DEFINING AN EFFECTIVE WEB SITE
You have defined your web sites purpose correctly?
Why do you want to have a web site?
Because you feel left behind, and everyone else has one is probably not a good reason. Focus on how your site can achieve what is important to your business.
Is it to sell your products?
To attract clients for your services?
To create a competitive presence in your field?
Having a business purpose and a clear idea of how your site fits into your overall marketing strategy prevents you from wasting your time and money.
You know who is your audience?
The more finely you pinpoint who they are, the more successful your site will be. You may have more than one audience in mind, but you must be sure they are complimentary so that your site doesnt become scattered and confusing.
And you know something about them?
What interests them?
What do they want?
What are their worst problems and deepest frustrations?
If you aren’t sure, ask questions to learn as much as you can. The closer you come to a portrait of a real person, the better you’ll be able to design a site that speaks to the concerns of your audience and their wants and needs.
How can you prompt your audience to give you the response you want?
Consider surprising them by offering an extraordinary product or service that meets their needs and desires. Don’t limit yourself by playing it safe. Also, make certain this product or service is appropriate to sell on the Web. Then plan on sharply focusing your site to lead your visitors to your desired response.
What are you passionate about?
Let your passion and personality permeate your site. Being wishy-washy and humdrum – without having a strong vision – is deadening. Instead, allow your enthusiasm to animate your site. YOU MUST MAKE A COMMITMENT Do you think of your site as a work in progress or as a one-shot project? When a book is printed, it’s finished once and for all unless you create a second edition. Your web site, though, offers opportunities for non-stop improvement. Actively seek feedback and act on what you discover. That may mean enriching your site with cutting edge findings, fresh insights, or a novel idea for presenting your content. A word of caution: check and recheck everything because errors can crop up when you make changes to your site.
How do you plan to refresh and revive your site?
A neglected site appears stale and outmoded. To appear fresh once again, it may not need a major overhaul but only minor sprucing up. Be sure the information you provide is not out-of date. Make certain that all your links connect. Rework your site to reflect input from your site visitors.
Prepare to test?
Your site can be a fantastic learning tool offering instant feedback. Try something out, track the results, make change based on the outcome, and test again. You do not have to be as energetic as Seth Godin of YoYoDyne (the sweepstakes marketing firm) who once tested 40 sign-up pages in 24 hours and, in the process, improved his results by a factor of 12. Do plan to test. Then, learn from the outcome, and reap the rewards. SPREADING THE WORD
What techniques can you use to rise to the top 30 on a search?
Leverage the power of search engines. Successful tactics involve the design of your site as well as your keyword choices and the title of your site. Keep on top of this evolving environment. Three techniques: Check out how competing sites got their top positions and adapt the ideas to your situation. Develop your pages around your top keyword choices. Never underestimate the power of a winning site title.
Where can you find your audience online?
Are there online mailing lists and discussion groups, electronic newsletters, and complimentary (not competing) sites where your audience gathers?
Once you know where they assemble, you can save time and money by reaching them efficiently through publishing articles in electronic newsletters and on appropriate traffic-generating sites. Of course, you will always include a link to your site.
How can you use PR to publicize your site?
If you have a good quality site, then sending out announcements to key media targets will attract visitors. Elicit the news from your site (and news could be in your site’s content). Usually, just announcing that your site is up and running is not enough unless you offer something unique. A site that specializes only in antique gumball machines, for instance, may be just quirky enough to be picked up somewhere as news.
What other offline techniques can you draw on to compliment your online marketing?
In addition to news releases, consider spreading the word in all your communications from your business cards and stationery to your brochures and invoices. How about sending out a post card announcing the benefits of your site to your customers or clients or to your prospects? A productive offline technique is to write articles or a regular column in publications that reach your target audience. CONCENTRATING ON YOUR VISITORS
What do your visitors want to accomplish?
What are their expectations?
Once they have found you, be sure they get what they have come for. And figure out a way to exceed their expectations. Above all, avoid falling into the seductive trap of being self centred. Make sure you focus fully on your visitors. Think of yourself as a flawless host or hostess catering to your welcome guests. They are always more than shadowy “hits” or “click-throughs.”
Does your site give visitors the information they want?
Content reigns. Many sites present a brochure, mission statement, or a series of press releases in a promotional see-how-great-I-am attempt to make a sale. Or they frustrate visitors with only bits and pieces of information. These approaches don’t work. Remember, every other Web site out there is vying for the attention of your prospects. Valuable focused content and an extraordinary product or service provide your competitive edge.
Do your visitors understand within seconds what’s in it for them?
Do you engage them at once with a compelling headline?
Most sites begin with a “welcome,” the name and logo of the company, perhaps something self-serving about their products or services, or worse, a banner advertising someone else’s site. Few sites take advantage of a headline with visitor-centred benefits.
Are you compensating for the extra trouble your visitors put into reading on the Web?
People read slower on the Web. Long-winded, wandering text turns them away. Fluff comes between you and your readers. The clear and concise telling of a complete story – measured out in short bites – takes more time to create. But it pays off by inviting exploration of your site and encouraging visitors to recommend it to others. How well does your site answer the critical question:
How do visitors know the information on your site is credible?
Seven Keys to Build Believability: Offer proof just as you would offline – with testimonials and case studies. Don’t be hit-or-miss about seeming details because being alert and thorough can tip the balance in your favour. Be sure your information is valuable, up-to-date, and accurate. Be extra careful with your spelling and grammar. Where appropriate, include your credentials. Make no extravagant claims or questionable promises. Offer a no-fine-print guarantee.
Is your site quick-loading?
Faster is better. Don’t sabotage your site with gargantuan graphics or blinking banners. The people at Websitegarage (where more than 6,000,000 web pages came in for a tune up) said that the number one problem they find is “bloated sites.” Other critical questions to ask about graphics are:
Are they essential?
Do they really enhance my content or are they a distraction?
Is your site easy to scan?
Studies report a hefty majority (79%) of visitors scan any new page. Aid them with meaningful headlines, subheads and summaries. Take strategic advantage of techniques such as bold text, bulleted lists, and summaries. Take strategic advantage of techniques such as bold text, bulleted lists, and larger type to mark a path through your site. Write in a clear, succinct style. If your writing meanders and rambles, seek help from an expert writer who is direct and focused.
Are your visitors oriented on every page?
A well-organized site helps your visitors instantly grasp its “logic.” Have a consistent format throughout your site. Keep your navigation buttons in the same place on every page. For those who enter your site somewhere outside your home page, be sure you include your URL on every page as well as a way to contact you.
Do your links aid your visitors?
Pay special attention to the links that help your visitors navigate through the pages of your site. Give them a clear indication of what they will find on the other end of a click.
Do you have a practical plan to respond to your guests?
Think about how interactive you want to be. At least, place on every page a way for visitors to get comments and questions to you. If you intend to respond personally, devise a method to answer your email within 24 hours, if possible. If you handle the questions you receive in a “group” response on your site, then be sure to follow through.
Is it easy to order?
Fear of credit card fraud is a fact. According to a Jupiter survey, 65% of respondents who stopped short of purchasing online revealed that greater credit card security would prompt them to buy. Give them the option to provide credit card information over the phone or by fax. Also, look into the possibility of offering your visitors secure online ordering.
What is your strategy to prompt visitors to return?
Once they find you and appreciate you, don’t let them disappear. Successful sites get visitors to come back again and again. Change your content frequently, get the names of your visitors and send them a notice when you offer something new, or keep in touch with an electronic newsletter. Be committed to staying in contact with your visitors. You may want to print out your own copy of our web strategies checklist.
