Do you have an effective website?

By Sherry DaRosa

So how would you rate your website: Excellent, Good, Not So Good, Not Sure?

Does it do its job? Is it effective? These are all excellent questions that every business owner and marketing manager needs to ask him or herself. The website has become an essential tool for business. We all know you have to have a website, but are you using this tool to its greatest advantage?

Remember your website is your business’ first impression. Even large businesses can look like mom and pop shop, the good news is that mom and pop shops can look like a large enterprise online. The designer you choose should understand more than just programming code. Your web-designer should be a multi-tool advisor, someone who can consult with you on how to best deliver your online marketing message, and someone who can go far beyond the technical aspect of your site.

Below is a list of issues to assess your website and questions you can ask yourself. If you answer them honestly, you'll know whether you have an effective website or not. After you've gone through the process, ask some colleagues to do the same. See if your answers compare.

Purpose:

Every website should have a clearly defined purpose. Having a website just because everyone else has one is not an acceptable strategy anymore. So tell me what is your website's purpose?

Focus:

Using the website as the information storage bin for anything and everything you have done, or thought to do. This doesn’t work, your visitors are like children with very short attention spans, they want to know very quickly the what, when, where, why and how of your company. URL’s are inexpensive and there is strength in numbers so there is no reason you can’t have a different website for every major thing you do and market specifically. So, how focused is your website?

Functionality:

We all know that websites must be easy to use, and you shouldn’t make visitors search on your site to find what they are looking for, and of course everything has to work. Again, your website is an important communication tool. If there is something on your site not working, all you are communicating is lack of ability. So, I ask you how functional is your website?

Personality:

How does your website represent and promote your marketing initiatives? Internet Marketing is not sales. Internet Marketing is about communicating who you are, what you do, and why you do it better than anyone else online. Marketing is about image building, branding, and positioning, enhancing your business personality. Does your website honestly reflect your business personality?

Marketing plan:

Everything your company does should reflect an over-riding theme, point-of-view, and personality. If your marketing efforts don't match your website presentation, you could be confusing your audience. Is your Web-presentation integrated into your overall marketing plan?

Content:

A client once ask me to build a website based on a business card and ten 8x10 glossies of discontinued merchandise. Being so concerned that his competitors would see what he was doing that he hid his products from his customers. We've all heard the saying 'content is king'. Is content king on your website? Does your website adequately display and explain what you do, what products you sell, and what services you provide? Are there examples of your work? Are there testimonials from your customers?
Is content really king on your website?

Distinction:

The spinning animated logo has become a cliché for bad design and style over substance, but that does not mean your website has to be boring and visually dreary. Your site should display clarity of vision; it should provide functional page layout; its use of colors, type, and static and kinetic visuals should be distinctive and purposeful. Your website should provide a defining "Look" that enhances your business personality. Does your website display a distinctive look that represents your business personality?

Most company's websites have stats and counters to tell them how many hits, unique visitors, what their IP addresses are, what browser they're using, and of course the all important monitor resolution. So what! Who cares? The real question is do you have an effective website? In closing these website questions, when answered honestly will tell you whether or not you have a website that is effective and whether or not you need to rethink your Internet strategy.

About The Author

Sherry DaRosa is the owner and operator of MPG Web Design, a Thunder Bay, Ontario based website design firm with over 10 years experience that specializes website design, Flash multimedia, corporate identity, and professional hosting services. Contact at sldarosa@mpgwebdesign.com or telephone (807) 683-7841.

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