This is a brief for the redesign of the Crouch End Neighbourhood Forum website. Currently it is a free WordPress site using the Suburbia theme. This page is based on a helpful internet page from Method and Class and takes the form (mostly)  of question and answer

Introduction

The web design company will need to know a bit about your company in order to get a feel for how they should design your website. A good starting point would be to list the following:

• A couple of paragraphs about your organisation – this is best provided by the current ‘about’ page
• The products your sell or services you provide – CENF is a group of activists attempting to engage in the localism movement. There are no sales. Our first service will be the production of a Neighbourhood Plan. While this is neng produced there will activities aimed at immediate issues.
• The size of the company – CENF has a committee of about 20 or fewer people – these are active members. It has a mailing list of about 500 followers
• Are you an international company? If so, which countries? – absolutely – we cover the whole of Crouch End.
• How long have you been established? – just over 1 year
• Describe the company using five or ten words (e.g. young, vibrant, technology based etc.) – mature, sensible, inclusive, consultative,

The old website

If you have an existing website, firstly let the web design company know the URL! (the web address) Then answer the following questions:

• What is good about the website? It is cheap and easy to manage.
• What is bad about the website?
  • it is cheap – you get what you pay for
  • the theme is not mobile friendly
  • it has no search function
  • the blog directories are clunky (e.g. minutes) –  a list format with synopsis would make better use of real estate
  • it has emerged rather then being designed
• How long ago was it built? and who built it?
  • about 1 year
  • we cannot find anyone to admit responsibility
• What levels of traffic is it currently receiving?
  • almost none – our busiest month was June with 1250 hits / 463 visitors – other months are much less busy
• What percentage of the traffic is from smart phones & tablets?
  • don’t know – we have not set up the analytics – presumably the ratios of hardware will mirror current usage elsewhere
• Which countries are you visitors from? – the overwhelming majority from the UK
• What are the top 5 web browsers and platforms (Mac/PC/Android/iOS) visiting your website? – don’t know
• How often do you get a genuine sales/expression of interest lead through the website? – very rare
• Who is responsible for updating the site? – this falls primarily to Adrian Essex, who is now well past his prime

In order to meet your requirements, any design agency would need to know why the old website is no longer suitable. So also detail anything else that could be relevant.

• with formal recognition from the London Borough of Haringey and the assumption of actual responsibility for local planning the CENF needs to present a professional and attractive face to the world

The new website

You must now examine what you need from the new website. So, a good starting point would be to consider the following:

• Outline the aims of the website
  • public image
  • document storage and presentation
  • to present analysis of issues
  • to conduct consultation
  • to increase traffic,
  • increase awareness of CENF and its activities,
• Who is the target audience? – the residents, businesses, organisations and voluntary groups based or living in Crouch End, or having Crouch End as a major part of their catchment. This ward profile published by Haringey is not a perfect fit for the area described in the application submitted to Haringey, but it is very close. A crude summary of the profile (stereotype perhaps) would be middle-class, middle-aged , well educated white people. The target audience for the website includes this stereotype, but a crucial goal is to reach the very many who do not fit it.
• How will your target audience be accessing your site – via their phones, tablets or desktops? – Don’t know.
• Is the new website part of a re-brand, or a new product launch? – No – it is part of the evolution or maturing of the CENF from a glint in the eye of its founders to the next stage of life, which can probably be called adolescence.
• Is there other advertising taking place that the new website should tie in with? – Facebook, Twitter and public meetings, e.g. taking a stall at the Crouch End Festival two or three times a year.
• What are the unique selling points for your company, your products or your services? –
  • It is the only Neighbourhood Forum in Crouch End.
  • It will subsume other formally constituted planning bodies such as The Conservation Area Advisory Committee.
  • We are determined to co-operate with other local organisations.
• What industry are you aiming the website at? –
  • the public
  • private landlords
  • commercial landlords
  • retailers
  • independent business
  • voluntary groups
• Is the market already saturated with competitors? – No
• List a few competitors’ websites. – as far as we know, we have no competitors
• We do not plan to take payments or donations inthe immediate future

Budget

Outlining your budget is very important. Have no doubt, you will get better, more accurate quotes in response. If all of the agencies know what the budget is and are working to the same brief, you’re likely to get very similar quotes, which is good, right? At least you can compare apples with apples.

• What is the budget for design and development of the website? – At present our budget is limited to cash in hand, c£400 – there are other calls on this fund. We are dependent on grants and plan to apply for more in the near future
• Is there a budget for ongoing support and maintenance? – we need to be advised on what is necessary
• What is the digital marketing budget for the next 6 months? – nil

The look and feel of the new website

We have a logo which can be seen on the site. This is based on a design submitted to us as part of a competition. Our Facebook page has a second image in the same palette received also through the same competition. We used the same logo on handouts for the festival and to go to local businesses. We also have it in A1 size as a backdrop for a stall.

