InBus_Win09_56-96:InBusiness 1-61 11/12/2009 10:44 Page 60
SOME HELPFUL DO'S AND DON’TS
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Don't trust your business website to just Do share all relevant information about your
anyone. Know your own business and what it business with your chosen developer. You
needs. Find a web development firm that cannot expect the right result if you haven't
understands your business aims and talks fully explained how your business works and
your language. what aims you are trying to achieve.
Don't expect someone who doesn't have Do research your own area of business
business experience to understand your online and your competitors. Go beyond the
business. Seek a developer with basic surface of how they look and how their
business knowledge. websites actually work.
Don't go with the latest gizmo or design just Look for what works. Don't get bogged
because all the developers are raving about down in what doesn't work.
Andrew Lovatt from redmoonmedia.
it. We have all seen many hot ideas and
“ONLY YOU KNOW HOW
technologies come and go. Better to step Be solutions oriented. Blame is a waste
back to proven ground. of time.
YOUR BUSINESS REALLY
Keep it simple. You want your website to Do map out your aims – both overall and
WORKS. FOCUS ON YOUR
work and make sense to everyone. specific. Only you know what you want your
BUSINESS, NOT THE
client or customer to do next, where they
Don't expect your web developer to ‘intuit’ should go. Closing the deal is not a technical
TECHNOLOGY. CLOSING what you mean. Explain your aims clearly. term!
THE DEAL IS NOT A
Don't listen to tech speak. If you cannot Do map out how your website needs to
TECHNICAL TERM!” clearly understand what the developer is
function. You ask a visitor to “click here” –
telling you, let them know and if they can't make each click of value to your company
to your developer. Don't expect your chosen web speak your language find another who does. and to the visitor.
development firm to know your business better
than you do. You will need to educate them and
share your knowledge. Be prepared to share the needs to be on your business, not design than functionality whereas a web
full details of how your business works. If you are the technology. developer is likely to be more focused on
concerned about privacy, prepare a Non- The best way to see what your business can structure and functionality. You need both, in the
Disclosure Agreement – ask your solicitor for do is to become a web surfer yourself – look at right proportions. Look for a company that does
a template. all the websites in your business area – both in both well. While I have been extolling the virtues
Ireland and worldwide. Learn how to use the of functionality, design is not to be dismissed at
HOW THE WEB WORKS FOR BUSINESS search function on Google to find them all. Don't all. Once you have a clear functional basis, you
There are two basic types of business website. forget to check the “pages from Ireland” radio genuinely need the flair a designer can bring. A
A “brochure” website shows your company and button if you are researching in Ireland alone. good designer can enhance functionality and
all relevant information. It is a one-way If you don't do this essential homework, you make things easier for your visitors to bring them
proposition – you tell and the visitor listens. You will not be well informed enough to know what to the stage where they are doing business
display all your info just as you might in a printed to expect for your own website. You cannot with you.
brochure. Your customers can use it to get basic expect to meet your aims if you are completely
information about your company as long as the clueless about how others are doing business on DO YOU REALLY NEED A
information is presented correctly. the web. In your research browsing, don't get WEB DEVELOPER?
The second type is interactive – where you sidetracked by ‘fantastic’ or fancy websites. Look The idea that anyone can make a business
engage the visitor and offer them things they can for the underlying business model. Click through website is simply wrong. The idea that a business
do to make business with you. Ryanair is a typical the website and see how everything works. person should make their own website is wrong.
example. Visitors typically go there to book a Dismiss those that don't deliver as you expected. This legacy follows how the web first began – as
cheap airline seat, which is the business process. Focus on those that do it right. an amateur enterprise. Back at the beginning
Can you define what processes a visitor could do everyone was an expert and tinkered with simple
with your business? Are there products or WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HTML (web code). Today's successful business
services you can offer online which can be WEB DESIGNER AND A WEB websites are most often constructed by web
completed without human intervention? Or can DEVELOPER? development firms which have solid experience
they be partially completed and drive visitors to Design is very important but it cannot replace a in general business principles, on and offline
contact you? Don't be concerned with what is solid and well thought out “online” business plan. marketing, brand building, process management,
technically possible at this stage. Your focus A web designer is likely to be focused more on interactive visitor handling, search engine
60 InBusiness Winter 09
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