The Fundamentals of Building a Successful Website

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The Fundamentals of Building a Successful Website
Jerry Nichols, VP of Internet Solutions, RTP
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Case Study Gray Line Alaska

• Gray Line Background
• Establishing Gray Lines goals through discovery
• RTPs Web Building process
• Project Tasks
• Results

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Gray Line Alaskas starting point

• Challenges
• -The website needed a more contemporary look
  feel to evoke an emotion of an Alaskan adventure.
• -GLA needed to promote all Alaskan tours and
  cross-sell products
• -Wanted to better utilize the web as a vacation
  planning tool
• -Drive revenue
• -Biggest revenue generating month was 18k in
  sales new goal is 75k/month

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Our Web-Building Process

• - Review Competition Targets Demographics
• Analyze current search rankings
• -Review Current Site Traffic

-Site Traffic Analysis -Look-to-Book
ratios -Email database capture -Search marketing
results -Does the site support the goals?
-Finalize goals measurements -Prioritize
Information Architecture -Finalize Search Engine
marketing plan -Develop Project Plan -Call to
Action -Define HP Persistent Elements -Identify
Stakeholders
-Generate Production Requirements
Document -Develop site map and navigation
flows -Programming, content -Present creative
comps -Test for browser capability
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Production Requirements Document, the Project
Roadmap
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Production Requirements
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Web Usability IA Expertise

• Build your web site to support your goals -
• Form Follows Function
• GLA Goals
• Produce revenue through online reservations
• Reduce phone time required by reservations agents
• Enhance experiential web design to attract new
  visitors and retain existing customers
• Build email database

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Homepage Wire Frame
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Homepage
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Project Tasks to support the Website Goals

• Build an Online Booking Engine
• Redevelop the site architecture to be more sales
  driven
• Coordinate search engine marketing efforts with
  design
• Create a library of Alaskan content for the
  purpose of travel planning to drive more
  qualified traffic

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Alaskas Interactive Flash Map
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Measure the Results

• Goals
• Produce revenue through online reservations
• Reduce phone time required by reservations agents
• Enhance experiential web design to attract new
  visitors and retain existing customers
• Build email database

• Measurements
• Look-to-book ratios
• Revenue
• Call times
• Reservation agent feedback
• Live Stats
• Names in Database

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Risks Challenges of the Process

• Not enough attention to discovery process
• Stakeholders not in discovery process
• Major changes to production document
• Delay in receiving assets (photography, maps,
  content)
• Missed deadlines ignored
• Too many stakeholders

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Have a Process Follow it
- Review Competition Targets Demographics -
Analyze current search rankings
-Site Traffic Analysis -Look-to-Book
ratios -Email database capture -Search marketing
results -Does the site support the goals?
-Finalize goals measurements -Prioritize
Information Architecture -Finalize Search Engine
marketing plan -Develop Project Plan -Call to
Action -Define HP Persistent Elements
-Generate Production Requirements
Document -Develop site map and navigation
flows -Programming, content -Present creative
comps -Test for browser capability