Conducting Successful Website Redesign (Part 5 of 5)

Written by: Frank Iacono

In part four of Conducting Successful Website Redesign I talked about Step 4: Build and Integrate which included three key phases: The Planning, The Building and Integration, and The Testing. After completing Step 4, you should have designed, developed, and implemented the Website. This, the fifth part in the series, will focus on Step 5: Site Launch and Maintenance.

Step 5: Site Launch and Maintenance includes three key phases: The Delivery, The Launch and Integration, and The Maintenance.

• The Delivery
• Complete the Production Style Guide
• Create Handoff Packet (Instructions to Implement Site)
• Create Tracking Documentation
• Conduct Pre and Post Launch Meeting
• Establish Maintenance Schedule
• The Launch and Integration
• Develop Communication Plan
• Establish Communication Vehicles
• Ensure Site is Optimized for Search Engines
• Get Final Approval on Redesign
• Launch the Website into Production
• The Maintenance
• Develop Maintenance Plan
• Establish Internal Maintenance Teams
• Assess Maintenance Team Capabilities
• Confirm Site Security
• Plan for Interactive Initiatives to Market Website
• Benchmark Site Analytics for Empirical Data
• Measure Redesign Success
• Optimize Site Moving Forward

When you’ve completed Step 5, you will have launched the website and developed a maintenance plan. Measure the results and continuously optimize the website to reach your established business goals. Share with me your web-based projects.

Conducting Successful Website Redesign (Part 4 of 5)

Written by: Frank Iacono

In part three of Conducting Successful Website Redesign I talked about Step 3: Design Visual Interface which included three key phases: The Creation, The Confirmation, and The Design. After completing Step 3, you should have identified the website design and layout for your web-based project. This, the fourth part in the series, will focus on Step 4: Build and Integrate.

Step 4: Build and Integrate includes three key phases: The Planning, The Building and Integration, and The Testing.

• The Planning
• Assess Project Status
• Establish Guidelines
• Set File Structure
• The Building and Integration
• Slice and Optimize Pages into HTML
• Create HTML Template and Web Pages
• Implement Scripting
• Create and Populate Pages
• Integrate with Backend Development
• The Testing
• Create a QA Plan
• Conduct QA Testing
• Prioritize and Fix Defects
• Conduct a Final Check

When you’ve completed Step 4, you will have designed, developed, and Implemented the website.

Next Time:

In Part 5, we will focus on Step 5 within the website redesign process flow: Site Launch and Maintenance.

Conducting Successful Website Redesign (Part 2 of 5)

Written by: Frank Iacono

In part one of Conducting Successful Website Redesign I talked about Step 1: Define the Project which included three key phases: The Discovery, The Planning, and The Clarification. After completing Step 1, you should be prepared to officially kick off the web-based project.  This, the second part in the series, will focus on Step 2: Develop Site Structure.   

Step 2: Develop Site Structure includes four key phases: The Content View, The Site-View, The Page-View, and The User-View.

• Content View
  • Address and Organize Content
  • Audit Existing Content
  • Outline Content
  • Create a Content Delivery Plan
• Site-View
  • Address Current Site Organization
  • Map Out Proposed Site Structure
  • Set Naming Conventions
• Page-View
  • Wireframe Page View
  • Address Navigation
  • Address File Naming and Labeling
• User-View
  • Define Key User Paths
  • Develop HTML Prototype from Wireframe
  • Create User Scenarios

When you’ve completed Step 2, you will have identified the website structure. 

 Next Time:

In Part 3, we will focus on Step 3 within the website redesign process flow: Design Visual Interface.

Is Your Organization Employing Best Practices for Online Donation?

Written by: Frank Iacono

While every non-profit organization has a different mission and approach to fundraising, those who achieve the greatest amount of success from their web-based donation programs typically employ best practices.

Below, please find the top 6 best practices that all non-profit organizations should utilize when creating an online donation form:

1. Maintain Consistent Branding. To provide a higher level of confidence in the donor clearly brand all forms with your organization’s specific web look and feel.
2. Remove Extraneous Navigation. To lower abandonment rates and increase web form donations remove all unnecessary links.
3. Create a Clear and Concise Form. To help donors complete the web form as quickly and easily as possible provide both clear and meaningful labels for all fields, making obvious which fields are required and which are optional.
4. Pre-populate Form Fields. To increase the speed of form completion and reduce the chances of typographical errors pre-populate the web form fields with information when the donor is already in your database.
5. Provide Pre-set Dollar Amounts. To encourage higher giving levels suggest donation amounts and provide multiple ways for donors to support your organization.
6. Add Email Auto-Responders. To reinforce the donor’s affinity with your organization send out an immediate email follow-up once the donation has been completed.

In order to be successful with your online donation program, you will need to conduct some upfront research and analysis to determine what works best with your audience.  Depending upon what your marketing strategy is and/or becomes this may or may not be a huge undertaking for your organization but it will truly demand that you truly understand online fundraising principles.