Why do I need a website?

Tuesday 17th July 2012 11:31 AM

Why do I need a website?

A question that is worryingly still being asked today - so let's see what benefits are gained in having one.
Due to the huge varying nature of businesses and organisations around today there wouldn't be enough time in the day for me to cover all the benefits of having a website for each case. Therefore I will use the 'charity' sector to highlight some valid reasons.

To raise awareness of their cause and organisation
Allowing for an easily accessible (worldwide) location for others to view their campaigns and news
Increase their ability to fundraise -create sections to donate or become a volunteer and sign up to take part in a campaign
Data capture and membership
Present media coverage, supporting film/radio material etc
Good communication - Interaction with supporters/subscribers
listen to real time feedback and discuss, thus enhancing their reputation and loyalty

There will be a huge number of other charitable and non-profit organisations out there whose noise you will be competing against - therefore the emphasis again is placed on your website being good.
So if you require your website to be successful, effective and useful...

Your Website will need to be
Visually appealing, yet not drowning in information and colours
Easily found
Navigation through your site HAS to be easy and intuitive
Well structured
Able to get your message across and understood
Planning your Website

People generally have an idea of how they want something to look before they set out buying it -for eg, a car they want, or a new outfit for a special occasion etc, BUT when creating a website this is not as important as you think. You need to ask yourself, what keywords do we think people will search for if they don't know our web address (URL), who are we targeting, who is the website for, what do we want to achieve, what information NEEDS to be included and how should the information be presented etc?
My point is the more planning research and preparation you do at the beginning, the easier it will be for you to make the decisions on design, fonts, images and how you feel the viewer should navigate through your website, later in the development.

Having this basic information and an understanding of the requirements and processes involved in getting your website up and running will save you a great deal of time, frustration & more importantly money in the long term. So, when you do decide you need to call in the web specialists the information and knowledge gained will aid you in communicating your ideas effectively and having everything ready and in place for them (us).
Your main aims before commencing with the build of your website, should be:
What are we hoping to achieve
Who are we targeting
What, if any, does our site fall into- ecommerce, informational, educational, social (our example is obviously charitable & non profit making )
How visually appealing does our website need to be for effect
Content, should it be witty, simple, and/or complex?
Are we selling, raising money - both?
Does it need to be interactive - 2 way
What is the lasting impression we want of ourselves/organisation
Will we need sound, images or video etc

This list is not definitive; it is just to help you understand the kind of angles and thought process you will need to go through.

Next week I will talk about content for your website.(POSTED ALREADY ON MON 23RD JULY)

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