7 Tips to Ensure a Smooth Web Project

Over the years, we’ve tackled many different projects for many different clients. However, it seems that certain issues tend to pop up in many of these situations that prevent a web project that was otherwise running smoothly from finishing that way. We’ve taken a number of these issues and put them into this article so that you can read, print, bookmark or save them for future reference.

1. Analyze your competition. It is a very good exercise to analyze the sites of your competition to see what it is that they do wrong so that you can avoid making the same mistakes. Most professional web design firms will conduct a “competitive review” of your competition but it’s not a bad idea for you to conduct an informal review for yourself.

This can be done as simply as taking a pen and legal pad, drawing a line down the middle, and for each site listing the things that work and the things that do not work about each site. Things you don’t like could consist of how many clicks does it take to get to the info you need? Does it take too long to load? Is it poorly written?

On the other hand things that you do like could be the boldness of the colors or overall branding. Perhaps the images used evoke a certain feeling that works? Maybe the content is organized throughout the site in a way that is easy to find everything?

2. Plan your site from a user’s perspective. We all use the Internet for work or for entertainment and over time we develop certain personal likes and dislikes. It is all too natural for these preferences to permeate our directives for a new web project, however our personal perspectives should take a backseat to those of the users or intended audience.

It is entirely possible to build a site that works perfectly for us but completely alienates the user. How do we learn to see a site through the user’s eyes? Well the simplest way to do this is to ask the intended users themselves. This can be done formally or informally. If you or your company already has a site, call or write your users and ask them what they like or dislike about the current site. Tell them that you are planning to re-design the site and ask them what features they would like to see.

If you or your company doesn’t have a current site, tell your intended audience that you are planning one and ask them how the new site would make it easier for them to do business with your company. The answers may surprise you.

3. Organize your content. Most web projects are delayed due to content being late or missing. It always happens. Clients assume that they can simply hand over their company’s corporate brochure and that will be all they will need.

What needs to be taken into account is that content for print is not necessarily ideal for the web. Users tend to skim text on the web rather than reading it, so those lengthy paragraphs in your brochure may need to be edited. Also, depending on how much information is going to end up on your website, you may end up needing additional graphics and/or photography for the additional pages.

4. Review your copyrights. Don’t assume that just because you paid a writer/designer/photographer for their services in creating content for a brochure or other offline media, that your copyrights extend to the Internet.

Just because you paid a hefty sum for your company’s marketing materials doesn’t mean that you have unlimited rights to use those materials in all media. Many artists and photographers, understanding the power of the Internet, will charge one lower price for work in one medium and a higher price if that work is intended to also be used on the Internet.

Others will charge a completely different price if their artwork or photograph will be prominently displayed on the homepage of your site. It may be prudent to contact the vendors whose work you are thinking of using and ask them if you have the right to include their work in your website and have them sign a disclaimer to that effect. In other cases, renegotiation may be necessary.

5. Keep your content fresh. Users will not come back to your site unless you can offer new content from time-to-time. This doesn’t need to happen every week but it should happen regularly, whether it’s once a month or once a quarter.

One of the things that preclude clients from generating fresh content for their sites is that they become intimidated with the thought of having to come up with content on their own. After all, we are all busy and have enough to do without having the additional burden of coming up with interesting articles and features for the company site.

Well don’t feel like you have to do everything yourself. Enlist help. Invite professionals in non-related fields that may be of interest to your users to contribute content as well.

6. Allow users to interact with your site. Unlike print, the web is an interactive medium. Encourage users to interact with your site by allowing them to sign up for a newsletter, seminars or events. Many sites are including Weblogs (or “Blogs"), which are basically online journals that invite users to discuss topics of interest.

Similarly, many companies include a password-protected “Client Area” for clients to view projects in progress. When users interact with your site, it becomes more relevant to them and they will continue to come back. Sooner or later, they may become a client.

7. Think beyond your launch promote your site. “If you build it, they will come.” While this strategy worked for Kevin Costner in the movie “Field of Dreams”, it doesn’t quite work on the Internet.

While proper search engine submissions will help, don’t stop there. Prominently display your web URL on company business cards, brochures, stationery, advertising and any other materials you can think of.

Also, creating linking agreements that encourage other sites to link to your site in exchange for a link to theirs will help to drive traffic to your site as well.