Is it time for a facelift?
You remember it well: that day back in the late 1990s, when
your company’s website first went live. It looked swell
at the time, and you were so proud to have graduated to the
Internet. Here's a fair question: How many times since then
have you refreshed the graphics or content on your website?
Twice? Once? Never? Most businesses, it turns out, are still
hosting first-generation sites that went live at the turn
of the millennium.
Likewise, the majority of these sites are passé by today's "make-it-useful" standards - sometimes embarrassingly so. Internet-savvy businesses will refresh the content on their websites regularly and will redesign their sites at least once a year. Why? For one reason, customer experience. It takes only a byte or two of dated information for visitors to conclude they've hit a dead end or landed on an orphaned site and, with the competition only a click away, you might as well advertise that value-added service is not a strong part of your company's culture. Plus, when a big-deal client clicks on your "News & Events" section, only to find that the latest event was back in 1999 and you simply haven't bothered to update the content, your big deal might be toast.
So consider this a wakeup call. Business sites vary widely but, for the purposes of site facelifts, differences boil down to how frequently you must make changes. Consulting services may update their sites only quarterly or even annually. B2B e-catalog sites may require monthly updates and e-commerce sites may require daily updates. Here are five ideas that can modernize your site swiftly without costing you a bundle.
1. Update your homepage
Your site's homepage is generally the first thing a visitor will see. You don't want it to quickly be the last thing they see, so set aside a small budget for changes to your homepage every three months. Make sure the site architecture is current with today's best practices. Site usability is very important and can make the difference between a good user experience and a bad one. Navigation is by far the most important usability factor. Develop navigation that is simple and logical. Create content on the homepage that can be updated or changed monthly, such as latest press releases or product offerings. This will give repeat visitors the sense that your site is up-to-date and well maintained.
2. Insure visibility with search engines
There's no point in pursuing an online business venture unless you're prepared to take the necessary steps to drive relevant traffic to your website. By increasing awareness and pertinent traffic to your web pages through the search engines, you enhance your potential return on investment-the more relevant the traffic, the greater the chance for client conversions. Deploying Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices offers the greatest potential return on investment. With a strong SEO service, your site is tuned for relevant content, listed organically, and maintained on a regular basis for maximum exposure over the long term. The traffic driven to your site is made up of 'true customers' seeking your products and services.
3. Invest in a content management system
Content Management Systems (CMS) empower non-technical content authors to contribute, edit, manage, and publish their mission-critical text and images, without the help of web designers or IT developers. This ensures timely updates by putting the power to publish dynamic Web content into the hands of the people that create it, such as your marketing, human resources or sales staff. Web content management solutions save your organization time and money while adding value to your existing Web investments.
4. Make the site a marketing tool
If you're not capturing data basics, such
as which sites and search engines visitors are clicking from,
or which pages are most trafficked, get cracking. Use prepackaged
software or a web services provider, such as www.metamend.com,
to capture detailed information about site visitors. The first
question to ask is: When visitors come to your site, what
do you want them to do? Once you have answers, you can define
the tracking metrics and develop the content, navigation and
structure that will quickly meet the needs of your targeted
visitors.
5. Set up an e-mail program
Create an incentive for visitors to register for information or give you their e-mail addresses. Give away something that the target audience would perceive as value for their exchange of personal information, like a prize for consumers or a white paper for B2B clients. Once you have addresses, send out useful newsletters, special deal notifications or new product bulletins.
Any of these ideas will help update your
online presence. However, the real advice is simply not to
forget your website in your annual sales and marketing budget
planning. Pay attention to your website whenever you shift
direction, add a new product, offer a new service or significantly
grow the business. Times, indeed, have changed. All marketing
and messaging must be seamless, consistent, uniform and multi-channel.
Whether your company is new to eBusiness
or your current eBusiness initiatives are underperforming,
we encourage you to request a no-obligation consultation with
one of our eBusiness Strategists. Our strategists fully understand
the challenges and complexities of B2B eBusiness and can create
a strategic roadmap that focuses on creating value for both
your company and your customers.
To submit a Consultation Request, please
click
here or call our toll-free line at 1-800-707-1311.
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