Times have changed. The online space is incredibly competitive and the environment in which businesses compete online is changing at a rapid pace. Yet many business’ website development processes remain unchanged from the turn of the century.'

To achieve Web visibility in the current environment, the website development and promotion life cycle must evolve and begin using a more holistic approach.

Why is this important? Consider the following list of disciplines and respective professionals required to develop and promote a website in today’s competitive landscape.

Web Design / Development

• Graphic designers to create a visually appealing website.
• Programmers to ensure that various design and process elements work together.
• Web usability experts to ensure site visitors are able to complete tasks intuitively.
• Conversion optimization specialists to ensure maximum conversion potential by website visitors.

Content Developers

• Writers and copywriters to develop content and email campaigns.
• Photographers and graphic designers to create appealing visual content.
• Audio and video content developers due to the increasing popularity of podcasts and online videos.

Website Marketing

• Search Engine Optimization professionals to improve the website’s visibility in organic search results.
• Search Engine Marketers to implement and manage pay-per-click and other online advertising channels.
• Social Media Professionals to leverage the power of social networks, community sites and other social media tools.

And, of course, we cannot leave out the primary stakeholders of the project — the business owners and management team, including the marketing department and public relations professionals.

It is this collection of various professionals and the different skill sets they possess that calls for a holistic approach to website development and promotion. But there’s more.

Each and every one of these stakeholders has specific needs and requirements that must be supported by the website. Absolutely none of these requirements are individual entities that do not in some way require the support of other website design or development elements, or impact these design and development elements themselves.

This is where the transition to a holistic approach becomes so important. The integration of all these various needs and requirements into the website requires the individual elements to support each other, for the common good of the entire business.

The implementation of a holistic Web development and promotion project is no different than any other business initiative. A clear understanding of the business’ objectives is the primary prerequisite.

Once objectives have been determined, establishing the budget for the new or redesigned website is the next priority. In many cases, due to budgeting constraints, it is at this stage of the process that prioritization of business objectives becomes necessary. By this stage, your business should have a clear understanding of why the project is to be implemented, what is to be achieved and how much the company can afford to make the project a reality.
 
The holistic approach requires strong project management skills due to the extensive number of professional disciplines required to complete the project. The first task the project manager will be required to complete is the identification of the development and promotion team members.

Team development must be prioritized. The primary principle of a holistic approach is the identification of what website elements are required to support the needs of the various promotional efforts to ensure the site is both highly visible on the Web and able to fulfill the business’ and website visitors’ needs.

This may appear to be common sense. However, in my experience, this is often not the process that is taking place. All too often, the website goes live prematurely. Only then is the question is asked, “How are we going to promote this website?” This scenario often creates the need for website revisions following the perceived completion of the project — a waste of both time and resources.

Once the development and promotion teams have been determined, team members must identify the strategies they plan on implementing within their areas of expertise. Team members must effectively communicate these plans and outline their future requirements to ensure that allowances are made for the inclusion of their proposed strategies in the website’s development stage.

The communication of future strategies is critical, and one of the most overlooked steps in the website’s development life cycle. This is the primary reason websites often need revisions after they have gone live. It not only creates additional costs to the project, but is also likely to have a detrimental effect on the website’s performance. When businesses are faced with a website that underperforms, the situation often snowballs out of control — by this stage having spent the budgeted sum and received little or no ROI.

This usually creates the situation where business managers are resistant to spending additional resources on a website that has failed to perform to expectations. Yet, if the additional resources are not found to complete the necessary revisions, the site will never be able to achieve the business’ goals and objectives.

The holistic approach to the website development and promotion life cycle is really nothing more than common sense. The reason why a holistic methodology has become so important is the increasingly complex nature of the business website.

Gone are the days of the simple brochure website. Businesses and site visitors have high expectations of what every online presence should deliver. Ensuring that a website is capable of meeting these expectations requires the implementation of a holistic approach to manage the multitude of website development and promotional requirements.

 Stephen Covey's recent book, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, offers a theory that trust, whether high or low, is the variable in the standard formula for organizational success. According to Covey, research clearly shows that high-trust companies elicit far greater loyalty from their primary stakeholders. He goes on to say that losing customers, which usually occurs due to lack of trust at some level, is also very expensive, as the cost of acquiring a new customer can be as much as 500 percent more than keeping an existing customer.

