Traffic Tuesdays

Last week's post talked about the business requirements for your website. Those requirements include a description of the "typical" customer (or customers) that you want to visit and to use your website.  

Before going too far in your website design and development, step back and list the requirements these customers (or users) will have when they land on your website. In general, your "users" have several key requirements.

Once you have decided what you expect from your website-- general purpose, website business goals, visitors, sales, and results--you are ready to write specific business requirements. Your website developer and programmer will use these requirements to design your website and program its features and functions.

Later, you will define user requirements and the functional requirements for your website. Your business requirements drive the features and functions of your website. Begin with them.

A requirement defines--in specific and measurable terms--what you expect your website to do. If the requirement is well written, someone can test the website and identify where and how the website meets that requirement. There is no guessing.

Any serious look at your current website or a website you are developing should begin with the definition of requirements. They provide you with a critical tool for spelling out your expectations for the website. 

The Web is full of commercial websites. Many fail to deliver the results that business owner wants or expects. Often that is because the business owner or person directing web development failed to provide a clearly written and complete description of what they expected on their website.

They needed a set of requirements the communicated exactly what business goals the website was required to meet, who they wanted to draw to the website and what they wanted guests to do once they landed on the site.