When addressing the layout, organization, and labeling of the content in your site, we do many things to provide the best possible experience.
1. Current Site and Competitive Analysis
We analyze the existing site and look for the key information and messages you want your audience to absorb and find. In addition, if we have them, we study your web site logs and analytics to see what your visitors are doing. What pages are they landing on? How long are they staying on your site? What search terms are they looking for?
We also do competitive analysis. We look at the best web sites in your space and determine what we can learn from the best, and the worst, of your competitors. We look at rankings on key search terms - how well do you do? How well do your competitors do?
2. Information Assets, Content, and Data Analysis
A site is only as good as the information it provides. When evolving a site, we take a hard look at your site to determine the effectiveness of the content. The images should help your story. The content should scan well - it should be well-written for web purposes (typical marketing prose does not cut it on the web!). Most importantly: Does your content help search engines determine what your site does, and offer up your web site to people who are looking for what you're offering?
(If you want to learn the secret to great web content, attend one of our "Writing for the Web" seminars.)
3. Site Map and Content Mapping
We begin with an outline of the key areas for your site, paying close attention to the naming conventions, link order, hierarchy, and grouping. Is your main navigation effective? Do you have seven links or less? What content is available, and what do we expect to add in the future?
4. Wireframes
Wireframes lay out the amount of space for navigation, graphic elements, and content. The wireframes help visualize how someone would actually use the site - they give a feel for the true amount of data on a page that a visitor must sift through.
5. Usability Studies
Usability studies are extremely powerful tools in the evolution of a web site or software application. We have methods of testing throughout the whole web development process. From the current site, to the site map, to the wireframes, to the design, and beyond, we can save you the costs of making changes, and create the most effective application possible.
At the end of the Information Architecture step, you will have a well-developed structure for the new web site. You will: