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Establish a Site Map

Once you have decided on a technical resource(s) to help you with your site development, your site designer will work with you to design a site map and navigation scheme. The site map should be designed to help you accomplish your e-business objectives. The navigation scheme should be designed to be easy-to-follow and intuitive.

• A site map outlines how your site is organized. Step-by-step, it outlines what your prospects see when arriving at your home page and when moving through the various page views of your site.



• The site navigation scheme makes it possible for a visitor to your site to get around in your site. A home page typically presents a border or frame of buttons or icons that take the visitor directly to various areas of your site. The navigation scheme should stay consistent throughout the site. Typical navigation tools include hypertext links, clickable buttons, icons, and image maps. Your site navigation helps your visitors know what's the most important parts of your site and allows them to get there with ease, no matter where they are in the site.

Clarify your goals. Laying out your site map begins by clarifying your goals at the "big picture" level.

• Goal #1: The site should create interest in the product - dramatically presenting needs the product can fill for the customer.



• Goal #2: It should provide information needed to make a purchase decision - product features & benefits, satisfied customer testimonials, price, shipping information, FAQ's, etc.



• Goal #3: It should make it easy to buy and obtain the product - including assurance of security and simple-to-follow purchase and delivery instructions.



• Goal#4: The site should make it possible for customers to contact you after the sale.

List 3 - 5 "big picture" goals.

• Goal # 1
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• Goal # 2
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• Goal # 3
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• Goal # 4
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• Goal # 5
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Identify the site functions. Next, you identify the specific site functions (buttons, click-throughs, databases, security, shopping carts, input boxes, etc.) you need to accomplish these goals. First ask, "What do I want this site to do for my business?" Then ask, "How can I accomplish this goal through specific site features?"

1. Visitor enters my site homepage where a number of icons and various interesting content pieces are found.
2. Visitor clicks on product catalog icon.
3. Products appear with short descriptions and icons for each.
4. Visitor selects a product to view by clicking on it.
5. Description of the product appears in text and picture. Price is shown and a shopping cart icon is shown.
6. Visitor clicks on shopping cart to store the item until ready to make a purchase, creating a cookie in the visitor's computer.
7. Visitor decides to make more purchases, clicks on shopping cart each time.
8. Shopping cart icon produces a list of products selected and prices.
9. Visitor becomes a customer by clicking "purchase" button.
10. Customer is taken to a secure server for verification of vendor and customer.
11. A sales form is presented for customer to complete - name, address, credit card information.
12. Credit card information is encrypted and sent to payment processing service.
13. Credit card information is verified, approved by processing service and communicated back to site.
14. Customer is shown a "thank you, purchase complete" message.
15. Payment is made from customer account to your merchant bank.
16. Customer receives e-mail order confirmation and estimated delivery time.
17. Sales transaction information is placed in order entry database for fulfillment.