The following story illuminates the high cost of low trust. At the foundation of every personal interaction, family, organization, economy, and even culture is one fundamental value: trust.

An old woman took a very limp parakeet to her veterinarian. As she placed her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, your parakeet has died." The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure? I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."

The vet sighed, shrugged and left the room and returned a few moments later with a black Labrador retriever. The parakeet’s owner watched in amazement as the dog sniffed the bird from top to bottom, then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head from side to side. The vet patted the dog’s head and took it out and returned a few moments later with a cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed the bird from top to bottom and shook its head, meowed softly, and jumped down from the table and left the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but this is definitely a dead bird." Then the vet left the room and returned with his bill, which he handed to the woman. The woman, still in shock, took the bill. "$150" she cried.  "You’re charging me $150 just to tell me my parakeet is dead!?" The vet shrugged. "I’m sorry, if you'd trusted my word, the bill would only have been $20 but what with the lab report and the cat scan, it’s now $150."

Provided by Seth Godin.

Three years ago this week, Seth posted this checklist, in the naive hope that it would eliminate (or perhaps merely reduce) the ridiculous CC-to-all emails about the carpool, the fake-charity forwards, the ALL CAPS yelling and the stupid PR spam.

A person can hope, right?

Feel free to send this to those that need to read it:

Before you hit send on that next email, perhaps you should run down this list, just to be sure:

1. Is it going to just one person? (If yes, jump to #10)
2. Since it's going to a group, have I thought about who is on my list?
3. Are they blind copied?
4. Did every person on the list really and truly opt in? Not like sort of, but really ask for it?
5. So that means that if I didn't send it to them, they'd complain about not getting it?
6. See #5. If they wouldn't complain, take them off!
7. That means, for example, that sending bulk email to a list of bloggers just cause they have blogs is not okay.
8. Aside: the definition of permission marketing: Anticipated, personal and relevant messages delivered to people who actually want to get them. Nowhere does it say anything about you and your needs as a sender. Probably none of my business, but I'm just letting you know how I feel. (And how your prospects feel).
9. Is the email from a real person? If it is, will hitting reply get a note back to that person? (if not, change it please).
10. Have I corresponded with this person before?
11. Really? They've written back? (if no, reconsider email).
12. If it is a cold-call email, and I'm sure it's welcome, and I'm sure it's not spam, then don't apologize. If I need to apologize, then yes, it's spam, and I'll get the brand-hurt I deserve.
13. Am I angry? (If so, save as draft and come back to the note in one hour).
14. Could I do this note better with a phone call?
15. Am I blind-ccing my boss? If so, what will happen if the recipient finds out?
16. Is there anything in this email I don't want the attorney general, the media or my boss seeing? (If so, hit delete).
17. Is any portion of the email in all caps? (If so, consider changing it.)
18. Is it in black type at a normal size?
19. Do I have my contact info at the bottom? (If not, consider adding it).
20. Have I included the line, "Please save the planet. Don't print this email"? (If so, please delete the line and consider a job as a forest ranger or flight attendant).
21. Could this email be shorter?
22. Is there anyone copied on this email who could be left off the list?
23. Have I attached any files that are very big? (If so, google something like 'send big files' and consider your options.)
24. Have I attached any files that would work better in PDF format?
25. Are there any :-) or other emoticons involved? (If so, reconsider).
26. Am I forwarding someone else's mail? (If so, will they be happy when they find out?)
27. Am I forwarding something about religion (mine or someone else's)? (If so, delete).
28. Am I forwarding something about a virus or worldwide charity effort or other potential hoax? (If so, visit snopes and check to see if it's 'actually true).
29. Did I hit 'reply all'? If so, am I glad I did? Does every person on the list need to see it?
30. Am I quoting back the original text in a helpful way? (Sending an email that says, in its entirety, "yes," is not helpful).
31. If this email is to someone like Seth, did I check to make sure I know the difference between its and it's? Just wondering.
32. If this is a press release, am I really sure that the recipient is going to be delighted to get it? Or am I taking advantage of the asymmetrical nature of email--free to send, expensive investment of time to read or delete?
33. Are there any little animated creatures in the footer of this email? Adorable kittens? Endangered species of any kind?
34. Bonus: Is there a long legal disclaimer at the bottom of my email? Why?
35. Bonus: Does the subject line make it easy to understand what's to come and likely it will get filed properly?
36. If I had to pay 42 cents to send this email, would I?

