A website launch plan i prepared for the Howard School

1. Unit 34 P6/M3
Mr McColgan Lewis Appleton
Website Launch Plan
Promotion
Now that the designs have been accepted by the clients we are now preparing a plan
to launch the website, as the designs are being made we are looking to promote the
website before it even goes live. To do this we want to make sure the users will be
aware of its existence so we will put up posters around the school, we will also
distribute a school update letter to students home addresses to promote the launch. We
want people to have reason to visit the website therefore we will include a 20%
discount code on the website that can be used for business books and software that
can be purchased through the school. This is how we are going to “hook” the audience
and hope that the updates on the website as well as specific features will maintain the
attention.
Why
The reason why we want to promote the website before it is live is so that as soon as it
does go live the visitors won’t necessarily have to build from nothing and can have a
constant immediate audience, the fact that everyone will be wanting to see what it is
about before deciding if they would use it regularly is the reason why the initial
discount has been added, this hooks the user into sticking with the website in the hope
of future deals, in the future such loyalty options could be added such as resources
discounts and newsletter updates.
Maintenance
For maintenance we plan to provide the client with an easy website preview system
that can be integrated with their FTP system. This will allow them to view the website
as it stands which means further changes are visible even without updating the
website. This is essential for testing different font types as it would not affect the
visitors. The website will also have private registration meaning the registrars
information cannot be looked up and will also have DDOS protection. The website
will be hosted on multiple hosts IP’s so that if the server fails then the visitor would
be redirected and still able to use the website.
Why
The private registration is important because without it the schools registering
information such as the actual staff information of the member registering the website
could be leaked and if this was visible to students and others it could put the staff
members at risk. The DDOS protection isn’t fully necessary but it provides protection
against attacks on the server, this means if the server does not have a high bandwidth
range then without the protection the server may not be able to provide information
fast enough. The backup server is essential in the possible event of an issue with the
original server, it’s also good for backing up data and previous archived versions in
the event that users really despise an update such as change of colours or layout.

2. Unit 34 P6/M3
Mr McColgan Lewis Appleton
Updates
For updates we plan to as well as the client using the preview system, we also we
provide a blog page so any small updates can be fed into a live feed on the main page,
this means the full html file does not have to be edited in order to publish information.
The website will also be compatible with JavaScript’s that create additional effects so
if the client wanted to add a Christmas theme of falling snow they can just insert it in
the head of the html.
Why
The preview system is appropriate for the client because they have approached us
because they are not able to code html on their own, this means it provides a user
friendly experience for them when they wish to do updates and allows them to see
what they are doing and to undo changes, this prevents accidents happening and
makes it possible for anyone with access to make changes without html knowledge.
Customer feedback
It is possible to easily integrate a live chat system but this may be a bit overpowered
for a sub-website and isn’t fully necessary for the target audience. We can implement
a ticket system so that users can easily leave their email, name, concern and choose
what the ticket relates to. This is an effective system as rather than having all the
concerns in one place it can be divided into folders. If necessary different staff can be
assigned to a folder, for example one person could be answering “accessibility issues”
another could be replying to “login issues” as it is easily categorised.
Why
A live chat system running on a 24/7 basis isn’t appropriate for students who are only
going to be using the website for information, if it was something such as purchases
and hosting plans it would be more appropriate. The ticket system is good for
complaints and issues but isn’t fully designed for general feedback however it can be
designed easily for feedback by adding an option for it, this means it can address
issues and collect feedback in one system.
Security
The website will be hosted on the clients own servers rather than a hosting company,
this means the website will be less secure as it is not hosted by a specialist but it also
rules out such difficulties like fixing server issues and being tied to that host’s control
panel and such. The servers will have to be in a secure area where only essential users
are given access to.
Why
The website is hosted on the clients domain because it means the client does not have
to rely on external companies, the website will also load faster for local users which
are the target audience as the website host is not far from the user accessing it. If the
website was on a shared IP with a host then it’s possible that the server can go down
and usually without an instant fix, this could prevent users gaining essential
information. The servers have to be in a secure area so they cannot be tampered with,
if they were then the information could be damaged, for this reason a backup server
will be needed elsewhere.