Preparation is the Key
The ultimate success of your website will be constrained by the thoroughness of your design, the preparation of the information needed and the effort you invest into the project to reach the desired quality.

As your business embraces the Internet as a significant part of your plans for the future, you will need professional help to make the necessary changes.

That’s why web design is not just about your website, but how well it harmonizes with your existing marketing and internet marketing strategies and your business in general.

Netflare strongly believe in integrating your website with all your marketing channels so that you can measure everything. This way, you can make informed business decisions with minimal risk and plan for solid business growth.

In preparation for the design, Netflare have developed comprehensive internet marketing analysis processes that promises to deliver the results you need.

Here are the design processes Netflare will take you through to develop a website you will be proud of…

DISCOVERY PHASE:

Strategy Builder

Nothing matters more than knowing the reason WHY your business operates the way it does. The success of your internet marketing strategies will depend on how clear your message is conveyed.

Strategy Builder is all about identifying and developing your passion behind the business, the value and results your deliver to your clients, and how you differentiate yourself from your competitors. Once you have this, you can work on becoming the expert and define your uniqueness in your field.

The secret to successful internet marketing strategies is in making your website work for you automatically. By understanding the concepts of front-end and back-end marketing, you can create a lead generation funnel with auto-responder emails, and nurture your clients with value driven products and services tiered to give more to the clients who trust you most.

Customer Analysis

The success of your website can be determined by the difference between your vision of who your target visitors are and what you think they want, and how closely this matches with the visitors you actually get with the specific problems you end up trying to solve with the products and services you have available.

By carefully analysing your ideal customer type, you can anticipate the questions and problems they have. Armed with this information, you can build a portfolio of prepared responses you know the visitor will find valuable and informative. With these responses written to be irresistible to your target visitors, your website will stand a much greater chance of becoming a successful business tool.

CREATIVE PHASE:

Direct Response Marketing

The most common form of marketing is known as institutional or image marketing. This form of marketing contains inward messages such as “Our product is the best” or “Our company is the biggest”. This is seen nearly everywhere, and only performed successfully by larger companies as they are the only ones who can afford to spend the necessary amount to get the required visibility.

Direct response marketing focuses on the prospect and responds to the questions such as "why should I choose you?", "why should I take this decision?" and "why should I invest in this?". By providing valuable information that your prospects want, you can reduce the risk the prospect takes by making an irresistible offer with a strong call to action.

Your visitor will be constantly being distracted by an ever growing to do list, unopened mail etc. If their mind wanders even for a split second, your webpage will be passed without the slightest remorse.

But with direct response marketing, you can use this to your advantage. If you write your headline to target a highly specific customer type, you can use this to filter only the visitors that are in sync with you and are ready to invest more time with your business.

Information Architecture

The web is active, not passive. The visitor is constantly making decisions on what to read and what to search. Information architecture is designed to support these decisions.

As design tools make it easier to produce attractive graphic design, if you allow it, the web design process will become constrained to graphic design principles.

It is words, not images that are the building blocks for successful websites. Looking at the website as a complete system, the architecture of the content and the navigation require planning based on path scenarios. For each scenario, you should consider whether you need to inform or persuade the visitor. The style of content, informing or persuading, can be used to lead the visitor to achieve your business objectives and to help them find the information they are looking for.

Wireframe Design

In sculpture, a skeletal wire frame is used to define the shape of the object to be crafted. Likewise in web design, a wire frame is created to define what information is needed and where it will be located. This wireframe design will be used to define the layout and then given to your graphic designer to paint on the colours and add the imagery for the look and feel you desire.

Using all the information gathered during the discovery phase, you will be able to determine what content is needed to design a complete information system that satisfies the needs of your target customer types.

The wireframe design is performed on paper and allows both client and designer to visualise the final website, act out navigation paths and test the design with client scenarios to ensure all foreseeable eventualities are catered for.

IMPLEMENTATION PHASE:

Graphic Design

Only when the wireframe is complete, the colour schemes are chosen, the likes and dislikes of other designs are recognised, the style guide has been agreed, can the graphic design start in earnest.

Attention to detail is very important. The graphic designer will use all the information available to create 3 or 4 page layouts as defined by the wireframe designs. These designs will be scrutinised by the web designer and client to make sure they meet the requirements before being handed over to the web development team.

This is also the stage where a comprehensive style guide is created. This contains rules for images, fonts, sizes, colours and spacing for the various elements on each webpage. It may also contain rules for spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Web Development using Content Management Systems Content Management Systems are platforms that manage the style and layout of the website for you so you only have to worry about the content. By using powerful content management systems, the technical aspects of managing your website are separated from the information it holds.

This is performed by developing a platform that has layers of abstraction in terms of what aspects of the website can be managed. The technical layer will managed by the web development team and includes the graphic design themes and the styling throughout your website. The data layer will be managed by your account manager, and possibly the client, and include the content and information architecture of the site. Finally, the user layer is what is actually used and seen by your visitors.

MANAGEMENT PHASE:

Account Management

As your website becomes more important to your business, your internet marketing strategies will depend on an efficient support line to ensure your plans stay on track. That’s why Netflare Account Management provides pro-active internet marketing support to help you achieve your internet marketing objectives.

With a Netflare Account Manager, all the design phases will be comprehensively managed to ensure the design meets your requirements. You’ll get professional project management to organise and plan the development of your website, business development to establish your objectives and marketing support to provide professional marketing advice.

Find out for yourself how you can maximise your business potential by calling 0800 107 4662 now and ask for an appointment. Alternatively, complete the enquiry form and we’ll make arrangements to contact you at a convenient time for you.