Chris Anderson has come up with his own list as well.

Searching has evolved over the years with our constant demand for wanting information faster. Many of us can remember the days when a phone book and rotary phone was the best way to find people and information. In today’s world, with the Internet and search engines, we have access to information we need from anywhere in the world, and all of this can be done with a simple click of a button or a swipe of a finger.

The information below is mostly accurate and a great depiction of the timeline except for one caveat. The Internet was not born in 1991 by Tim Berners-Lee. He did create the WWW which has evolved into what we know it as today. I also believe that AOL created huge consumer visibility for "keyord" searching but isn't mentioned below.

Today, April 26, 2011, I found an email from Facebook in my inbox for my first Facebook Daily Deal. The email itself was clear and easy to interpret but after reviewing the actual deal on Facebook, I realized the location was in Texas and I live in Minnesota.

So exactly how is Facebook targeting people with these "Groupon" like ads?

Facebook’s first local deals product was announced as part of Facebook’s overarching locations feature, Places. Mobile checkins were linked to deals; in this way, Deals served as an incentive for Facebook users to integrate Facebook Places in their daily lives — and they were also an incentive for marketers and major brands to put more money into the Facebook platform. 

However, the new Deals will be less like a Foursquare deal and more like a Groupon voucher, which means the user will buy a certificate for a certain product or service at a steep discount, typically half off its retail price, then redeem it later.

Perhaps most importantly, users will be able to buy Deals using Facebook Credits, paving a smooth path between a virtual currency and real-world goods and services as well as with their credit card.

Before you spend a dime on building an app, think about completing the following four steps:

1. Create a mobile version of your website. This isn't an app, but it will come in handy when you build one. A mobile site will give you a presence on all smartphones, regardless of operations system, and provide valuable insights into how people interact with your brand and content on a mobile device.
2. Think small. Just as phones are not computers, apps are not websites. The best apps are elegant and easy to use, and perform one or two core functions that make users' lives simpler, better, or more fun. Remember: Smartphone apps are designed to perform on screens no bigger than the palm of your hand.
3. Decide on or two key features to include in your app. Successful apps tem to have a real core function but don't include the kitchen sink.
4. Browse the various app stores for similar apps and read the user reviews. Apple's iTunes, BlackBerry's App World, and Google's Android Market webpages make browsing and searching apps by keywords rather easy.

Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventh largest country in the world, Mexifornia, formerly known as California.

White minorities still trying to have English recognized as Mexifornia's third language.

Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops and livestock.

Baby conceived naturally! Scientists stumped.

Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.

Iran still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least 10 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.

France pleads for global help after being taken over by Jamaica. No other country comes forward to help the beleaguered nation!

Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be importedlegally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking.

George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2060.

Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.

85-year $75.8 billion study: Diet and exercise is the key to weight loss.

Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs.

Global cooling blamed for citrus crop failure for third consecutive year in Mexifornia and Floruba.

Japanese scientists have created a camera with such a fast shutter speed they now can photograph a woman with her mouth shut.

Abortion clinics now available in every High School in United States .

Senate still blocking drilling in ANWR even though gas is selling for

4532 Pesos per liter and gas stations are only open on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.

Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.

A Couple Finally Had Sexual Harmony, they Had simultaneous Headaches.

Average height of NBA players is now nine feet seven inches with only 3 illegitimate children.

New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2060.

IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.

Floruba voters still having trouble with voting machines.

If you are company that has an app on iTunes, please be aware that iTunes Connect will be shut down from Thursday, December 23 to Tuesday, December 28 for the holidays. Do not schedule any pricing changes to take effect during this time because any changes scheduled between these dates will make the app unavailable for purchase.

Note: Any app with an available date scheduled during the shutdown will not go live until iTunes Connect access resumes on December 29.