HTML 4.0 Sourcebook
(Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
Author(s): Ian S. Graham
ISBN: 0471257249
Publication Date: 04/01/98

The design strategy for the Web is also different from that of multimedia or print, and does not emphasize graphics design at all costs. The goal should always be to first produce a functional site layout, and only then to incorporate “Web-appropriate” graphical design. As a counterexample, one of the most universally disappointing page designs, still far too prevalent on the Web, is a home page containing a single, giant imagemap. It is imperative to remember that if the page takes long to download, many people will simply press “stop,” and will neither see the image nor be able to access the linked site resources.

Ideally, the entire page—including graphic and text files that load with the page—should be no more than 50 KB in size, and it should be functional to the user even in the absence of the page graphics.

Design Tip: Useful, Current Content

Content is critical to impact and should be dynamic, conveying a sense of freshness and relevancy. Not every page needs to be constantly updated, but key pages—such as the home and second-level pages—should include frequently updated content. For example, a “What’s New” blurb pointing to what’s new on the site, or a small collection of links that are referencing various resources on the site and are changed on a regular basis, can keep the pages up to date and encourage a user’s return.

In a Forrester Research (www.forrester.com) report entitled Web Best Practices, 60 percent of companies surveyed said that the marketing team was responsible for the development of content. It is therefore critical that the marketing department have an informed sense of what type and style of content is appropriate for the Web and that they venture beyond the material available in brochures and press releases. If other divisions of the company can contribute interesting and useful content, they should be given the opportunity to do so. After all, the nonmarketing people are probably closer to the newer material and are probably able to maintain updated content about it. Such timely knowledge is a valuable resource and should not be wasted.

Design Tip: Go Beyond Brochure-Ware

A frequent complaint of Internet users is that many Web sites are little more than “brochure-ware”—namely, simple scanned versions of brochures or videos dumped onto the Web. Content must be designed for the Web—scanning brochures will create giant image files that are slow to download, visually dull, and insulting to your visitors. Often such sites are created under the guise of “protecting corporate identity.” Guarding a corporate identity is an important aspect of site design, but it should not be done to the detriment of a site’s effectiveness. Michael Strangelove, publisher of the Internet Business Journal, has described how an early effort by MCI “ ... takes a mediocre 60-second TV commercial and transforms it into a painful 30-minute on-line experience.”² Such sites are guaranteed to receive very few regular visitors, while those who do visit will be left with a very poor impression of the company.

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²Internet World, May 1995.

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Design Tip: Tie into Interesting Content

One goal for a marketing site can be to create a destination on the Web—such an approach will attract potential customers that traditional advertising methods cannot reach. A destination site is filled with content about a particular subject area and can attract a wide cross-section of readers, who, in visiting the site, will see associated information about the company sponsoring the content. This “good citizen” approach can point readers to products of interest, and the pages themselves can contain advertising for relevant services or products provided by the sponsoring company.

An example of such a destination site is found at the Chase Manhattan Bank (www.chase.com/loans/rvadventures.html). In the United States, Chase Manhattan is one of the largest lenders to recreational vehicle (RV) purchasers. Thus, instead of creating “another” boring banking Web site, Chase Manhattan chose to create a comprehensive site for RV owners—the site includes information about RV clubs and associations, several RV FAQ (frequently asked questions) lists, and even a place where visitors can enter first-hand accounts of their RV travels. Of course, information about Chase Manhattan banking services and RV purchasing loans is only a click away!

Interactivity can also be a key component in a marketing Web site. Since the Web is the first truly interactive publishing medium, opportunities exist to feature a product and solicit immediate reader response. Thus, the Web can be ideal for promotions such as contests, sweepstakes, and surveys, all of which can be used to attract readers, collect information about them, and promote customer loyalty.

In general, all marketing-based Web sites need to provide ways for the public to contact staff, and companies need to develop customer service channels to facilitate the immediate processing of these requests. Indeed, it is critical that those planning the site take into account all the extra work that will arise when people start mailing in queries and requests for Web site or product information. Visitors will expect quick responses to their messages, and the goodwill created by providing inquiry addresses will soon fade if you don’t quickly answer the letters you receive!

Customer Service Web Sites

Developing a Web site to serve as an extension to customer service can be both rewarding to your customers and a cost-saving venture to your company. The Web allows you to easily and inexpensively “push out” your services around world, through tools such as searchable content (for example, allowing visitors to search your product database), “expert” e-mail and newsgroup forums, and applications that permit real-time interaction between visitors and staff (allowing users to ask questions of company experts). For such sites, elegant site design is nice, but is less important than providing effective and simple tools—since users are there for a specific purpose, the goal should be to make the functions and features of the site as easy to use as possible.