Websites we like:

HTHAS – this is clean and simple, the navigation is presented immediately, and there is the option to search the site

Highgate – is a more mature neighbourhood forum and has moved away from the ‘about’ content to a series of ‘opinion’ pieces – this might be our migration path. The very bright colours tend to distract somewhat

Archway. – this is clean and simple, the navigation is presented immediately, and there is the option to search the site

Websites we don’t like

HTH Arts centre – whilst the information is there  it has to be sought out. It is gloomy. The scrolling pictures distract

HTHCT – the sliding pictures are nothing but a distraction, The opening words “as many of you know” lead one to ask so wtf are you telling us.

Features we don’t like:

The directory of blogs. E.G. on the forum website the repetitive logo adds nothing to the information available, and too few entries are visible.

On HTHAS each entry takes up too much space, the date is not really important as this is not a weblog (in the sense of diary) but a repository of useful articles.

The content of your new website

Start thinking about how you want to populate your new site.

• The landing page will change from time to time – as Highgate have moved on to opinion pieces, and Archway to the results of a survey, so should we be able to move on as occasion demands
• our navigation might be ABOUT  /  The PLAN  /  CURRENT ISSUES  / CONTACT and beneath these a further level of menu
• we need to solicit / demand / extort pieces from members to keep the blog ticking over
• the agendae and minutes of meetings will remain public
• as we discover useful references we need to be able to link to them

• Do you have the skills & resources available to carry out a content audit of your existing website?
  • We absolutely must have
• Who will be responsible for generating content
  • members
• Can you provide any brand guidelines (preferably incorporating details on tone of voice, phraseology etc)?
  • absolutely not – diversity is to be welcomed, though grammar is welcomed
• Do you have any corporate images, photography or videos?
  • We absolutely must have
• Can you provide your logo & corporate identity pack? Ideally in a vector format such as .eps, .pdf or .psd?

Technical requirements

You should outline any special technical requirements that your company might have:

• Do you already own the domain? – no
• Will you require hosting? – yes
• Is it an intranet/extranet or internet site? – internet
• Is your site likely to be targeting people with special needs or requirements? I.e. limited mobility, colour blind, deaf, learning difficulties etc.
  • ?
• Considering your exiting website’s analytics – do you have a particularly high proportion of mobile users? – our analytics are poor

Maintenance

The ongoing maintenance of a website is an often overlooked aspect of the website’s design:

• Who will be responsible for the on-going maintenance of the website?
  • volunteers
• Do you have the skills, resources and time to maintain the website in-house?
  • We absolutely must have
• What happens if that member of staff leaves the company? – no one is indispensable
• Would you prefer to make an arrangement with the website design/ website development company for them to handle website maintenance? – we probably can’t afford it

Promotion

You are investing in a new website, so you want customers to see it, right? Now detail how you will promote it. An online business is no different to a traditional business it needs marketing.

• Organic / mailchimp /facebook / twitter

Digital Marketing

The digital marketing of a website is often overlooked when considering the website brief. The promotion of your website, in terms of increasing visibility in search engines and generating a sense of engagement, is vitally important to the continued success of the site.

There are a number digital marketing activities that you should consider:

• Social media campaigns. – yes
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). – nice to have
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and Display Network adverts (image & rich media adverts on relevant websites) – paid listings you see in search engines. – No
• Email marketing. – we have mailchimp and an address list
• Content marketing – i.e blogs, video content, newsletters, social media. – nice to have
• Banner advertising on related websites. – No
• Affiliate marketing – nice to have

Offline promotion

A website can also be supported by an offline marketing strategy, perhaps consider some of the following activities:

• Direct mail – Yes
• Brochures and flyers – Yes
• Outdoor advertising – Yes
• PR exercises – Yes
• Sponsorship – we should be so lucky – though Dunn’s did once provide cakes and coffee, the Arthouse and HTHAC provide space
• Vehicle wraps – probably not

You might be thinking, ‘why do they need to know about offline promotion’? This is crucial if your communications are to be consistent across various channels. The decision making process is complex, people view product and services across a variety of devices and channels, at different times of the day. You need to ensure you capture their interest and engage with them at the right time, on the right channel.

Conclusion

CENF is not a commercial organisation, nor is it a money raising charity, so the purpose of the web site and associated online media is not directed at making money. The purpose is to inform and engage across the whole range of planning matters. For example, this might be how new buildings should be designed, where new pedestrian crossings are needed, what should be prioritised for any funding, or what needs to be protected in the local area.

Our goal is not to achieve world wide, viral penetration of the internet, but to provide and exchange information with a relatively local group of respondents. We do wish to use the online media to increase the range and number of participants in the forum. This will sit alongside real life meetings, consultations and public presence and be of roughly equal importance.

Our main source of funding is from government grants. We must demonstrate good value for money and be auditable. There is a limited supply of such funding and the website will not be the only call upon them.

Once the agreement is reached on what is to be done and who is to do it, the project should be complete in 2 – 3 months.