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Ataraxis Web Design Company

Greater Toronto Web Design, GTA Development, Managed VPS Hosting Canada

Toronto Web Design Solutions For Business Online Marketing

Information Architecture Is Key To Successful Online Business Ventures

As I prepared myself to write this presentation of IT project management and development strategies I decided to do some research to uncover what other Internet solution developers had to say. After a few days of researching it became apparent presentations tend to revolve around specific questions to ask a potential Internet solutions developer before hiring him. Another extreme were those diving deep into a fully technical aspect which is fine for other technically inclined visitors. That approach alienates potential clients who don't understand, or do not want to understand Internet information technology. They simply need to make use of it. What did stand out in my mind is how very little mention there is of information architecture.

I want to approach my presentation from an angle of information architecture because really that's what it's all about. Web design is more than graphics, colours or layouts. These elements should actually be a last topic on an agenda. If these topics come up first -- be suspicious of dealing with someone who only sees a tip of an iceberg. Projects emphasizing sensory appeal rather than information architecture logic is bound to produce negative results. An exception to this rule that I can think of are presentations that are extensions of an already popular company, or brands not needing to rely on query traffic.

Four highest important aspects of any project are; define purpose, determine who your audience may be, copywriting content, as well as type of structure. Only after these primary considerations are understood and agreed upon should a web designer turn his or her attention to visual aesthetics. Compare it to having a custom home built. Would you begin by deciding what paint colours to use or what types of pictures should be hung on walls afterward, I would hope not?! You're more likely to decide on factors such as why it is needed, where it is needed, how many rooms are needed, what will their purpose be, where they will be in relation to each other to ensure ease of traffic flow and so on.

Please understand that I'll do my best here to present primary points of concern in general terms, like an overview. Quite frankly I would need to write a whole book to explain what goes on in my mind as I analyze an Internet IT project for solutions. We can discuss more intricate details over a cup of java if you're considering hiring me to establish your business online. So before my keyboard runs out of ink lets step into my world of architecture of information. Oh, don't forget that liquid lightning, mmmmmm… savour the flavour of a delicious large strong black cup of java!

Information Architecture Defined

Processes of information architecture consist of clear visions to understand a full sphere of purpose, presentation of content, interaction with audience, ease of navigation, as well as functionality of applied technology. These items collectively become a blueprint of a successful project. In a similar manner that a building takes shape from a preplanned blueprint so too should your Internet abode.

Effective Web Design Analysis Begins With Defining Purpose

Without doubt this should always be one of the first topics surfacing in a discussion with a potential web designer. Not all companies require an online presence, in some cases it would serve no benefit at all. However, most self-employed or small companies would benefit by an increased customer base by establishing an effective Internet presence.

What Are Short And Long Term Goals ?

Having justified a purpose for establishing an online presence you then need to determine what goals you're hoping to achieve. Is an online presentation going to compliment an already existing bricks and mortar company? Or, will you be relying on it to bring you the majority of your customers? I have witnessed new launches bring in a substantial new client base that wouldn't have happened if not for the effectiveness of being found in search engine results. Are you hoping to grow your small business? If not you should approach a business Internet launch cautiously because it is not uncommon to see a significant increase in demand for your product or service. This is especially true in local markets such as the Greater Toronto Area market I focus on. Unexpected sudden rapid growth for small business can sometimes be challenging.

Sometimes only a short term goal is seen; we want to establish ourselves online now! An often overlooked long term benefit is it will reduce long term advertising costs. It may no longer be necessary to advertise through traditional mediums if your market is local or regional and your online business establishment manages to get high placing in major search portals. Effective it will pay for itself within a year through long term advertising savings of thousands of dollars compared to a few hundred a year to host and maintain a domain. If your online presence draws much more attention to your product or service are you capable of handling unexpected growth? These are just a few examples.

Who Is Your Perceived Audience ?

When considering audience, demographics of potential visitors as well as type of technology they may be using to access a site needs to be planned for. Access issues are primarily a development concern of a web design project but this should be an essential part of every pre-design discussion. A good web designer may also be able to help understand audience demographics from a technical perspective that you may not have taken into consideration.

How Will Visitors Find Your Website After It Goes Live ?

What's happening during a pre-design stage if web designers are already talking about search engine marketing? I would guess it's an indication of anticipation of not being able to get high placement in engine query results. So essentially what ends up happening is you have an online establishment that people cannot find. You may then be required to turn to traditional advertising so it can be found. Whether advertising in a local newspaper or online it's going to be an ongoing expense defeating purposes of getting established online in the first place. That reason is because it is a very good source of affordable business promotion marketing when done properly. Yearly promotional advertising costs will be limited to hosting and maintenance of an online business establishment.

Also, even more important is a need to understand what keywords or key phrases searchers are using to find your small business product or service. This requires keyword research and is an extremely important aspect of an overall IT project development process. Keyword or key phrase research should become a responsibility of a copywriter who will be working researched results into copyright content.

Analyze Other Domains Offering Similar Products Or Services

Before accepting an opportunity to develop an online venture I will analyze what I am up against as far as competition is concerned. If I don't think I can get a completed project to within the first three pages of major search portals then I am likely to decline any development request. I cannot justify accepting your money if potential to help you benefit from it is low. This will usually be as a result of how stiff competition is for a targeted market audience or whether I think I can successfully get a completed project into sometimes crowded top search results.

Here on my own site, after assessing presentations of other Brampton, Mississauga, and Toronto web design companies, I knew I was going to have a difficult time to make it to the top of search results. My targeted query term “Toronto web design” is fiercely competitive. Therefore I knew I was going to have to produce a lot of content. This would help me in terms of search engine recognition that would hopefully propel me to higher rankings which leads me to my next point.

Importance Of Content Copywriting

Content copywriting will make or break the success of an online venture. You might have a presentation that has visual appeal but copywriting content, as well as structure, is very important. If it isn't optimized then a domain may not place very high in search results. If someone asked me what the single most important aspect of a successful Internet presence is I would say without hesitation it is hiring a professional copywriter. But what's even more important is that someone who writes content for traditional print media may not understand differences that need to be considered and applied to write Internet presentations. I discuss it in more detail in my professional SEO copywriting presentation.

Navigation Structure

A navigation structure layout can sometimes be an item that will be more difficult to predict whether the original structure will be effective or not. This is where post-development monitoring with analytics software becomes invaluable. Analytics is a practice of tracking and analyzing visitor interaction within a domain. Essentially, after about three months of traffic data monitoring and analyzing, the most popular destination pages will become apparent. Navigation links to those pages should be placed in prominent structural locations to facilitate ease of finding popular topics of interest if they are not already in such locations. Also, if you determine important pages are not getting as much attention than had been anticipated, a navigation menu reassessment may be needed.

This aspect of my development work can only be determined after a project has been in production for a period of time. It is important to work with a developer who is willing to make these sometimes necessary adjustments without further expenses to you. This is a very good example of why post development work is so important.

Graphic Designing, Colours, Layout Selection

This final process is fun and relaxing, from my creative expression point of view! All of my IT project development work is unique. I do not purchase third party pre-designed templates just to change default information to yours. I work with Photoshop™ to produce my graphic content. If stock photos are required I have a source of royalty free images to use in projects. Your company presence will be a unique one-of-a-kind presentation.

Summary

Information architecture presented on this page is of a general nature, somewhat of an overview of how I approach each project as a whole. As I mentioned previously above, knowledge floating around in my mind far exceeds space I want to devote to it here. Also, each project is unique and requires more or lessor degrees of this knowledge applied to accomplish objectives.