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Web sites are common in business today – and all too often, commonplace. When my company won awards in the recent WebAward Competition for outstanding Web site development, I started fielding questions: How do you make a winning Web site? If I want winning results from my site, what are the top five questions I ought to consider? More than 2,300 Web sites from 35 countries were judged in 96 industry categories during the competition - an amazing show of talents and skills. I wondered how the other winners would respond, but I knew how I would.
For me, a great Web site that achieves what the site owner and designer want blends art and science with a solid foundation of planning and carefully chosen strategies.
Your winning Web site starts with your business basics. What is your company’s value proposition, and what sets it apart from its competition? The discipline to stay focused and sharpen your message, concentrating on the strengths that matter most to your best customers, can catapult you ahead of your competition. Opportunities abound to differentiate yourself based on your strengths, as business strategist guru Michael Porter advises. Look beyond your products and services to all aspects of your business operations. How you choose your employees, how you uniquely provide customer service, and whom you ally with as vendors can all set you apart.
The most effective Web site is well-planned and well-designed, but also well-integrated with your company’s marketing strategy. What is your Internet marketing strategy and how will your site most effectively contribute to its success? This question leads you to take a strategic view of your site’s role in achieving your business and marketing goals, and also prompts you to measure how well the Web site is performing.
Winning customers is the primary goal of most business sites. What content is relevant, interesting and essential to educate, inform and persuade your site’s target audiences that you are their best choice? Being close to your customers, knowing their challenges and their goals, their corporate and personal environment, will give you the insider knowledge you need to communicate. Remember, people buy, organizations do not. Be sure your site content speaks to each of the key players with an important role in buying and using your products.
Always ask for commitment. What actions do you want your site visitors to take and how can these be integrated effectively and thoroughly into the site’s design and architecture? Look at your company’s sales process: What is the logical next step for your site visitors? Invite them to contact you to find out more. Give feedback. Sign up for your publications. Send for a sample, a quote, a free trial or a complimentary consultation. Become a sponsor, a member or a donor. Attend an event or come to your retail location. And, of course, invite them to “Buy Now.” Many Web sites make the mistake of not asking, or not asking prominently and clearly. Make sure your calls-to-action are clearly articulated.
Your Web site can be your best spokesperson. What do you want your site to say about your brand and image and how can you best enhance them through its design and content? Your brand should clearly identify your position in the market and your message, provide customers with a clear understanding of why they buy from you, and set the tone for the customer experience to be expected. Work deliberately as you design your site’s design and content strategies to include your company’s visual and verbal identities.
Armed with the answers to these questions, you can now work effectively with a Web development partner to bring your vision into reality. How do you judge if the site meets its mark? Try the WebAward criteria the Web Marketing Association uses: Does the site leave the door open for further exploration? Does it stand out from its competition? Is the content interesting and relevant? Does it incorporate technology well to enhance user experience? Is the copy clear and well-written? Does it encourage interactions? Is it user-friendly? Your Web site can be your best business tool; don’t underestimate its power!
Copyright Eva Chiu and InfoAdvantage.
E-Business
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