14 December 2011
You own it, it’s yours, and it’s the yardstick by which your entire online business will be measured. In an uncertain and constantly evolving digital world, your website is the one thing over which you have complete and explicit control. You can change anything and everything on your website, you can tweak, it tune it and manipulate it in any way you want; you can build in many ways to track and measure all of the activity on your website.

What’s the point in having a website?

1.It develops your brand –
Which compliments other communications such as your brochures and business cards

2.It generates revenue
You can generate sales by featuring your email address and other contact details. If you’re feeling a bit flash you can always sell your products and services online too.

3.It builds relationships
All good relationships are built on trust. If you’re not on the web people may think your business has something to hide…

4.It improves your Customer Service Support
Today’s consumer requires an answer to their question before they’ve asked it. Combat this problem by understanding the needs of your web visitors and include a FAQ; they will love you more and pester you less!

5.It reduces costs by improving efficiency
So you’ve got a brochure and 1000 copies printed. Oh wait, a new product is coming out next month! If only there was a way to update my product portfolio instantly… hello websites. Every time my customers order from me it takes 30 mins to fill out the form on the phone, if only they could fill the form out themselves which was then sent directly to the dispatch warehouse… hello ecommerce website.

6.It provides information
People are nosy. So give them as much information as they want! Including any links to social media and review sites, etc.

What do people expect from a website?

“It needs to be easy to find the stuff that I’m looking for”
“Well that was fun, I only went on to find out their opening hours but found the rest of the information on there really useful and interesting”
“I want to be able to read everything without needing my glasses”
“Any payments I make need to be safe and secure"

Usability is everything

Usability rules the Web.

Simply stated, if the customer can’t find a product then he or she will not buy it.

The Web is the ultimate customer- empowering environment. He or she who clicks the mouse decides everything. It is easy to go elsewhere; all the competitors in the world are but a mouse click away so make sure you impress them and keep them on your site.

Interactivity is also everything

Meet the audience demands for speed, information and entertainment
Offer different forms of interactivity; games and competitions anyone?
Links to social media offer new ways to reach web visitors in the future
A search box helps the no-nonsense consumer find what their looking for straight away