Integrate, consolidate, or silo? Managing website channels for a coherent visitor experience

Integrate, consolidate, or silo?Managing website channels for a coherent visitor experience

@jdavidhobbs · https://davidhobbsconsulting.com 2


@jdavidhobbs · https://davidhobbsconsulting.com

Blog disconnected

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Effortspenthere

Butthatdoesn’thelppeoplewhostartonthispage


Center islands

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Soifavisitorhappens tostartonapagewithinacenter(whentheymaynotspecificallybeinterestedinthecenter),thenclicksfromtheretrapthemonthatisland


Let’s say someone already knew me and is interested in my IA Summit 2016 workshop

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This one looks promising….

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Yes that’s David

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But no way to directly click to the workshop

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Huh? Why do I need to search again?

http://bit.ly/hobbs-types-near


oops

14http://bit.ly/hobbs-types-near


The many problems of a disjointed digital presence• Site visitor bouncing from site even when you

have resources they would be interested in• Site visitor getting frustrated when they know

you have information that they cannot find• Site visitor having to do work that the site

should be doing for them • Problem duplication• Inconsistent branding• Poor search• Inefficiency (can’t leverage common tools, etc)

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@jdavidhobbs · https://davidhobbsconsulting.com 16http://bit.ly/hobbs-coherent


Consistent

http://bit.ly/hobbs-coherent


Connected

http://bit.ly/hobbs-coherent


Fixing a disjointed site

Stop digging yourself into a deeper hole

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Make stronger big changes


Not digging yourself into a deeper hole• Streamlining the right

things• The right kind of

standardizing• Good responses to

day-to-day requests• Stop microsites

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Making stronger big changes• Start early strategy

before talking with implementors• Getting

organizational buy-in to break silos• Reframing problems


Examples of problem behaviors that lead to a more disjointed site• One-offs and microsites• Exceptions to standards• Publishing too much or poor quality• Reacting too quickly to things that should take

time

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Use a ”Should we implement this microsite?” checklist

http://hobbs.link/report-microsite-checklist


Create a standing approach to better deal with change (and give yourself a buffer)

23http://bit.ly/hobbs-change-flowchart

@jdavidhobbs · https://davidhobbsconsulting.com 24http://bit.ly/lemurs-lions



http://bit.ly/le

murs-lions



Thebackendoptions

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• Integrate• Consolidate• Stay silo’d


Examplesofthingsthatcouldbeintegrated• Properties

• Blog• Corporate site• Department, center, group, division site• Product sites• Topic / sector• Campaign sites

• Systems• Document management• Projects database• Products database• (Multiple) CMS• Custom apps and mobile apps

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Incoherence (for site visitor)

Difficulty tokeep in sync with non-web biz processes

One-time implementation effort (to move from silo’d)

Ongoing maintenanceeffort

Integrate Medium to low

Low Medium High

Consolidate Low High High Low

Stay silo’d High High None Medium

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Incoherence (for site visitor)

Difficulty tokeep in sync with non-web biz processes

One-time implementation effort (to move from silo’d)

Ongoing maintenanceeffort

Integrate Medium to low

Low Medium High

Consolidate Low High High Low

Stay silo’d High High None Medium

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Integratingwithexistingdocumentmanagementsystem

Mergingblogintomainsite’splatform

KeepingtheresellersitetotallyseparatefromtheB2Csite


Think bigger!

Key take-aways

• Consider the broad view of your digital presence• Don’t dig yourself

into deeper incoherence• Make more

effective big changes

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Read more

• “How to deal with that change request” flowchart• Microsite checklist• Vision checklist• Website Product

Management

Technology

Integrate, consolidate, or silo? Managing website channels for a coherent visitor experience