Inside Small Business | Small Business & Home Business Marketing
Disaster or Discovery
Earlier last week, as I do every day, I was perusing the web looking at various sites. Yes, they were strictly professional, and no I don’t do it all day long. I try to keep it to a minimum of 4 hours… I’m just joking, I never surf more than I have to.
As I was going over various sites, from home businesses, to professional services, I was somewhat disappointed. Many of the sites were in need of a major overhaul; many should be send to their grave. That being said, there are many sites that are great, and a complete joy to surf. As a business owner, you are hoping for the latter.
Your website is your 24-hour lifeline to your business. With more and more business being conducted online, a clean, professional web presence is no longer an option, but a necessity.
There are multiple factors that determine whether a web site is a success or failure – User interface and design to name the most important. I’d like to address some easy questions that you can ask yourself to determine whether your site qualifies as a disaster or a discovery. Sorry if that statement seems harsh, but if you have even two of the following “bad” items, you may be heading for just that.
1. Is my site a true representation of my brand? Your brand is your identity to the world. It starts with your vision and mission statement, then your logo, and continues on through all your products. If your web presence does not truly represent what you as a company are all about, you need to consider an overhaul. How many companies out there have a great product, lots of passion, and a will to succeed, only to scream “I’m a one-man band, working out of my garage!” Even if you are a one-man band working out of your garage, you don’t have to look like it.
2. Is it easy for my customers to find what they need? Is your site easy to navigate? If visitors can’t quickly find what they are looking for, they will leave. Here is a quick list of items that either add to the confusion and eventual departure of a customer, or the clear and concise path to the checkout stand.
3. Do I have an established hierarchy for my information? Not all the information on your site holds the same importance. You can have the most earth-shattering product or service in the world, bit if you don’t have easily accessible contact information, your conversion rate will drop. Have the most vital information presented in a way that it stands out. It sound simple, but designers, programmer and business owners do not always understand how to do it.
4. Does my site look professional? This to me is, if not the most important, very close or should be. I understand that the User Interface of a site is of utmost importance, and I addressed that issue in a previous statement, but I do believe that unless a site looks professional from the instant a person lands on it, they will not stay, period. You will not get a second chance from a visitor, if the site looks un-professional in any way. People’s time is so important, that if you don’t grab them immediately they will be gone.
With this list of questions, you can examine your website to determine whether or not your site is a disaster or discovery. If you happen to have more than two of the previously mentioned “bad” characteristic, don’t worry. We’re confident we can help you turn a possible disaster into a path of discovery for your customers.
If you happen to have more than two of the previously mentioned “bad” items on your site, you may be doomed. With so many potential customers surfing the web now, and asking; “Hey, what’s your website, so I can get more information?” You just can’t afford to not look professional from the instant they load your page. It is vital for a business owner to understand and appreciate the importance of hiring a competent, professional designer for their design needs. I have addressed this in previous articles, and this cannot be stressed enough when it comes to website design.
With this list of questions, you as a business owner can take a look at your site and ask yourself whether or not any, some, or none of these items exist within your current website design. If they are for the better, and you have quite a few, that’s great! You’re on your way. If not, don’t worry, we’re confident we can help you turn a possible disaster into a path of discovery for your customers.
Posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 2:58 pm and is filed under Branding, Design, Graphic Design, Internet, Marketing, Small Business, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
