Gone are the days when a website can exist as a static document online. The web has transformed from a flat, informational resource to a dynamic, interactive portal for information. Has your site made this transformation to a dynamic, online representation of your business?
Before you start your new website or revise your existing website, it is important that you have established your goals. What is it that people should do when they come to your website – make a purchase, contact you, download information, etc? Identifying and writing down these goal, or goals, will serve as a reference throughout the design and development process. Through every step you and your web or marketing firm should reference your goal and ensure this coincides with the purpose of your site.
Your first step towards an attractive and user-friendly website is a well thought out design and layout. Your design should be fresh, and representative of your branding initiatives. A layout needs to include all of the ‘must haves’ of an easy-to-navigate website, including a clear and obvious navigation at the header and the footer, easily accessible contact information and a usable flow to enable the user to effectively execute what you want them to do. Be sure to reference your goal as you review your design and layout.
Pair this great design with easy-to-use content management system to permit self-management of most of your site. A good content management system is going to maximize your ability to manage content, but control your ability to damage the layout and design of your site. It’s important to keep content fresh and add pictures and links throughout, but it’s just as important to keep your design and navigation consistent. Look for a system that allows you to do the following, and more:
• Update content for users and search engines, add images, videos, podcasts, links and more
• Manage lead generation: denote who is to receive a notification email when someone fills out the contact form in your site.
• Maintain a search engine friendly architecture – the technical framework should not inhibit search engine crawlers from traversing your site.
• For ecommerce sites, manage your products, pricing, orders and communications
The last step is your commitment to utilize your content management system. Add articles, news, events and more to your site at least once a month. Your great new design and content management system allows you to add and edit content, images, and links at your convenience, from anywhere. You’ll see an increase in traffic to your site, and return visits from customers to see what’s going on.