Website development. What’s our role?
1) Determine the content based on your website objectives
- What are the main purposes of your site?
- Who are the users?
- Why will they visit your site?
- What type of information would attract users and meet their needs? What level?
- Expandability - what do you want your website to do in future?
2) Develop Information Architecture (IA)
“Information architecture involves the design of organization and navigation systems to help people find and manage information more successfully.” www.webword.com
- Create a content outline and a site map that:
- Shows the route that website visitors will travel
- Identifies what resources (e.g. About Us, Contact Us) will be available from each level (main navigation and sub-navigation pages)
3) Web content - copywriting for a website with optimum usability
- Write the information in the user’s language - talk to the user, not to the company that owns the site
- Organize information to make text scannable with bulleted lists, benefit-oriented headlines, and short sections of text
- Match the flow of that content to the site map, considering usability issues. Avoid dead-end pages that don’t allow the user to go anywhere else within the site. Always assume each page is the first page a user sees
4) Search engine copywriting
- Establish a list of strategic search engine keyphrases (search terms) that visitors may use to locate your business on the net
- Integrate the search engine keyphrases in behind-the-scenes programming and in keyword-rich body copy to assist your site in being picked up by search engine “radar”
Learn more about search engine copywriting.
5) Establish a look and feel for the website
- Websites are by nature information-rich. For this reason, it makes sense to develop the body copy first, graphics second
- Mud Creative will work with a web designer to create a website that reflects your business identity and company culture
- Design for efficiency. Clean websites without flashy, animated intros are the most effective and most appreciated
6) Program the website
- Mud Creative will work with a web developer to execute the website and upload it to the server
7) Site maintenance
- Provide maintenance services for new/revised website content as required
If solid information architecture, keyword-rich copy and search engine rankings are important to your business, let’s talk.