Web Essentials
Posted on | July 24, 2009 | No Comments
Most companies (or free agents) use a Web site as the central hub of their marketing program. This is a good thing; a well-designed Web site can not only add value for clients and help to “wow” prospects, but it can also be invaluable for the business, too — facilitating file transfers, payments, orders, and such.
A solid Web site should do a few things. First, it should be dynamic. Static, hard-coded pages that are rarely updated provide no incentive to your customer to return. Dynamic pages — including sites based on a blog engine — work well to drive repeat traffic. And the nice thing about a blog-based Web site is that your updates can be shared by RSS (syndication) feeds to places like Facebook, so that you have multiple modes of sharing site content with others.
Second, a site should be well-designed. Don’t do the “white text on black background” stuff. Avoid background music. Get rid of the dancing skeleton clipart. Avoid Flash content unless you’re in an industry where Flash proficiency is relevant. Clean and elegant, with high-quality content, trumps ornate design with second-class content, every time.
Third, a site should be well-organized. Content should be structured in a heirarchical tree, with multiple and relatively short pages of information. People should be able to find things based on the descriptive labels in the menu tree. Especially complex sites should have a search feature.
Fourth, the site should include all the basics. Mission, contact info, hours of operation, and such. Ideally, it could include a contact form, or a method of paying for services, or links to social-networking sites.
Fifth, the site should provide content that adds value to the visitor’s experience. Whether this is through blog updates or imported RSS feeds or a document library or even a file-upload utility, you are sending the message that you care enough about your visitors to provide them with something useful.
Web sites are a great way to build and grow a business. Your business is important — so, as a value-added bonus to Gillikin Consulting friends, we will provide free Web evaluations. No cost or obligation — we’ll browse your site and provide feedback on what you’re doing well, and what you could be doing better. Just send an email or use our contact form for more info.
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