Web Basics - How the build works

When you select a web developer for your new website, always ask how the building process works.

First, you need a kick-off meeting to discuss your statement of requirements. Next, it's a good idea to consider the design process, iterations and sign-off - ask the developers what they need from you in terms of logo, brand guidelines, palette and images.

Next comes slicing, where the design is converted to templates and the developers upload your copy of the content management system, add any bespoke functions and incorporate the templates.

You should then have a demo site that you can work on before the launch, to test functionality and preview the design and content.

When it comes to content, there are a few important points to consider. Does your quote include them doing this or are you doing it? Does your content need rewriting? This is guaranteed to be the most painful part of the project, because you have to either write it all or chivvy everyone else into doing it. The key is to start early and plan for delays.

If you are having any interactive elements, these need to be built for testing. Similarly, donations, shopping and payments need to be built and tested in advance, as do navigation, links, interactive and e-commerce elements.

Further testing can be provided by volunteers. As for the launch itself, plan when and how this will happen. If you already have a website, do you need to make sure people are redirected from the old address?

With all of this thought through and planned, you should be in control of the process and know what is required from you and when. Managing your relationship with and expectations of the web company is critical for a happy build.

ST16’s 10th Birthday £5,000 Charity Giveaway

A DECADE IN BUSINESS – TIME TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK

ST16’s 10th Birthday £5,000 Charity Giveaway

Film and video production specialists ST16 are celebrating 10 years in business this March. Directors Jeremy Stinton and Simon Crofts saw the opportunity to found the company back in 2000 when they were working in corporate communications. In the last decade the international award winning Digital Media Agency has gone from strength to strength.

To celebrate, ST16 would like to give something back. They’re offering a winning charity the opportunity to work with them for free. The £5,000 prize on offer will enable a charity to work with ST16’s creative team on a project of their choosing – anything from an attention grabbing graphics sequence to an eye catching film for their website. The prize can also go towards a larger project, if that’s what they have in mind.

To enter, registered charities must describe in 200 words or less why they deserve to win. The expert team of judges includes Neil Hillman, Managing Director of The Audio Suite, Birmingham’s award winning audio post production facility.

To see some case studies of ST16’s media please visit www.st16.co.uk

For details on how to enter and full terms and conditions please visit
http://www.st16.co.uk/news/10yrsold.aspx

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Jeremy Stinton on 01785859031 or by email at Jeremy@st16.co.uk

Web Basics - Running a tender

Once you have worked through the content management system decisions, your objectives, audiences, content, navigation, functionality and design - you are almost ready to write your specification of requirements. The only thing left to add to it is your usability and accessibility standards.

You should definitely include a text-only version of the site for people with screen readers and intelligent 'alt tags' to images and links. The use of cascading style sheets should mean that your site will adjust to fit the viewer's browser settings, therefore resizing text to their requirements. For advice, visit the RNIB (www.rnib.org.uk/webaccesscentre) and AbilityNet (www.abilitynet.org.uk/web).

You should now have everything you need to tell web developers what you want. Add in your email and a deadline for submissions, and you have a tender document.

There are lots of web developers out there, and many of them have worked with charities. If in doubt, ask your peers or join the charity webmasters' forum - http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/charitywebforum/ - to get advice.

Issue your tender with a two to three-week reply deadline. Select at least two of the respondents to interview. Ask for a demo of the CMS and discuss their charity experience, design process and project management. Once you have selected a supplier, always check references. It is also worth asking for a list of client sites. If you want something different and all their designs are the same, you may have a problem.

At the end of all this they should give you a fixed-price quote, a timeline and delivery date, help you arrange hosting and give you a price for ongoing support and upgrades.

Web Basics - design

Final thing to think about is design.

First do you have a specific design, layout or style in mind? Is there a brand, brochure or other material which the site must reflect? If so you need to include this information in the Statement of Requirements

Second, what tone do you want for the site: warm and caring, bright and colourful or corporate and clean – think of the words you want to describe the site and tell the agency.

