Building effective websites

Entrepreneurs know they need a website for their small business, but they often don't know how to get started or where to turn. In this presentation I cover everything you need to know to make good decisions and get a website project moving in the right direction.

Transcript

1. What you need to know to create an effective website by Natalie MacLees
2. About Me Purple Pen Productions
 founder + principal jQuery for Designers
 author SoCal WordPress Users’ Group
 organizer jQuery LA Users’ Group
 founder + organizer
3. Learn the lingo
4. Browser
5. Search engine
6. Domain name
7. Hosting
8. Where do I start?
9. Start with a plan Yep, even if you’re going to hire someone
10. ?
11. why?
12. who?
13. what?
14. What people want to know What you want to tell people Ideal content
15. where?
16. when?
17. how?
18. Spy on the competition See what’s going on in the world
19. Content decisions
20. Sketch a site map
21. portfolio home blog wordpress clients news events classes workshops meetups branding services design dev wordpress about our staff
23. • Home • Blog • wordpress • clients • news • Events • classes • workshops • meetups • Services • design • development • branding • wordpress • About • our staff
24. Create your content
25. Mind the gap
26. You must have...
27. Who you are &
    what you’re about
28. Simple, sensible address
29. Clear, effortless navigation
30. Contact information
31. Establish credibility
32. CTA
33. Findability
34. Fresh, quality content
35. Secure hosting
36. Friendly design and style
37. Clear and consistent branding
38. Usability and accessibility
39. Mobile
40. Social media
41. Video
42. Should you DIY?
43. Budget
44. Skill level
45. Time and interest
46. All the jobs • Research • Copywriting • Copy editing • Photography • Videography • Design • Development • Statistics • Backups • Maintenance • SEO • Marketing
47. DIY A little how-to
48. Hosted vs. Self-Service
49. Hosted Service Get started on the cheap
50. WordPress.com
51. Self-service Have a partner for the journey
52. Hiring Bringing in some help
53. What to expect
54. Be involved
55. Spend time planning
56. Pricing isn’t simple
57. How long does it take?
58. The typical process
59. Planning
60. Content
61. Wireframing or Prototyping
63. Design
64. Development
65. QA
66. Common Mistakes
67. Rushing
68. Design for your own taste
69. Missing CTA
70. Not spending budget wisely
71. Stale, out-of-date content
72. Trying to target everyone
73. Ignoring mobile
74. Confusing navigation
75. Getting too obsessed with SEO
76. Acting on misguided feedback
77. Keep in Mind
78. It’s NEVER done
79. It’s an investment
80. A good example
81. Questions?
82. Thank YOU!