As we all know by now, the Internet has become a necessity in our daily lives, supplying us with resources to fulfill our personal, business, leisure and communication needs (plus a whole lot more!)
Business especially has benefited from the Internet, utilizing superior marketing techniques that only the Internet could provide.
If you own a business, you most likely own a website. If you don’t own a website… You should… Why? Because it’s the gateway for people all over the world to be exposed to your business and product with the click of a mouse.
I recently received an article written by Marc S. Lewitt, principal and creative director, MSLK called “9 Steps to a Better Website“. The article discusses, not just the importance of having a website, but having a website that functions properly.
Now when I say “functions properly”, I don’t necessarily mean that all the features of the site work properly, though that IS important! What I mean is that the site serves it’s purpose by bringing you more business and directing people to the places you want them to visit on your site.
The main goal of almost any website is to target the companies main audience and capture their interest.
So what happens when you’re not completely ready to launch that “ideal” site, but you still want to have something to push and promote in the meantime? Well, a lot of people tend to think that “Hey, I’ll just build this janky site for now to stay relevant, then when I’m ready, I’ll launch the BIG site.
The article touches on this and makes some really good points about whether that’s a wise move to make… And guess what? It’s not!
In most cases, trying to re-brand that janky site initially made to “stay relevant” can become extremely difficult and backfire quickly, causing possible loss of business and profits.
Another mistake that was covered was tackling a redesign. Most people tend to have a redesign done to make the site prettier or more extravagant, which is great when you’re someone like Nike. Nike already has a strong customer base, which allows them to take some of their focus and put it towards creating an eye-appealing website.
The majority of us are not companies like Nike though, and cosmetic bells and whistles will not necessarily drive traffic and bring you business.
So what will? Below are some tips taken directly from the article on what to focus on when designing or redesigning.
- Start with a plan.
- Don’t be seduced by technology.
- Get buy-in from all stakeholders.
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Consider the writing on the wall.
To see more tips, click HERE and visit Multi Channel Merchant and read the entire article, “9 Steps to a Better Website”
The article finishes things off with some insight into the importance of doing your homework when it comes to finding the right firm or company to design or redesign your site. Websites are not simple tinker-toys, they are complex and require a certain level of expertise.
Be sure to find someone who can fulfill your needs. If you need your site littered with keywords so that you can be found quickly in the search engines, then you probably don’t want to hire the company who specializes in Flash. Find the company that specializes in SEO or Search Engine Optimization.
Spend time doing the proper research, it will pay off in the end! Don’t let a poor website be your demise.
