| Clear communication is the key to success. | | | | a plan. Actually, you need a Website Planning and |
| As a marketer, you know how your website should | | | | Requirements Document, a Website Functional |
| look, what it should say, and what features you'd like to | | | | Specification, and a Website Content Specification. For |
| include to maximize your push-to-web campaigns. You | | | | now, let's focus on the Website Functional |
| even have someone ready to start implementing your | | | | Specification because it answers all the pertinent |
| vision. You've thought of everything, right? | | | | technical questions regarding your website's goals, |
| Well, maybe not everything. | | | | layout, functionality, content, and technical requirements |
| Will your site use HTML or ASP? Does your hosting | | | | your developer will need. Developing a website |
| company support the forms you plan to use to | | | | functional specification requires you to tightly interact |
| capture lead data? Is your server on a Windows or | | | | with your developer throughout the planning process |
| Linux platform? How many unique design templates | | | | and should cover the following sections in DETAIL: |
| need to be coded? These are just a few of the | | | | Project Overview |
| technical decisions your web developer needs to | | | | Summary of Features |
| make before coding begins. That is if you want to | | | | Sitemap |
| avoid budget and schedule crushing issues during the | | | | Page Layouts |
| development of your site. | | | | Process Flow for Each Feature |
| We all know that bridging the gap between the | | | | Web Style Guide |
| non-technical and the technically savvy can be | | | | HTML File Names and Keywords |
| challenging at best. Who hasn't experienced that | | | | Image File Names and Sizes |
| sinking feeling when a developer reveals you can't ask | | | | The elements described above not only ensure your |
| customers the questions you planned (and assumed | | | | web developer understands your vision for the site, it |
| would be possible) during order check out because | | | | also establishes a baseline from which you can agree |
| you need to integrate with a database to do so. And, | | | | to make changes and tradeoffs based on technology, |
| adding database integration is going to put you over | | | | budget, and schedule. More importantly, you will both |
| budget and behind schedule. Fortunately, these | | | | have a solid understanding of what the site needs to |
| moments can be avoided with some upfront planning | | | | look like and do upon completion. |
| and clear communication between the marketer and | | | | Working with your technical person while finalizing this |
| the web developer. | | | | document will gain his/her buy-off on the project and |
| But how can you merge these two worlds--effectively | | | | make the development process go much more |
| and efficiently--while maintaining your (and your | | | | smoothly-all while avoiding those hair-pulling moments |
| technical person's) sanity? | | | | between the non-technical and technical we'd all like to |
| To define and communicate your non-technical vision | | | | avoid. |
| to your technical Webmaster or developer, you need | | | | |