span relevant traffic and no
class="cap">T he UK significant sales the temptation
has the most active online may be to start “the blame game”
population of any country in but that isn’t going to help. You
Europe with around 21 million see building a web site is one
logging on every day and 72% thing; building one that will
using the Internet to make bring in business is another.
purchases.
Far too often building a
According to the Office of website is seen as a design or
National Statistics between technical issue and confusion is
2005-2006 consumers spent £103 the norm with no one being really
billion in online purchases in clear why it’s there, who it is
the UK alone
aimed at or what it is supposed
But a recent survey has shown to do.
that for UK SMEs:
Too frequently ‘getting the
o 23% of websites have not website up’ is the main objective
been updated launch and the site reflects the
o The average age of a website is organisation and its departments.
four years But users don’t care about
o Only 8% of respondents had an ‘producers’, they just want a
e-commerce element to their sites site that is easy for them to
o 25% of companies had no way of understand and use.
tracking their site
Here are some thoughts you can
o 38% had no budget at all for use to make sure your website is
website updates effective and working for
o For those with a budget the you.
annual spend was around £250
1. Have you researched
So, if you have built a web websites in your industry and
site and you find that your site looked at your competitors and
hasn't been generating much what kind of websites they have?
Did you find out whose is ‘doing many things you can do – pay per
the biz’? In many businesses you click, banner ads, email, viral
really can find out how well they campaigns, social bookmarking,
are doing from that grapevine and social networking and more.
that will help you to start to
3. Target, target, target. Who
see what works for your industry are your target audience? What
and what does not. It’s gritty, will motivate them? Most visitors
it’s boring, it needs someone who want information. Let’s say that
understands your business – again. Most visitors want
that’s not likely to be designers information. It is information
and developers, but engineers, about products, services and
sales people and marketers. They prices that helps them to make a
are the ones that will notice the decision. And that is what you
‘little things’ that can make it want – a decision.
come together.
4. Does your website provide
2. Can your site be found? Why easy navigation? Preferably one
did you build it unless you click from anywhere to anywhere
promote it? If it can’t be found on the site with no more than 7
it won’t bring business. Q E D. top level links – more tends to
Prepare a website marketing plan. confuse people, but it’s a
“Pretend” (at the very least guideline not a rule! Talk with
pretend and preferably people from target audience about
understand) that your site is (or how they want site structured and
may be) your most important what will make them buy – yes it
product or service. How would you is obvious but many don’t do
market that? How much would you it.
spend on it? It is critical that
5. Does your website have the
your website is search engine right content? This is critical.
friendly and registered with key Not only for customers but also
directories; after that there are for Search Engine Optimization
(SEO) to drive higher know. How? When you get
rankings unnecessary emails and phone
in organic listings in the calls from customers and have to
search engines which is how over spend more time dealing with them
80% of sites are reached – even, off-line.
frequently, if they are book
8. Trust. Make sure users can
marked because people love contact your company? Why should
Googling. So…… make sure your I trust you unless you provide
site has relevant and useful sufficient details for users to
content that helps your be able to get in touch with you?
particular audience achieve their Provide your company details
particular objectives on your including phone numbers and
website.
address. Does you site provide
6. Is the users’ experience information about policies and
pleasant and convenient? Does the terms and conditions to instil
site keep their details and further trust and confidence?
preferences? If you want Customers want to know. Hiding
customers to visit your website things makes them suspicious if
frequently and make regular not downright angry.
purchases, you must securely
9. Who writes the copy?
store their personal details so Believe it or not good
don’t have to fill-out the same copywriters are worth their
details every time they make a weight in gold and know how to
transaction or contribution. structure information so the most
Also, get their consent for important message is conveyed
future marketing.
clearly. It is very easy to
7. Do users leave happy? Are skimp. It is frequently a false
there appropriate cues and auto economy.
e-mails to inform customers of
10. Does your website have the
what happens next? You’ll soon right look? First impressions are
important. Don’t be flashy and the effectiveness of your site
make sure you target audience marketing and show you where you
have the sure feeling they have need to improve. Your web stats
come to the right place. provide information about
11. The site has to be hosted. visitors and referrers, most
It is far to frequently the case popular pages, where they come
that one is waiting around for a from, how long they spend on your
site to load – even with site, where they go from your
broadband. Having a first class site, etc. This information is
hosting company is essential. If absolutely essential particularly
the site doesn’t come up in if you rely on your site for a
milliseconds then people lose significant part of your
interest and go elsewhere.
business.
12. Can your website be
14. Maintenance and updates.
viewed? Sound simple but while Do you keep updating your site
your website may appear fine on with new content? Are the
one browser that doesn’t products in stock? How would you
necessarily mean that it will feel about a supermarket where
display the same way on other everything is beyond its sell by
browsers. It certainly has to date? Would you use it? Yet there
work in Microsoft’s internet are plenty of sites that are
Explorer and in Firefox – the two expected to perform without
account for over 95% of browsers maintenance – bizarre!
but that does not mean you can
ignore the others.
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About the Author:
Richard Hill is a director of E-CRM Solutions and has spent many years in senior direct and interactive marketing roles. E-CRM helps you to grow by getting you more customers that stay with you longer. We provide practical solutions that pay for themselves.
Article Tags: make, site, website
