Website Development

No business can afford to keep ignoring the Web, as you surely know. At C Perry and Company, we've developed hundreds of Web Sites, further our experience in systems development, graphics and database applications puts us in a unique position to anticipate your needs. We've developed a step-by-step process to assure your Web Site is developed on time, within budget and meets your specific needs.

Site basics

First, we'll help you choose and register a domain name. It's smart to also register variations or misspellings of your primary domain. For little additional cost, you can, for example, register ToolandDye.com as well as ToolandDie.com (.net or .biz, too), so customers who don't have the name quite right can still find you. If your business is associated with a high-profile personality, say, an industry authority or a popular speaker, register variations of that name as well, for instance PatriciaSmith.com and PatSmith.com. That traffic can be directed to the home page or to an internal page about the person, whichever you prefer.

When you're ready, you'll want to optimize the site so search engines quickly find you. This ongoing process can be driven by us, so you don't have to worry about site traffic.

Tour Other Sites

Spend time reviewing the Web sites of your competitors, big and small. Jot down what you like and missteps you discover. Bookmark other sites that appeal to you and talk to us about elements and graphics that you want.

Site mission

The next steps depend on your business model. You want a Web site that suits your enterprise as well as the growth stage of your business.

Think through these four questions.

1. What kind of information do your customers need?

Every site decision you make should be thought about in terms of what your customers need. To meet visitor needs, we suggest choosing one of these three rough-cut styles:

Informational.

This site is an online marketing brochure or branding tool that invites visitors to learn about the company and its offerings. It a good choice when you expect customers to call or visit after researching online.

Transactional.

This is an e-commerce site. These sites can run from selling one product, to selling a service, to a niche catalog that supports a brick-and-mortar shop to a fully functioning online store. Transactional sites are geared for a visitor ready to purchase.

Relationship builders.

This site works to develop relationships with customers over time. It encourages involvement and two-way communications, providing valuable data or expertise while requesting and capturing visitor information in return. Such sites offer educational or time-sensitive information and motivate repeat visits. That means you must invest in updating the content. These sites are designed for businesses that benefit or grow by interacting with their customers.

2. How will the Web site boost your offline business goals?

Saying your site should be "sales-oriented" isn't enough. You need to directly connect the site mission with your offline goals and marketing (including offline messaging and materials).

For example, a jeweler that doesn't sell diamonds online can motivate an online searcher to visit the store. On the other hand, a shoe store that does sell online should offer incentives that convert browser interest into online sales. Therefore, the jeweler's online goal should be to promote the actual store while the shoe site should direct individuals to pages where they can transact.

If designed and populated correctly, you web site will more than pay for itself by opening up new channels of business.

3. What are your budget and plans for future site development?

The fast pace of small companies often results in throwing up a Website just to get a "placeholder." But slapdash sites can turn costly, eating up staff time, spitting out glitches, and squandering opportunities.

This is not to say you shouldn't think big. On the contrary. Just implement in phases.

Many times, site shortcomings are created because the company doesn't have enough money to take the site through every appropriate layer of information. The solution is to do the best with less. Start with a good top layer and add enough supporting info to make it clear that the company has the capabilities to do the job, whatever that may be, even though you may not support everything to the optimal extent. Then add to the site as time and budget permit.

If you don't invest in a quality top layer, you'll find that visitors likely won't return to check out the deeper pages.

4. How will your site serve constituencies and stakeholders?

If you have investors, there should be a channel that keeps them up to date and provides financial news.

If you court the media, make sure there's an obvious button to click for an electronic media kit, plus news releases, bios of your management team and other info about your company.

Don't forget employees. You can set up a private, password-protected part of the site to post company-only news.

With a smart, relevant Website you can significantly cut marketing costs, expand your customer base, create brand or line extensions and, ultimately, grow the business. C Perry and Company can help you take the time to build your site the right way.