Weaving an Untangled Web
Proper Planning of Your Web Site Will Pay Off

by John Collins

Many people rush eagerly to start playing with the World Wide Web as if it were a new toy. But, unlike a shiny new bicycle, the Web does not come with easy-to-follow assembly instructions: you can easily end up riding backwards down an extremely busy road.

To make effective use of a Web site, you need to create your own assembly instructions—a well thought-out plan that positions your Web site as simply another tool in your overall communications or marketing strategy.

Too often, people get caught up in dazzling graphics and cutting-edge technologies, losing sight of their audience and message. The desire to just "get on the Web" can sometimes overshadow an intelligent and cohesive Web site development effort. Consequently, many new sites are little more than flashy, bandwidth-heavy billboards, with little or no value for the viewer.

Add Substance, Not Smoke

Presumably, most of us are in business to make money. One of the ways that we try to meet that goal is by marketing whatever product or service we may be selling. In conventional media—brochures, print ads, trade shows—most business owners and managers are careful to the point of paranoia when it comes to conveying just the right corporate message in exactly the appropriate fashion for specifically the proper audience. Why, then, do many business and government Web sites look either like propeller-head driven techno-boards or kindergarten art projects, with no discernable, consistent focus?

Part of the reason may be who is in the driver's seat. Too often, it's the technology people driving the Internet effort: they are exposed to the cutting edge, and more inclined to play with it without fear of contracting tetanus. While every ounce of credit owing for technological advancement and automation goes to our men and women in silicon shirts, they are, unfortunately, not always business-oriented.

The development of an effective corporate Web site has to be a planned, coordinated effort involving management, marketing, communications, technical support, and, if possible, a focus group of typical users. Together, this team must determine what the site is to accomplish—corporate marketing, customer support, research—and how best to do so. Some method has to be established to determine the return on investment (ROI)—make no mistake about it, establishing a successful Web site is a significant investment in time and money.

Your measure for success may be site traffic, client comments on the site, reduced telephone support, or actual sales, but be sure to track them, because they are the justification for management's funding to continue and expand the effort. Like any business decision, the evolution of your Web site will be directed by the bottom line.

A word Is Worth a Thousand Pictures

Okay, you've planned your site, gotten approval and buy-in at all levels, and are ready to go. Now, where do you find that cool, multi-colour graphic of a Java-rotating Starship Enterprise to proudly announce your site?

One of the most common errors made by neophyte Web developers is the perceived need to squeeze every ounce of coolness they can into a Web page by making it dance, sing, and spin on its head. It's called the "look at me" syndrome, originating from childhood, when we first jumped up and down in the middle of the room to bring attention to our latest Playdoh lump. It wasn't art then, and it certainly isn't now. Despite McLuhan's assertions to the contrary, the medium is not the message.

One of the goals of your Web site should be to get your established message out to the greatest percentage of your audience in a fashion that works for you and for them. The following tips may give you some idea of the issues to consider:

Your Web site will be visited (if it's successful) by a plethora of users with different connections, operating systems, browsers, and display capabilities. Determine the lowest common denominator in your target audience—16 or 256 colour? 14,400? Netscape 2.0 or all flavours?—and, if it's at all important to you not to alienate any potential clients, design your pages with that person in mind.
Don't be browser-specific. Competing "standards" abound these days, most notably fostered by Netscape and Microsoft. While you shouldn't limit yourself too strenuously, avoid browser-specific tags unless the effect they create is not integral to the format of the page; that is, ensure that the inability to display browser-specific enhancements does not detract appreciably from the appearance or function of the page.
If you use tables, consider carefully how those tables will look deconstructed by a browser that does not support them.
Minimize graphic size, number, and colour depth (look into Lview Pro or Paintshop Pro, a couple of useful shareware programs, to help you accomplish this). Unless your site is intended to showcase your company's graphics capabilities, the overuse of pretty pictures will sink an otherwise well-planned site. People simply don't want to wait around while your vision of the world downloads. One way to minimize graphics size is to keep text out of them. Too often, a graphical title is used on a page when plain text will do just fine, and load much faster. The creative use of tables can help achieve the layout you want, without sacrificing bandwidth.
Re-use common graphics. If you want to use graphical bullets for a list, use one bullet and repeat it; it only needs to load once, and you really don't need multicoloured bullets anyway. Common graphics are easier to maintain (you only have to change one), and download (each new graphic is another Hypertext Transfer Protocol connection the server has to process).
If a large graphic or product screenshot is really necessary to make your point, provide small, "thumbnail" versions of your graphics where appropriate, offering the option to go to the larger graphic. Provide your user with a choice.
Ensure that all elements on your pages have a "text only" equivalent. Even if you know for a fact that none of your users will be using a text-only browser, many people turn off images when surfing to save time. If you have graphical menu items that don't have ALT text, or image maps that don't have a text version, your users will have no way of knowing how to navigate your site.
Place explicit WIDTH= and HEIGHT= tags in your graphic definitions, so that browsers that recognize these tags can pre-assign the space required for graphics and draw the pages faster.

You Can't Get There from Here

Once you've nailed down the content of your pages, it's time to start thinking about user interface. It's vital to remember that you are not posting a document to your site, but a collection of discrete information elements that need to be individually meaningful and collectively navigable. Tools such as navigational aids and meaningful links will go a long way toward winning over a Web-weary visitor.

The Pudding Is in the Proof

Ah, the ubiquitous "under construction" sign. Apparently, posting this little hard-hatted fellow gives Web authors license to post unfinished, ill-conceived, useless pages on the Web with the promise that better things are just around the corner. If you received a brochure in the mail from a company that advertised its offering as "under construction" and included half-finished product descriptions, you might harbour serious doubts about that organization's credibility.

All corporate communications are a reflection of a company's professionalism, and the Web is no exception. If your company has a Web site that is incomplete, you are damaging your reputation before you've even made one. In other words, if it's not ready, don't post it.

These tips might help you get your pages ready for prime time:

Carefully proofread all content. If you can't be bothered to spell correctly, your user will think twice before giving you money or trust.
Before going live, set up an off-line "mirror" site, testing everything about your site including links, navigation, load time, etc. Conduct those tests using elements previously determined as the lowest common denominator, including various connection, display, and browser configurations.
When preparing your pages, use such techniques as relative links and "local" file names (8.3 if required) to ensure that you will be able to test all features locally before posting. This will also help when it's time to post your site by eliminating/minimizing the changes you have to make once the site is posted, and therefore minimizing the risk of post-proof error.
If you include links to other sites, test them thoroughly and often, avoiding the dreaded "404 - location not found" error. However, don't try to be a "master links" page, unless that is your prime purpose. Stick to your area of expertise; showcase your own products and talents.

What Have You Done for Me Lately?

The Web is not a billboard or newspaper. It is a dynamic—not passive—medium, and one that is capable of fostering interactive relationships with customers and clients. So keep your information current, removing such things as listings of upcoming events as soon as the date has come and gone. Also, remember to provide a "last modified" date on your Home Page to let viewers know there's something new to look at. Provide changing, dynamic information (e.g., regular newsletter, Thing of the Month, etc.), and keep it regular. You may also want to get users involved in your site by offering an on-line guest book or information request form.

Like any corporate communications initiative, a Web site needs to be properly rationalized, carefully planned, and professionally executed. While it's all too easy to fall prey to the glitter and glamour of new and exciting technologies, bandwagons are notoriously unreliable vehicles. The Web has tremendous power and scope, but the exposure it grants can easily backfire if you don't do it right.

(This article originally appeared in the May 1996 issue of Monitor magazine.)