DIGITAL MARKETING - A Practical Approach
Alan Charlesworth
Chapter 5 – Website Development
The social media presence
Throughout this chapter – and others – I refer to the web presence or website of the
organization, brand or product. In the majority of instances this will refer to a
website. However, the presence also includes those on social media platforms. I had
considered including a section that would address issues relevant to all of these
platforms. However, in retrospect, all good – and bad – practices in website
development apply equally to the home page of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter,
Instagram, Facebook or any of the other social media brands.
For issues pertinent only to social media platforms, follow the link from the chapter’s
web page.
PRACTICAL INSIGHT
The coding basics
From a technical perspective, there are many ways of developing a website. The most
basic is using hypertext mark-up language (HTML). This is a programming code that
makes the content of a document appear on a computer screen. For example, to
make a word appear in bold you place <b> (start bold) in front of it, and </b> (end
bold) after it. Other types of coding are more complex, from Cascading Style Sheets
(CSS), which fix the presentation of pages within a site, through to those pages
produced on the fly by complex algorithms and software applications.
As with other technologies that they can use, such as TV and radio, marketers do not
need to know how the technology actually works – only how to use it effectively. If
you want to check the code of a web page, right click on your mouse and then in
Internet Explorer (IE) click on view source – or on Firefox/Netscape view page
source – and you will see the source code used.
WWW – what, who and why
The website address begins with www, so when developing a website think ‘www’.
What are the site’s objectives?
Who are the visitors going to be?
Why are they visiting the site – what need is being met?
It is impossible to develop a website if you do not know the answers to these
questions.
, Management
As with all business-related applications of the term, website management can mean
different things depending on the size and character of what needs to be managed.
Whether the web presence is a couple of pages acting as a lead generator for an SME
(small or medium-sized enterprise) offline business or a pure-play retail site with
thousands of pages, an element of management is required if they are to effectively
meet the organization’s objectives for that site. Essentially, any online presence is a
publication – treating as such helps with the mentality of the requirements of
managing any website or social media presence.
Gerry McGovern (2002) describes the core objective of publishing as ‘getting the
right content to the right person at the right time at the right cost’ – that there is
more than a hint of the marketing mix there suggests who should have control of the
web presence. The key role in publishing is the editor – or managing editor. As editor
it is their job to commission, source, select, proofread or reject content – and then
decree the way in which that content is presented. As managing editor, they also
take on the wider responsibility for production and publication, so giving them
responsibility for any technical aspects of the site.
Naturally, the best editors (managers) do not dictate, but take advice and input from
their staff – but a strategic outlook is essential. The web presence of any
organization, brand or product is part of its strategic marketing communications mix
and so the manager/managing editor should have a marketing background.
PRACTICAL INSIGHT
Content management software
To describe such software as content management tools can be misleading to some.
Content management software actually helps you administer the content, not write
it. Think of a blog, for example, where the process of accessing the websites is made
easier (than having to write HTML code and FTP the content online) with the writer
using WYSIWYG software much the same as typing a Word document. However, that
is the limit of any management that it offers – it does not think up subjects and put
those thoughts into words in such a way that the content meets the objectives of the
site.
A strategic decision that has to be taken prior to the development of any web
presence and its content is the voice to be used on it. This is the type of language and
how it is presented. In essence, this is the personality of the content (textual and
otherwise). Ideally, the voice reflects the culture, the ethos – the personality – of the
organization, brand or product. The voice cannot be false – it is soon spotted online.
Alan Charlesworth
Chapter 5 – Website Development
The social media presence
Throughout this chapter – and others – I refer to the web presence or website of the
organization, brand or product. In the majority of instances this will refer to a
website. However, the presence also includes those on social media platforms. I had
considered including a section that would address issues relevant to all of these
platforms. However, in retrospect, all good – and bad – practices in website
development apply equally to the home page of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter,
Instagram, Facebook or any of the other social media brands.
For issues pertinent only to social media platforms, follow the link from the chapter’s
web page.
PRACTICAL INSIGHT
The coding basics
From a technical perspective, there are many ways of developing a website. The most
basic is using hypertext mark-up language (HTML). This is a programming code that
makes the content of a document appear on a computer screen. For example, to
make a word appear in bold you place <b> (start bold) in front of it, and </b> (end
bold) after it. Other types of coding are more complex, from Cascading Style Sheets
(CSS), which fix the presentation of pages within a site, through to those pages
produced on the fly by complex algorithms and software applications.
As with other technologies that they can use, such as TV and radio, marketers do not
need to know how the technology actually works – only how to use it effectively. If
you want to check the code of a web page, right click on your mouse and then in
Internet Explorer (IE) click on view source – or on Firefox/Netscape view page
source – and you will see the source code used.
WWW – what, who and why
The website address begins with www, so when developing a website think ‘www’.
What are the site’s objectives?
Who are the visitors going to be?
Why are they visiting the site – what need is being met?
It is impossible to develop a website if you do not know the answers to these
questions.
, Management
As with all business-related applications of the term, website management can mean
different things depending on the size and character of what needs to be managed.
Whether the web presence is a couple of pages acting as a lead generator for an SME
(small or medium-sized enterprise) offline business or a pure-play retail site with
thousands of pages, an element of management is required if they are to effectively
meet the organization’s objectives for that site. Essentially, any online presence is a
publication – treating as such helps with the mentality of the requirements of
managing any website or social media presence.
Gerry McGovern (2002) describes the core objective of publishing as ‘getting the
right content to the right person at the right time at the right cost’ – that there is
more than a hint of the marketing mix there suggests who should have control of the
web presence. The key role in publishing is the editor – or managing editor. As editor
it is their job to commission, source, select, proofread or reject content – and then
decree the way in which that content is presented. As managing editor, they also
take on the wider responsibility for production and publication, so giving them
responsibility for any technical aspects of the site.
Naturally, the best editors (managers) do not dictate, but take advice and input from
their staff – but a strategic outlook is essential. The web presence of any
organization, brand or product is part of its strategic marketing communications mix
and so the manager/managing editor should have a marketing background.
PRACTICAL INSIGHT
Content management software
To describe such software as content management tools can be misleading to some.
Content management software actually helps you administer the content, not write
it. Think of a blog, for example, where the process of accessing the websites is made
easier (than having to write HTML code and FTP the content online) with the writer
using WYSIWYG software much the same as typing a Word document. However, that
is the limit of any management that it offers – it does not think up subjects and put
those thoughts into words in such a way that the content meets the objectives of the
site.
A strategic decision that has to be taken prior to the development of any web
presence and its content is the voice to be used on it. This is the type of language and
how it is presented. In essence, this is the personality of the content (textual and
otherwise). Ideally, the voice reflects the culture, the ethos – the personality – of the
organization, brand or product. The voice cannot be false – it is soon spotted online.
