Website Optimization
Website optimization is more effective and less costly if the website development or redevelopment process follows the best practice approach as described here. It is possible to make website optimization a marginal cost item. The website analysis tools, run after a website development project has completed, provides independent assurance.
A Website
A website to a layman comprises:
Web pages.
Content from internal information sources such as database.
Content from external information sources such as third party websites.
The components that make up a website can be implemented in a multitude of ways.
Creative Design
Many web designers use sophisticated, complex and expensive tools such as Dreamweaver or Microsoft Visual Studio to build websites. Even if the template facilities in these tools are used, it can be difficult to separate content from layout from "look and feel". This can increase the cost of maintenance and enhancement.
Creative designers can take "visual" shortcuts which can reduce both accessibility and search engine visibility. For example if the text in a menu element is "too long" the text can be created as an image and the characters and white space between characters can be squeezed to fit into a fixed space.
Many web designers use databases to hold reference content information. For operational performance this information can be cached which can improve performance to acceptable standards. Usability and performance can continue to be an issue. Visitors book marking cached or dynamically generated pages can experience problems. Where possible it is usually better to provide static reference information pages which can have both meaningful names and are able to be book marked.
The WhyWaitForever approach enforces a strict separation between content, layout and "look and feel".
Technical Design
Business Rules
Business rules need to be identified to maximize returns from particular market segments through personalisation and scenario processing. Rules need to be defined for email campaigns, landing pages, offers, special interest groups, tagging and performance monitoring. The deliverables include:
Content inclusion and exclusion rules (JSP).
Browser processing (Javascript).
This activity defines what the website needs to achieved, the web target audience, success factors and how success is to be measured.
Content
Content and content summaries (aggregates); text, images, video, audio, animation etc need to be identified. The deliverables include:
Sitemap, list of portals (XML documents), list of portlets (XML document fragment) and list of languages e.g. French, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese etc.
Content Management
Content to be controlled within a content management system needs to be identified. Work flow, approval processes and frequency of changes needs to be defined. The deliverables include:
List of portlets (XML document fragment).
Internal Information
Internal information sources such as front office or back office applications and database need to be identified. The frequency of changes needs to be defined. The deliverables include:
List of databases, database tables, connections pools, field mapping and web and back office synchronization processes.
External Information Sources
Content from external information sources such as third party websites needs to be identified. The frequency of changes needs to be defined. The information exchange request response protocols and communications mechanisms such as SOAP over HTTP need to be identified. The deliverables include:
List of XSLT transforms (for a portal) and XSLT translets (for each portlet). List of common XSLT templates.
Page Layouts
The layouts (wireframes) for groups of web pages needs to be defined. Many web pages may be laid out in the same way. Layouts need to be defined for "printer friendly", "pdf", text only, audio enabled browsers, web enabled TV, web enabled phones and other web enabled devices. The deliverables include:
List of XSLT transforms (for a portal) and XSLT translets (for each portlet). List of common XSLT templates.
Development
As each part of the design analysis is completed, the development for that part can be started.
Content Management
If content is to be managed and controlled by a content management system an approach similar to the following would apply:
The project needs to be configured.
The user groups need to be defined with access rights suitable for work flow, review and approval.
The "XML" document fragments need to be defined.
The forms to add, amend and delete the XML document fragments need to be defined.
The processing to create aggregate content, to test, to transform, to promote and to deploy.
Content needs to be migrated or loaded.
Binary content such as images, animations and videos needs to be created and loaded.
Operations
As each part of the development process is completed it can be operationally tested, promoted and deployed to pilot, restricted access or full access operational websites.
Planning, Costs and Metrics
The higher the level of reuse between projects the lower the cost and the lower the risk. The application of the the technologies used in the above are becoming commodity items. The costs associated with the technology elements of a website implementation are becoming less and less.
The creative costs of copy, images, videos and "look and feel" are the major element in total costs.
Metrics for website development becomes more meaningful. Planning and capturing actuals against plan becomes more reliable.