Web Design Wikiclass | Lecture / Business Websites

A Web Design Lecture by Steven Choy

Overview: What makes a good business website? - Defining your brand - Standing out from the crowd - Content Management Systems (CMS) - How CMS Works? - Web Databases - Ecommerce - Accepting payment

What makes a good business website?

A business website should help the business make more money - usually either by increasing its revenue or reducing its costs.
Remember the bottom line

A business site that doesn't help the business make money is a bad site.

Have a clear goal and focus on it
What's the return on investment?

Whenever you think of a new idea for your site, it is important to think about the return on investment (ROI).

Defining your brand

Looks matter, but so does personality

It is important to decide how you want your customers to perceive your company. Try to think of your business as having a personality.

Your brand is more than just a logo

An online business has a greater chance for success if those who buy its products and services recognize its brand. A recognizable brand also makes a business's site more attractive to potential advertisers and partners.

Your logo is a visual cornerstone of a company's brand. Your company's identity is visually expressed through its logo, which, along your company's name, is one of the main things that makes your business memorable.

Your domain name is also an essential part of your branding efforts.

(Source: Branding for Your Small Business)

Standing out from the crowd

Dare to be different

Your business should have a unique selling point (USP), which separates you from your competition (e.g. cheaper, quicker, or having more variety). Make sure this USP comes across on your website.

Some examples
http://www.uniqlo.jp/uniqlock/

Content Management Systems (CMS)

A CMS allows a website owner to add content to their website without needing to know HTML.
Advantages of using CMS
- Sharing the workload: anyone within your company can update your website. You can make various people responsible for different sections of the site.
An examples of CMS
- Adobe Contribute (US$ 199)

Adobe® Contribute® CS5 software is a powerful web publishing and website management tool that integrates authoring, reviewing, and publishing in an easy-to-use WYSIWYG HTML editor. Increase web publishing productivity collaboratively while simplifying oversight and approval tasks.

How CMS Works?

(Source: http://www.a3webtech.com/index.php/how-cms-works.html)

A CMS is software that resides on a server and replaces static web pages (in HTML code) as a means of displaying a website. The pages (HTML files) do not exist as such, and instead are created from a database on-the-fly, by the CMS software. The owner can edit content online without recourse to a webmaster. Additional website functions and features are added by means of plugins, so that custom development is not normally required. Page design is based on templates instead of the free-form method used in normal web pages, and this means that content is separated from design, so that each does not affect the other. In practical terms it means that design issues are resolved more easily and quickly.

Pages are edited online via a normal browser.
Edits go live immediately.
The site owner can easily edit, add or delete pages.
With minimal training, the site owner may be able to add new menu items and even sections to the site.
Design and layout are controlled by templates - no custom design is necessary, though of course it can be utilised in order to extensively customise the page appearance.
Additional features are added via plugins - no custom work is needed.
Plugins are (or should be) widely available.
Content of many different types can be organised and presented in many different ways.
Content is completely separated from presentation - ie the page content does not affect its layout.

Web Databases

A database is a collection of information stored on a computer.
Any information that can be stored in a database, can be stored in an online database, which can be accessed through your website.
How does web databases work?

Databases, like MYSQL or Access, only store information.

Web programming language like PHP, ASP, and Java can take information from a database and create an HTML page, which you can see in your browser.

Ecommerce

Many business websites are purely for marketing. They are often called brochureware sites (they are basically just online brochures).
Some companies have sites where you can actually carry out business. We call them ecommerce websites.
Examples: online shops like Amazon, auction like eBay.
Any websites that let visitors carry out all or part of your business with a company is an ecommerce website.
Online shops: a website that allows visitors to buy things over the Web.

(A shopping cart is a way for an online shop to keep track of what you've decided to buy as you move through the site.)

E-procurement: refers to the purchasing activities that take place between business.

This may involve specialized products such as raw materials and equipment needed to manufacture goods or to provide services. This may also refer to commodity items such as office furniture, office supplies, light bulbs, and basic services such as travel and cleaning services.

Example: Alibaba.com

What is Alibaba.com? - Alibaba.com is the world's largest marketplace for global trade and the leading provider of online marketing services for importers and exporters. It is the place for buyers and sellers to find trade opportunities and promote their businesses online. Alibaba.com is not a trading company but rather an online business platform, where you can search or post information to find potential business partners.

