons 16-12

13. Creating and Registering a Domain Name ■The domain name is the address of the web site (examples: mc.edu; walmart.com) ■Tips for creating a good domain name Select a domain name that reflects the business Use a phrase if a shorter name is unavailable Use a name that is easy to say in person Use a name that is easy to spell and remember Stick with original top level domains ■Registering a domain name Register the selected domain name with ICANN(Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) through a domain name registrar Examples: GoDaddy.com; Networksolutions.com 16-13

14. Choosing a Web Site Host ■Hosting involves housing, serving and maintaining files so that visitors are able to view the content of the website ■Store Builder Services – offer small retail businesses tools to build the site and disk space to store the Web pages that make up the site (Yahoo! Store; GeoCities; Homestead) ■Internet Service Provider – the same people who provide Internet access can also host a retailer’s Web site Shared server Dedicated hosting ■In-house Hosting 16-14

15. Search Engine Optimization ■SEO is the process of trying to get your site as high up as possible on the search engine results page ■Working Keywords into Your Pages Search engines rank the web site by how well the contents of the pages match up with the search term that someone enters Number one search engine is Google Be sure important terms describing the site appear in both the page title and the first paragraph Use the same keywords elsewhere on the page Break up the page’s text by using heading elements containing key words Use the bold text elements to emphasize keywords ■Submitting to the Search Sites Search engines often charge for adding your site to their listing Search engine submissions are pretty simple 16-15