Application
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to build a basic website to meet business needs, including selecting a hosting service and appropriate web development software, planning the website structure, and constructing the site. It requires the technical skills and knowledge typically needed by a business that chooses to develop its own site rather than access the services of IT professionals.
The unit applies to all industry sectors, and is particularly relevant to small businesses that develop their own websites. People undertaking this role work independently or with limited guidance. Depending on the business context, this could include owner-operators.
No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENTS | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Plan website structure. | 1.1.Develop website style and structure to suit business purpose and intended target audience. 1.2.Identify and include appropriate features and capabilities in website structure. 1.3.Determine layout and navigation requirements for appearance, readability, links and ease of operation. 1.4.Ensure maximum site accessibility. 1.5.Clearly document structure to facilitate efficient development. 1.6.Develop and integrate appropriate interactive forms into website structure to capture customer data. 1.7.Select authoring tools and software based on website requirements. 1.8.Identify and integrate website security requirements. |
2. Develop website content. | 2.1.Select and use business information to create website content. 2.2.Define information for inclusion in interactive forms based on their purpose. 2.3.Adapt information for inclusion to ensure site is clear, scannable and readable. 2.4.Use language, style and tone suited to business image and intended target audience. 2.5.Integrate content features according to website structure. 2.6.Check content for accuracy, currency and relevance. |
3. Create website pages. | 3.1.Create plan for website pages and active links to meet layout and navigation requirements. 3.2.Select page titles and key words that reflect business purpose and website content, and assist access via search engines. 3.3.Improve page presentation by adding features. 3.4.Develop linked web pages according to website plan, ensuring links are clearly named and unambiguous. 3.5.Use appropriate techniques to create interactive forms. 3.6.Create pages consistent with site design specifications. |
4. Select and use a web hosting service. | 4.1.Identify sources of information on web hosting options. 4.2.Evaluate and select web hosting services according to business and technical requirements. 4.3.Upload files to selected web hosting service according to technical requirements and business agreements. |
5. Test and critically evaluate website. | 5.1.Test website functions, processes and navigation to confirm operational status, appearance, accuracy and ease of operation. 5.2.Evaluate effectiveness of interactive forms to ensure that required sales data is collected for business. 5.3.Evaluate website according to business website strategy to ensure it projects a business image suited to the e-business model. 5.4.Identify problems, develop a range of strategies to solve them, and apply appropriate and sustainable solutions. |
Evidence of Performance
Evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit in the context of the job role, and:
build a website by applying appropriate business and technical skills that meet a business need and integrating the following:
content features:
business history and profile
catalogues and brochures
client testimonials
frequently asked questions (FAQs)
products and services
published materials
staff profiles
thumbnails
visual enhancement features:
colour
frames
graphics
photographic images
text enhancement
at least one of the following security requirements:
limited downloading of images or image encoding
limited viewing of rates
password protection
payment mechanisms.
Evidence of Knowledge
Demonstrated knowledge required to complete the tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit:
current e-business environment for a particular business context
different services and operation systems used by internet service providers
general principles of website architecture and design
role of a website in the marketing mix
website features and capabilities:
active links
authentication facility or link
colour, sound, video, images and graphics
customer service requirements
cut down versions of web pages in wireless markup language (WML) for access by wireless application protocol (WAP) telephones
downloadable files
electronic payment facilities
facility of user feedback on content and operation of website
legal requirements
marketing features
navigation buttons
privacy and confidentiality requirements
search facility
security requirements
shopping cart facilities
text and tags in hypertext markup language (HTML)
thumbnails
factors which impact ease of operation of website:
navigation
site download time
time to download files
key features and functions of a marketing-oriented website
features of browsers, search engines and web crawlers, and how they impact on website design, decisions and meta-tags
relationships between content and site design
possible inclusions in page presentation:
animated sequences
bulleted or numbered lists
colour
downloadable files
fonts and font sizes
images, photographs and graphics
interactive forms for bookings or enquiries
movie sequence
plugins
sound
tables
techniques for using colour and enhancing text in a website
techniques for manipulating digital images and graphics, and their insertion into a website
functions and features of micro-content elements:
headings
highlighted words
hyperlink text
underlying impact of HTML and cascading style sheets on site design
features and uses of frames, forms and tables in a website
components of linked web pages:
fully qualified uniform resource locator (URL) link to a page on another website
relative links, between a page and the home page
privacy issues, codes of practice and legislative requirements in relation to website development:
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Consumer Protection in the Context of Electronic Commerce
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) guidelines
copyright laws
defamation laws
privacy legislation and confidentiality requirements
intellectual property considerations
legal and regulatory policies affecting e-business.
Assessment Conditions
Skills must be demonstrated in an operational small business environment where a website is to be built and launched. This can be:
an industry workplace
a simulated activity.
Assessment must ensure access to:
a real or simulated operation, product or service for which the individual can build and launch a website
computer or mobile device with internet access
current information and communications technology:
software
authoring tools
files for use on website:
images
text files
audio files
video files
link associated files
information on web hosting services and providers
customers or stakeholders in the online environment with whom the individual can interact; these can be:
customers or stakeholders in an industry workplace; or
individuals who participate in role plays or simulated activities, set up for the purpose of assessment, in a simulated industry environment operated within a training organisation.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations’ requirements for assessors.
Foundation Skills
Foundation skills essential to performance in this unit, but not explicit in the performance criteria are listed here, along with a brief context statement. | |
SKILLS | DESCRIPTION |
Reading skills to: | interpret sometimes complex information on unfamiliar topics. |
Writing skills to: | develop written and visual website content. |
Numeracy skills to: | work with numerical features of authoring tools. |
Problem-solving skills to: | evaluate potentially complex business and technical information identify and respond to technical website challenges at a non-specialist level. |
Planning and organising skills to: | coordinate multiple elements involved in developing a business website. |
Technology skills to: | use the features of commercially available authoring tools. |
Sectors
Cross-Sector
Competency Field
E-Business