In establishing any Internet presence, there are three major aspects of the process that must work in harmony together to bring about a successful whole. It is essential to get all three aspects right, or the resulting Web site is more likely to be a liability than an asset.
Authoring
The authoring component of a web presence is what it would suggest: the wording.
It covers production of all information content and other copy written for your Web site or adapted from other sources.
As well as the more obvious passages and paragraphs of text, attention needs to be given to every piece of text.
Every label, caption and heading has a role to play in the overall value of your site.
Furthermore, the requirements of effective text on the Internet are slightly different from those of other media. Writing for the web means making allowance for the fact that reading patterns and attention spans are different to printed material.
Design
Surrounding the textual content is the overall design. The design element deals with the visual layout and overall appearance of a Web site: in essence, how a site visitor sees the information. An attractive, logical screen design enhances the visitor experience, and encourages them to think favourably of the company responsible. An ugly or clumsy design quickly sends a visitor back to the search engines to find an alternative company.
In spoken communication up to 90% of the message is contained in the non-verbal parts of a conversation, such as tone, body language and eye contact. On the Internet, a large portion of the overall message presented by a Web site is in the non-text elements: the styling, the layout, and the organisation of the information.
Consultancy
The final key is in the integration of a Web site into the real world business processes. The label of ‘consultancy’ covers the consideration of all the real world issues that come with a new Web site, and making it work in a business sense, as well as technically.
Any significant change, such as the addition of a Web site into the overall marketing mix used by an organisation, needs to be given careful consideration and handled properly to ensure that the business benefits from the new channels.
Balance and Harmony
Taken together, good authoring, good consultancy and good design can create a useful and valuable Internet site. In many instances one or more of these features are lacking, resulting in Web sites which are visually attractive and eye catching, but contain text which does not deliver the company message or encourage visitors to become customers.
Other failings bring about Web sites that are visually mundane or unappealing, but – when they are actually read – strongly encourage visitors to give their business to the company. Ill thought out processes create Web sites which are attractive and well written, but just don’t have the business processes to back them up – visitors become customers, but only once, when the business is unable to deal effectively with their electronic custom.
Any successful Web site is the product of a harmonious balance of well written content, laid out in an appealing design, backed up by a working, reliable business environment.
Jon Wilson, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
jon.wilson@threespot.co.uk
http://www.notbob.co.uk
Jon Wilson is an independent writer, consultant and developer, bringing high quality internet services within reach of small businesses in a time effective, cost effective manner.
