In this episode we talk with Scott Wild from NISC about the budget and organizational steps in planning and developing a new website, the upcoming iPhone, and Twitter Night Mode

BBP : Episode 53 – Scott Wild Talks About Planning a New Website

Scott Wild, the Onboarding & Employee Engagment specialist at NISC and owner of the Wild Trivia Tour, joins the podcast to talk about planning and budgeting for a new website. Scott and I have done several podcasts and other projects together in the past, including working for the same advertising agency in the same role a few years apart, so there’s no one I trust more when it comes to planning and pulling out the steps for a new site.

Let’s Start with the Basics

Websites are now the storefront of most businesses. It used to be billboards, newspapers and then television ads, but now many consumers find you online. So it’s important to have a user-friendly site that funnels potential clients through the buying experience. It’s not unlike how grocery and department stores are set up in that you walk through the store to get essentials, then back through everything again before being shown the “add-ons” at the checkout. You should find  out what your visitors want, get them there quickly, then take them through the desired path while still serving their needs.

• Planning Meetings : planning up front will decrease development time (and therefore cost) and get you the site you want.
  • Who is the audience(s)?
  • For each audience, “where do they itch?” Or what do they want/need to find on your site?
  • What do you want them to do right now? What’s the call to action?
• Development
  • What CRM? WordPress? Drupal? A specialized CRM that’s built for your industry? Custom build? What’s the best fit for your business or organization?
• Hosting
  • There are many criteria for hosts including cost, operating systems, server specs, bandwidth speed and limitations, and many, many more.
  • Choosing a good host can be a determining factor when Google and other search engines rank your site.
• Domains
  • Pick a domain that matches your business name for the primary domain, then you can select “vanity” domains for landing pages
    • For example, my DJ business is BeLoudEntertainment.com, but I also own BismarckWeddingDJ.com.
  • OWN YOUR DOMAIN! This can be important when you want to move the website, or just to make sure the domain is handled correctly for updating.
  • Your domain name is just like your business name. Keep it safe!
• SSL’s
  • Security certificates are beginning to be used as a ranking feature by search engines, especially Google, so get that extra bump by securing your website and the data within with an SSL
  • Starting this October, any site that asks for passwords or credit cards NOT using an SSL will be flagged as insecure by Google Chrome (60% browser market share).
  • Just like your domain, own your SSL if possible.

Some Advanced Planning Tips

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
  • Can be expensive
  • Can take a fair amount of time
  • Can be very punitive if “black hat” methods are employed, even to the effect of getting the domain shot WAY down the list
  • Is affected by proper titles, descriptions, keywords, page content, page layout, links (inbound, outbound and internal), page load speed, server response speed, and more.
• Digital Marketing
  • Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube are critical in sending good traffic back into your website. Use them correctly and often.
  • PPC – We didn’t really talk about this on the podcast, but a good Google AdWords or LinkedIn campaign can be a great way to generate leads
  • If you really want to make a splash, there are large volume marketing pieces like Spotify or other campaigns that can be fired up, but most have a minimum spend.
• Security
  • Make sure the site is backed up and has some security apps or plugins monitoring the site. This is critical when, not if, something bad happens.

There were so many other items to discuss on this podcast, but in many cases it’s better to discuss in person or over the phone. If you have questions on developing a new website, or would like to discuss in more detail, please call 701-214-6271 or contact BeBizzy Consulting and let’s find out how we can drive more customers to your website.