Creating Powerful Websites that Engage Audiences

Michael Slater, CEOmichael@webvanta.com

888.670.6793

www.webvanta.com

Aspects of Website Creation

Visual design Interaction design Content structure Ticket purchasing Donations Social media Search engine optimization

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Technology and User Expectations Have Changed In the past few years, the web has become much

more sophisticated Visitors expect easy-to-use, engaging sites They expect them to work on phones and tablets Most 5-year-old designs look dated

Underlying technology has changed Flash no longer recommended, primarily due to iPad New opportunities with the latest web technology

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Visual and Interaction Design

Visual design How it looks Adapting to changing, diverse content

Interaction design Navigation and browsing interfaces Photo and video galleries and slideshows Hiding and showing content (tabs, accordions, etc.) Ticket purchasing and donations Social media and commenting

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Content Structure

Information architecture How you structure and organize your content How users find what they want (nav, browse, search)

Design the structure of your content independently of the pages you will present it on

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Performances Events Performers Blog Posts

Building Simple Websites

Create each page using a web authoring tool Software you install, such as dreamweaver Hosted service with browser-based tools, such as

SquareSpace or Weebly Problems with this approach

Time-consuming to add pages Doesnt provide features like blog, calendar, database Hard to maintain consistency and preserve design

integrity

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A Better Way: DB-Driven

A single performance page can serve for all performances

The database stores all the details about each performance Your staff enters the information into a form No need for technical skills No concern for page layout or styling when entering

information Layout and styling determined by the single template page

Painless consistency

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Many Ways to Connect With Your Audience

Database of performancesAdmin

Website

Mobile Site

Mobile App

Social Media

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Media

Photos Easy to include throughout site Display as banners, slideshows, galleries Associate with artists, performances, facilities

Videos Host on YouTube or Vimeo Embed on your site Organize using the database

Audio Can be hosted on your site, with embedded player

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Ticket Purchasing

Use a service focused on this function AudienceView, Veritix provide features needed for

reserved seating, etc. Brown Paper Tickets, EventBrite for low cost

A link to purchase tickets is stored in the sites database and turned into a button on your site

Ticketing service will style its pages (more or less) to look like your website

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Taking Donations

May be handled by ticket purchasing system Can easily accept donations via PayPal

One-time Monthly (subscription)

Consider how you are going to do follow-ups to donors Customer relationship management (CRM) system Ticketing special offers

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Integrating Social Media

Link to your Facebook and Twitter pages

Make it easy for people to share your pages with share buttons

Include Facebook Like widget to make it easy for them to like you on Facebook

Blog posts can be automatically posted to Facebook and Twitter

Search Engine Optimization

You want to show up prominently in search results The art and science of getting there is called SEO

On-page optimization Build the site using best-practice technology, coding, writing

Off-page optimization (link building and social media) Get lots of links from well-ranked sites covering related topics

Achieving a great SEO position takes an investment and some time (commit to a 6-12 month plan) Once you get there, your site gets lots of free traffic

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Choosing a Content Management System Lots of choices, so focus on type first

Software you maintain, on a server you rent space on Open Source, such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal Commercial, such as ExpressionEngine

Hosted services provide CMS as a managed service Provider handles all the software maintenance, server admin, backups, etc. Fewer hassles and lower cost in the long run Simple sites: WordPress.com, SquareSpace, Weebly, Wix, LightCMS Sophisticated sites: Webvanta, Agility, Limelight, Vae Platform

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Project Management

The heart of a website project is the content Be sure you have the resources to collect, manage, and

maintain it all Consider outsourcing the writing and collecting of

images, videos, etc. Make sure staff is trained in how to add and change

website content

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Dont Neglect Mobile!

Web access from smartphones is exploding Restaurants seeing 30% mobile traffic

Tipping points are close, within 1-2 years: More than half of all phones sold in U.S. will be

smartphones More than half of web traffic for entertainment and

hospitality sites will come from mobile devices Requires modest additional investment

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Tablets Are Semi-Mobile

Tablets use mobile browsers and touch-based interfaces But are more often used at home

10 tablets have desktop-like screen size Minor adjustments to desktop site

7 tablets are small for desktop site May do better with mobile site

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Do You Need a Mobile App?

Your own mobile app is a great way to connect with your most dedicated fans

Provides a semi-permanent place on users phone Can use the same content as the website Multiple platforms to consider supporting

iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows Mobile Phones and tablets

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Getting Your Site Built

Two major services: design and development May come from the same or different suppliers A quality site is a team effort Overall project management is also critical

Freelancers are least expensive and can be great if you find the right person

Web agencies bring a team, and typically a higher level of sophistication and experience

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Getting Started

Unless you have an expert as part of your team, find a consultant to work with you to define needs

Once you have a document that clearly describes what you need, get proposals

Be sure you are getting the level of strategy, technology, and project management you need, in addition to design

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Wed Be Glad to Help!

Webvanta offers strategy, specification, and site-building services

Weve partnered with Athena Web Design to provide visual and interaction design for performing arts sites

Call Justin at 888.670.6793 ext. 4 Or email sales@webvanta.com

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