˝You know, we've been doing very well, our business is going great, and it's been like this for years. We don't need a website.˝ Luckily, we don’t hear such and similar statements from our clients that often, but I’ve heard them enough to make me think about their content. I was thinking - really, why would people use the Internet as a medium, if they are obviously using other marketing channels successfully when looking for business, that specific part of the market that satisfies their business appetite?! But if a company is a system that constantly changes, there must come the time when even such hard-core opponents of the Internet will give in. Recession, new consumer habits, new generation of users, competition, as well as any other reason that can lead to losing market power, will make these companies finally open their eyes and realize that without their presence on the Internet, they practically don’t exist. A website is actually a business card of the twenty first century, in a somewhat different format!

Someone calls it an Internet site (or sites), but the concept is the same. A website helps in presentation of the company, product, organization, idea, project - actually, all kinds of contents that are on it, and it’s placed on the Internet via domain. A website is the basic form through which certain content is presented to all Internet users. The company I work for has been engaged in the process of designing, creating and developing websites for over a decade (they are often called www or internet sites too). Actually, websites are a number of documents in a specific form (most commonly html, i.e. xhtml), which are being accessed through an Internet browser. Concepts of a webpage and a website are often mixed up. The former refers to one page, and the latter to a group of pages.

If you’re a small entrepreneur or just entering the entrepreneurial life as an independent entrepreneur – beginner, you’ve also probably wondered: do I need a website at all? Regardless of the size of your business, you do need a website!

Do you remember (it wasn’t that long ago) when we used to look for all kinds of services and other activities by looking through those thick and heavy phone books. Today, this is done in a much simpler way. We surf on office computers, laptops, and now even via smart phones and tablets. A large majority of us, when looking for hairdresser’s working hours, a cadastral office address, or if we’re making a decision about a larger purchase, we first ˝google˝ it and then go into action.   

In today’s business environment it actually isn’t enough to just have a website; you need to have good, or better said – great website that will work for you. A website can be the perfect tool if you use it wisely. Here are some details we keep in mind when creating websites for our clients. I enjoy sharing them with you so you’d also keep them in mind when you decide to start your own websites or to re-design the existing ones:  

 

1.  A fast and a simple site. The whole Internet comes down to speed and clarity today. This is what your site has to be like too: easy to load and clear for the users. You yourself know how frustrating it can be to wait for a certain content to load. Most people, which includes your current and potential clients, will simply give up after a while and click the X in the top right corner. When we talk about simplicity, make the site first of all – logical. Simple for navigation, i.e. surfing. Simple and interesting in content. Highlight the most important information. Today’s Internet visitors don’t actually read, they scan. Bear that in mind!

2. Use photos and other displays (illustrations and such) that successfully communicate with your users. What does that actually mean? If budget allows it, always give priority to your photos, the ones taken on your business premises, which represent your products, as well as your employees who reflect your business. This will give credibility and genuineness to your web. If you decide to use photos you found on the Internet, then your web designer, to whom you entrusted this job, needs to make sure they are professional and legal photos, which can be published and which will have a quality resolution and be clearly visible on everyone’s monitor. Naturally, they should have a good marketing communication with your clients.

3. Interesting pages. Did you know that an average ˝surfer˝ stays on one page no longer than 30 seconds on average. Hence, you need to keep their attention in the shortest time possible, and encourage them to stay on it longer, to surf your entire website, and to come back to it.  

4. Optimize your pages! You don’t have any idea what I’m talking about? Then look for expert advice on SEO Optimization (Search Engine Optimization), which will help your pages be well ranked on the Internet, have a lot of visitors every month and be highly ranked on the Internet search engines. By appreciating legality of a good optimization – basic standards for coding pages (key words, titles, tags), you achieve a great impact on the number of visits and visitors.

5. A website has to reach its goal. This might be the most important advice. A website has to reach its primary goal! In order to reach it, you first need to know which goal to set. You need to know why your pages are on the Internet. For example, maybe you just need a good and attractive presentation of top design? Or you want to keep your current users and clients informed? Maybe you want to encourage your website visitors to take a concrete action, to send you a message, to give you a call, to head toward your point of sale at that exact moment, to buy something from you, or to order a service? Maybe you want them to give you their feedback about your product, or to recommend other users? Maybe to come back and visit your pages from time to time? How often? You need to ask yourself such questions while working out the concept of your pages. Oftentimes clients don’t ask until it’s too late, once the website has already taken its place on a domain. Then they are disappointed and have to invest additional financial resources and put in extra time for fixing mistakes.

Don’t forget, websites will help you create and maintain your on-line business reputation at an enviably high level. They can also mean an immediate increase of your income! So, plan well, set enough time aside for developing the concept, write original (unique) texts, challenge the users, your potential consumers (clients) and don’t skimp on the budget! Do everything you can so your company’s website would start working for you. It will pay off multifold!

 

sanja@identum.hr

Identum (Group of companies) Denmark – Norway – Sweden - Croatia

January, 2012