Linking Web Design Strategy with Business Strategy

Abstract

Given the modern trend toward the Internet, firms can now use web sites to achieve marketing and advertising effectiveness for their businesses. This usage creates a new model of marketing strategy. Experts in the field have indicated that links between marketing and competitive strategies are critical to organisational performance and business success. However, empirical studies conducted in various countries have shown that the web designs are misaligned with organizational strategic objectives. In this study, the authors view web sites as marketing applications, and investigate how corporate sites effectively support three types of business strategy: the prospector, analyser, and defender strategies. The authors conducted a series of in-depth interviews with web site designers and established design techniques through grounded theory approach to indicate how particular web sites support a specific type of business strategy. They also established the relationship between web design strategies and business strategies, which should help practitioners improve the strategic positioning of their web sites.