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How To Analyze Your Website
ow good is your website? is important, but do you really
Does it do its job? Is it know how effective your site is?
effective? These are all How many orders are you losing
good questions that every because of bad layout, awkward
business owner and marketing design, confusing navigation, and
manager needs to ask him or poor copy? How many potential
herself. The website has become clients have you chased away
an essential tool for business. because you haven't put a phone
We all know we have to have a number on your site and an
website, but are we using this accessible real-person that can
venue to its greatest advantage? answer questions?
Most people responsible for their A website is your business'
company's websites have stats public face,. Big businesses can
packages and counters to tell look like mom and pop operations
them how many hits, how many and mom and pop operations can
unique visitors, where they are look like General Motors. The
coming from, what their IP design of your website should not
addresses are, what browser be taken lightly, its budget
they're using, and of course the should not be an afterthought,
all important monitor resolution. and the designer you hire should
So what! Who cares? The real be someone who understands more
question is do we have an than code. Your Web-designer
effective website? should be a multimedia-marketing
advisor, someone who can counsel
Now if you have a transactional you how best to deliver your
website, commonly referred to as marketing message, and someone
an e-commerce site, you know the who can go beyond technical
number of sales you are issues.
generating from your site, which
You can spend a lot of money and clearly defined purpose. Having a
have someone analyze your site website just because everyone
for you, but are you really going else has one is not an acceptable
to believe him, are you really strategy. What is your website's
going to act on their purpose?
recommendations? You can't sell
somebody something they really a. Transactional sales-oriented
don't want - that may sound site
obvious, but believe me, sales b. Customer service support site
people do it everyday. If you c. How to instructional site
don't think you need a new d. Product or service
website, you aren't going to demonstration site
spend the money to have one e. Lead generation site
built. So the best way to tell if f. Marketing, branding,
you need one is to analyze the positioning site
one you already have, yourself. g. Promotional campaign site
h. Viral or buzz creation site
Below is a set questions you can
ask yourself. If you answer them 2. Is Your Website Focused?
honestly, you'll know whether you
need a new site or not. After Too many businesses both large
you've gone through the process, and small use their website as an
ask some colleagues to do the information junkyard, a dumping
same. See if your answers ground for everything you do,
compare. everything you've done, and
everything you ever thought of
1. Does Your Website Have A doing. This won't work. Customers
Purpose? are like children; they want
clarity, direction, and
Every website should have a unequivocal answers. Your website
should be focused on a singular construction, HTML, Flash,
function. URLs are cheap, there client-side, server-side, data
is no reason you can't have bases, SEO tactics, information
different websites for every architecture, marketing
major thing you do, or every communication, transaction
marketing campaign you initiate. efficiency all compete for
How focused is your website? precedence in the design of a
site. Are you sacrificing
3. How Functional Is Your clarity, focus, and communication
Website? for SEO tricks and unattainable
traffic numbers? Did you start
Everybody knows that websites with an IT solution like a
should be easy to use, that you database, and build your site
shouldn't have to drill-down too around a poorly conceived
deep to find what you're looking information delivery system. Does
for, and of course everything your website's design reflect
should work. Your website is a your sites' defined business
communication tool. If your purpose or is it a result of
website doesn't work properly, secondary technical concerns?
the only thing you're
communicating is incompetence. 5. Does your website honestly
How functional is your website? reflect your business
personality?
4. Does Your Website's
Construction Balance Competing Does your website represent and
Concerns? promote your marketing
objectives? Okay, this is a trick
Websites by their very nature are question for many small
a compromise of competing issues. owner-managed businesses.
Aesthetics, multimedia, frame Marketing is not sales. Marketing
is about communicating who you
are, what you do, and why you do I once had a fairly large
it better than the other guy. manufacturing client ask me to
Marketing is about image build a website based on a
building, branding, and business card and ten 8x10
positioning, in other words, glossies of discontinued
enhancing your business merchandise. This fellow was so
personality. Does your website paranoid that his competitors
honestly reflect your business would see what he was doing that
personality? he hid his products from his
customers. This business is now
6. Is your Web-presentation bankrupt. We've all heard the
integrated into your overall saying 'content is king'. Is
marketing plan? content king on your website?
Does your website adequately
Too many websites bear no display and explain what you do,
relation to the rest of their what products you sell, and what
business' marketing initiatives. services you provide? Are there
Everything your company does examples of your work? Are there
should reflect an over-riding testimonials from your customers?
ethos, point-of-view, and Have you provided information on
personality. If your marketing how to order, how to use, and how
collaterals don't match your to resolve problems? Is content
website presentation, you are really king on your website?
confusing your audience. Is your
Web-presentation integrated into 8. Is your website an experience?
your overall marketing plan?
You watch television, you listen
7. Is content king on your to the radio, you read a
website? magazine, but you experience a
website. Unlike other marketing Your website should provide a
vehicles, websites provide you defining "Look" that enhances
the opportunity to deliver your your business personality. Does
marketing message with the full your website display a
complement of multimedia tools. distinctive look that represents
Websites can stimulate all the your business personality?
senses, sight, sound, and
interactive touch in order to 10. Do you list appropriate
communicate and connect with your contact information on your
audience. Websites are not website?
brochures. Visitors shouldn't
just see your website, they I remember going to a meeting
should experience it. Is your with a client who was in the
website an experience? construction business. The Vice
President of the company was
9. Does your website have a hopping mad. He demanded his
distinctive look? email address be taken off the
site immediately. He wasn't going
The notion of the flaming to waste any more time dealing
animated logo has become a cliché with client emails and inquiries.
for bad design and style over Websites are all about connecting
substance, but that does not mean you to your clients, not hiding
your website should be from them. If you think you can
aesthetically boring and visually put your website on autopilot and
dreary. Your site should display that a FAQ and Q&A are going to
clarity of vision; it should cut-it, you better think again.
provide functional page layout; Does your website have adequate
its use of colors, type, and contact information? Do you list
static and kinetic visuals should appropriate email addresses and
be distinctive and purposeful. phone numbers for the people
responsible for various aspects tell you whether or not you have
of your business? a website that works and whether
or not you need to rebuild.
There you have it. Ten questions
that when answered honestly will
About the Author:
Jerry Bader is Senior Partner at MRPwebmedia, a Thornhill, Ontario based website design firm that specializes in delivering their North American clients' marketing messages using the latest audio, video, and interactive Flash presentation techniques to create compelling, informative and memorable Web-experiences that enhance brand personality and increase sales and profits. Visit http://www.mrpwebmedia.com, http://www.136words.com http://www.sonicpersonality.com. Contact at info@mrpwebmedia.com or telephone (905) 764-1246.
Read more articles by: Jerry Bader
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