Finally what sites do you like and dislike – and why. Are their sites which you really admire, features you would love to have, or things which drive you nuts and definitely don’t want to imitate.

Once you have these put together you are ready to write your Statement of Requirements.

Web Basics - functionality

Now you have objectives, audiences, content and navigation, it's time to do the fun stuff: functionality.

You should at least be planning to have a site map, a text-only or print version and a basic search facility. Other site tools include breadcrumbs*, large font options, terms and conditions, and copyright and contact details.

Administrative functionality will depend on your core activities, but should include email newsletter sign-up, application and 'contact us' forms, volunteer sign-up, donating options, shopping and so on.

Can you integrate your database with the site and allow self-management for members, donors and volunteers? If so, now is the time to plan what it does and where it goes.

You also need to consider the Web 2.0 stuff, which includes blogs, RSS, forums, links to social networking or video - sharing sites and any opportunity for site users to add content or participate in the site.

However, resist the temptation to 'bandwagon'. You need to think seriously about your audience and objectives. Offering the wrong tools to the wrong audience is worse than useless; it will make the site look unused and put people off.

With interactive content, you need to think about what people come to the site to do and what you can offer them. Do you have enough stories to feed RSS, or the content for a blog? Can you seed a forum to get it started? Do your audiences have something to say or images to contribute?

Finally, do you have the resources to manage the site? If not, can you recruit volunteers to do it for you?

Functionality can make your site inviting and fun, and add a huge amount of colour. But it is also dangerous, because if it doesn't work or looks empty you will lose visitors rather than encourage them to return.

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*Breadcrumbs typically appear horizontally across the top of a web page, usually below title bars or headers. They provide links back to each previous page the user navigated through to get to the current page or—in hierarchical site structures—the parent pages of the current one. Breadcrumbs provide a trail for the user to follow back to the starting or entry point eg:
home > about us > trustees > john

Don't forget your offline materials

Although I am always encouraging people to improve their online marketing; SEO, email and social networking; we shouldn’t forget the offline side of the divide.

Whatever offline marketing you do always remember to tell people about your online offering. This doesn’t need to take up much space on the page, but it shows the supporters that you have online presence and allows them to sign up for it if they want to. 

At the bottom of the page you could simply add a footer with the various symbols for email, twitter, facebook, RSS - they don’t need to be links, you don’t even need to give the web addresses. 

Tell your supporters to check the website, or send them to a page which lists all your interactive options.

If you don’t want to send them to the site your supporters will search by name, so if your profiles aren’t obvious you might want to include your twitter and facebook name.

However you do it remember to include your online profiles in all your offline materials. Ultimately it is all about letting your supporters chose how they want to interact with you.

Web Bsics - content and navigation

Once you have defined objectives and audiences for your site, you can start to think about the content and navigation.

Content should at least meet your objectives. Everything else is padding. What you want people to do should be top of your content list and the most prominent item on your navigation. All charities want an 'about us' section, but that isn't the most important part of the site, and people will work harder to find it. If you want them to join, campaign or donate, then that should be clearly signposted on your home page.

Try to think like your audience, not your job title. We traditionally divide content by department - but site visitors don't think like that. They are looking for what interests them or what they want to do, so group content by audience or activity. Think about the sites you like using and how you navigate around them.

Draw out a site map with section headings, which will become your main navigation, and sub-sections that show enough detail to make sense of your content.

Then match your content back to your audience types. Do you have content for all the audiences you listed? If not, where is it coming from? Do you have content that has no audience? If so, drop the content.

If you already have a site and are planning a redesign or rebuild, it is essential to re-evaluate existing content. Decide whether you still want it and, if so, whether it needs rewriting and updating.

When planning your site, expect the most painful job to be creating content internally. Getting other departments to write or update their content is always difficult. Meet each department, discuss what needs writing or updating, agree a schedule and push them hard to keep to the agreed deadlines.