British author Steve Woody is the Director of Online Mastery, a company that is responsible for ensuring that hundreds of businesses stay online, and works with has worked with hundreds of clients from solo-preneurs to multi-million pound businesses, charities, record labels and world class athletes. In this brief but immensely helpful book Steve manages to offer information about website building and management that is as applicable to seasoned veterans as it is to novices.
Steve’s professional yet down to earth coach technique in this fast reading book is obvious in his opening remarks, among them are the following: ‘The improvement of your online presence is something that you should constantly work towards. It is never finished, and as you learn and grow, so will your business. Technology is constantly changing and you need to ensure that you provide a website and functionality that are current.’
‘Time is our most valuable commodity and, unlike money, it can’t be replaced. You, too, need to start setting yourself up to work on your business, not in it. I can’t stress the following enough: If you fail to prepare, then prepare to fail.
The overall goal if this book is ‘to plan a successful website: Identify your target audience so that you know who you are marketing to, Avoid the beginner’s mistakes that could cost you time, money and missed opportunity, Brief and manage developers to ensure your website comes in on time and to budget, Automate key tasks and win back time so you can work on, rather than in, your business, Learn more than the average web developer about the strategies, tools and techniques that deliver tangible results.’ Steve divides his areas of instruction into the following categories: STRATEGY, THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY, SITEMAPS, WIREFRAMES, CONTENT, DESIGN, SYSTEMS, TESTING, ANALYTICS, and SPLIT TESTING.
Don’t waste time trying to invent the wheel – let Steve Woody guide you through all the pitfalls and goals of creating a website that serves you and your clients well.