Key Roles and Processes at Alibaba.com

A seller (or exporter) posts his company information and product photos (together with descriptions, specifications, shipping terms, etc.) on Alibaba.

Buyers (or importers) search and browse the seller's products and then make inquiries to negotiate or place orders.

Ecommerce business models
- the business-to-consumer model (B2C)
- the business-to-business model (B2B)
- the consumer-to-consumer, or online auction model
Selling online with eBay
- There are two main ways to sell things on eBay: auctions and fixed price sales.
- eBay has over 150 million users worldwide.
- Class discussion: why some people still sell their products on eBay even if they've got their own online shop?

Accepting payment

How to accept and process online payments directly from your website?
It is common for ecommerce sites to use a combination of online and traditional payment methods (e.g. accept payment by phone, direct debit authorization or a paper cheque).
Ccredit cards are the most commonly accepted form of online payment on most websites.

Internet merchant account

You can set up an internet merchant account with your bank, and use an online credit card processing firm (like worldpay.com or verisign.com) to handle the credit card transactions.
The money may be transferred into your bank account straight away or several weeks after the transaction.
You will have to pay a set up fee and a fixed monthly fee, as well as a charge per transaction.
So, usuall, internet merchant account is an option for people who expect to sell reasonably large volumes on their websites.

Payment processing gateway

(source: http://www.theonlinedesign.com/)

After getting a merchant account, you’ll need some way to connect your online store to your merchant bank. A payment processing gateway provides you with the software and the network connection needed to do this.
Illustration: Credit card processing diagram
Aside from enabling you to authorize, settle, and manage credit card payments, payment processing gateways can also perform other value-added activities such as fraud detection.
anti-fraud controls

Address verification service — the payment gateway software checks that the billing address entered by the user matches the billing address on the credit card account.

Three-digit verification code — online customers are asked to enter the three-digit cardholder identification number that’s printed on the back of their cards as proof that the card is physically with them. This three-digit number is sent to the payment gateway along with the credit card details.

Password authentication — users are required to enter a personal identification number (PIN) during the checkout process before their credit card payment is accepted. Users must register for the service and merchants will need additional programming on their Web server to accept the PIN number and send it to their credit card processor. Visa’s password authentication scheme is called Verified by Visa, while MasterCard has a similar scheme called SecureCode.

Setting up a merchant account and learning how to process your own credit card transactions can be quite complex. There are several companies that specialize in providing merchant accounts and payment processing services to online merchants. Some Web hosting company can also assist you in this matter.
For your interest, browse through the services offered by Authorize.net to Web-based merchants at: http://www.authorize.net/solutions/merchantsolutions/onlinemerchantaccount/.

Paypal

Originally, Paypal is a peer-to-peer payment systems
PayPal is how individuals and businesses send and receive money online.
How Paypal works?

(Source: http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/ebay101/ss/paypal101.htm)

PayPal is the world's most popular "middleman service" for online purchasing.

PayPal is Free for Buyers. Once a buyer sets up a Paypal account, then it costs nothing to send money to other PayPal users. The funds are withdrawn from the user's credit card or bank account, or both. PayPal does not charge buyers to send money.

PayPal Charges Sellers 1.9% to 2.9%. PayPal will only charge you to receive funds. Using a special surcharge formula, PayPal will bill you whenever you receive a payment from a buyer.

Choice 1: PayPal Personal Account

This is the basic PayPal account that lets you pay for your eBay purchases with ease. You can use it to send and receive money. You can send funds to anyone with an email address in 55 countries and regions. Personal account will even let you accept payments should you sell something via eBay. The catch: you can only accept payments from other PayPal accounts, and you cannot accept credit or debit card payments.

Choice 2: PayPal Premier Account

This type of a PayPal account has all the functionality of the Personal account, plus you can accept credit and debit cards, and bank account payments. Premier account also offers such features as “shopping cart” and payment reporting tools. This account type is good for a serious amateur seller who wants to move items online on a regular basis.

Choice 3: PayPal Business Account

This is the business class of a PayPal account, best suited to individuals running a large scale online business or online store. Business account allows you to operate under your business name, and use Reporting and eBay Tools with no restrictions on transaction size. It is the best choice if you expect complex Accounts Payable. There is broad functionality for the business owners that helps them to manage very large amounts of sales with ease.

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If you find any problem in this lecture note, please feel free to tell Steven via steven [at] findaway.hk.