The Webmaster BUSINESS Masters Course was written for Webmasters who are ready to stop dreaming and | Page 9

do. Unfortunately, you don't get to increase your price to compensate for
this. After all, it’s not the client's fault that you didn’t collect all of the
requirements before you began.
There are certain steps to follow whenever you design a Web site. It doesn’t
matter how big or how small the site is, the steps are always the same. The
professionals design this way and so should you -- after all, you are a
professional designer now.
First, the big picture…
1) Define the purpose of the site.
2) Identify your client’s target market.
3) Conduct a competition survey.
4) Define the features of the site.
5) Identify keywords.
6) Develop the wire frame.
7) Create the storyboard.
8) Build the prototype.
9) Complete the final design.

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Now, a closer look at each step…
STEP #1 -- Define the purpose of the site.
Just like a business, a Web site needs clearly stated goals. Without clear goals,
the site will be much more difficult to design. The design will lack direction and
the Web site will never quite meet the user’s needs.
The site goals should just pop right out of your initial client interview, but often
they will not be so apparent. Your client may not have well-defined objectives
and may not even realize that they are required. It is also possible that s/he
expects so much from the site that dozens of goals are presented.
When this happens, you will have to work with the client to define the real goals
of the site. Discuss each one but keep narrowing down the choices as you go
along.
Ken Evoy, well-respected Internet marketing author/guru and founder of
SiteSell.com (http://www.sitesell.com/) coined the phrase “MWR (Most Wanted
Response).” It’s an excellent term to use when you are helping a client pinpoint
the purpose of his or her site.
Don’t get trapped into goals that you cannot achieve or cannot control. A goal to
sell 637 books a day is not realistic. You can design a site to sell books, but you
can’t control how many it sells. There are too many factors involved -- you don’t
have absolute control over the site’s Search Engine ranking, the size of the
market, or the popularity of the book.
It’s acceptable to have more than one goal, but if you attempt too many things,
the site will not accomplish anything well.
Here are a few examples of goal statements…
• The primary objective of this site is to promote and sell Mr.
Smith’s new book. The site will provide a direct sales outlet for the
book, and it will also promote seminars associated with this book.
• The goal of the site is to create an online scholarly journal to
promote the study of natural history.
• The Web site will be designed to encourage potential clients to
contact the company about contracting Web site design services.
(Did you recognize the last one? It could be a possible goal statement for a
designer’s site.)

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Once you have a clear goal for the site, everything else in the design should work
towards achieving that goal.
STEP #2 Identify your client’s target market.
After you figure out the goals of the site, you have to determine its audience.
The best way to do this is by developing a “Customer Profile.” You and your
client need to define as many specific customer characteristics as possible.
This is where your marketing skills come into play -- especially, your knowledge
about niche marketing and market segments. You don’t have to be an expert but
you do need to share what you know. Your client may or may not (the latter is
the usual situation) have any experience with this.
Work with your client to figure out exactly who is going to visit his site and buy his
products and services. How will they use the site? How do they shop? How will
they buy?
Knowing who is going to visit and how they will use the site will shape the design.
STEP #3 Conduct a competition survey.
Search the Internet for similar sites to see what your client’s competitors are
doing.
Check out the features and content of their sites. You are certainly not going to
copy their sites, but you don’t want to overlook anything that might leave your
client at a competitive disadvantage. You can also get a good feel for the needs
of the target market by reviewing these sites.
You can do this manually via your favorite Search Engine tool, or you can use
Site Build It! (http:buildit.sitesell.com/ ). Its super-brainstorming tool will
automatically provide the URLs of the most popular sites for hundreds of
keywords/topics related to your client’s business theme.
STEP #4 Define the features of the site
The features of the site can best be described as those things that add
functionality and utility. These include the client’s requests, the features that you
found during your Internet searches, and those items that you know need to be
there (based on your expertise as