is your website up to speed?
DESCRIPTION
Whether you're working on your first or your tenth website, there's more to it than meets the eye. Does it work on a smartphone as well as a laptop? Is it designed to draw attention to the most important information? This workshop will help you think about how the content on your site is organized, how your site supports your brand image, and whether it works with other digital assets (like email and social media) in order to engage your audience. Get the latest insights on effective sites and what the market demands in 2014.TRANSCRIPT
@michaelflint
03.20.14
Welcome!
@michaelflint
03.20.14
Introduction
Michael Flint
Owner, Metropolis Creative in Boston
I have 3 kids
I like to brew beer and play hockey
@michaelflint
03.20.14
Website design is process-based
1. Branding and Discovery
2. Architecture
3. Design
4. Technical (coding)
5. SEO and Social
6. Review
@michaelflint
03.20.14
1. Branding and Discovery
All marketing materials tools work together.• Emails• Social channels• Printed materials• Your staff• Your office
@michaelflint
03.20.14
1. Branding and Discovery
• Brand rediscovery/definition• What are you really trying to do?• Define target audience(s) (prioritize them)• Define your messaging for each audience• What is your UVP?• Define your CTAs clearly (and prioritize)• Look at competitors• Define technical functionality• Lastly – what do you like visually?
@michaelflint
03.20.14
2. Architecture: Sitemap
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03.20.14
2. Architecture: Wireframe Sketches
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03.20.14
3. Design
• Set the Brand
• Clean design
• Clear messaging
• Clear calls-to-action
• Great photography
• Use color intentionally
@michaelflint
03.20.14
Before
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03.20.14
Before
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03.20.14
4. Development
• Involve the dev team from day one• Lead with the concept, not the solution• Discovery: include time to determine the best approach early• CMS / platforms to consider• Hosting: which host is right for you?• Other tools / plugins: why reinvent the wheel?• Responsive / mobile • Prototypes & Staging • Content entry: who and how? • Testing, and launch
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03.20.14
Published
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03.20.14
Admin
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03.20.14
5. SEO and Social
• Twitter, Facebook, and “more”• Blogs, RSS, commenting• Other social tools: Pinterest, Google Maps, Yelp
Social Engagement
• See my content: direct link to channel• Subscribe to my channel: like, follow, subscribe• Engage with me: retweet, comment
@michaelflint
03.20.14
5. SEO and Social
S.E.O: Search Engine Optimization
1. What does Google want? Google wants what you want
2. Keywords are key phrases, so use them:
• in context• consistently• repetitively• unique per page
@michaelflint
03.20.14
5. SEO and Social: Key phrases
S.E.O. Technical Notes
• Domain name• File names• Page titles• Headers• Page content (and alt-tags)• Meta description• Links (in and out) with keywords
@michaelflint
03.20.14
Thank you!