YOUR WEBSITE: Not JUST A PRETTY FACE
Successful design strategies that work for your company’s print marketing material may not translate into winning websites. Print campaigns are intended to grab the attention of potential customers with glossy images, bright colours and limited content. Websites, on the other hand, are built for business.
Consider your company website to be the equivalent of a specialty store. It is not enough to a have a pretty display in your front window if customers can’t find your shop in the first place or are unable to open the front door once they do. The characteristics of a great website are a simple and clean design, informative and descriptive content, intuitive navigation, and security features that allow safe transactions. In contrast, traditional ad agencies may not recognize the importance of search engine optimization to your business or they may disguise key elements of your online business, such as customer support information, in order to create the most esthetically pleasing website design.
Businesses that count on online transactions to generate revenue simply cannot rely on a philosophy of “if you build it, they will come”. SEO drives business-specific website visitors to your site, those who are searching the web to purchase from you or your competitors. By including specific text threads and keywords on each and every page of your site, a specialized web developer is ensuring that each layer of the site will show up in unpaid searches. Additionally, creating links to inside pages from the home page will increase a search engine’s chances of cataloging individual layers of your site. Online success requires a website that is designed to found.
Website functionality ensures that visitors can not only find your site, but also find the information that they need within your site. Users need hierarchical information architecture and easy-to-navigate links so they do not get lost in information overload. They need value-added descriptive content that they can trust. They need to feel safe when sharing their personal information. Is your traditional ad agency aware of these facts, or are they more concerned with matching your website with your print marketing materials? Online success depends on creating a website that your customers will want to use.
Specialized web developers know how to combine a professional
look-and-feel with an internet-savvy design. Could a traditional
marketing agency design an attractive yet functional website?
Perhaps, but they would need to understand the key design
elements of a great website and how to help drive potential
customers to that site. They would also need to understand
the ecommerce strategies that are critical to the success
of your business. So, why leave such an important aspect of
your business to chance? Your website is more than just a
pretty face. In fact, it’s a clean and simple face of your
business. When building or overhauling your company site,
leave the design to the web experts.
Renee Dunk is a freelance writer and public relations consultant
based in Montreal. She regularly scours the Internet for trends
in culture, technology and celebrity lifestyles.
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