Rethinking "websites"; rule 1
Let's set the record straight: "Websites" are soooooo 1999. Today's website needs to be an experience: a social experience, a mobile experience, an interactive experience. So when you're thinking about how to create an "awesome website," you really should be thinking about how to create an experience that engages your audience -- and maybe the way to do that is not through a website at all.
Here are some tips for creating the best possible interactive experience:
Start with strategy
To whom are you speaking? Is your market baby boomers? If it is, then you are probably going to want to have some type of physical site, as baby boomers like to dig for information. The site could be a landing page, a content site, or a Flash-driven experience. As long as it contains the information that they're looking for, baby boomers will find it awesome.
On the flipside, if you're targeting rising professionals in their 20s and 30s, you might be better off focusing your efforts on social sites like Facebook. There are a number of brands taking time in 2010 to bolster brand experiences on these networks because they've learned that their audience just isn't digging for information. You can create an awesome brand site, but if your audience isn't going to visit it, you're wasting your time.
Continuing down in age: If your focus is Generation Y, your consumers are probably spending more time on their mobile devices than in front of a computer. Better have your WAP page or mobile applications ready for this audience. Over time, you'll want to make sure that your interactive presence is cohesive. But point blank, start by strategically targeting the vehicle that your audience is most likely to use.
