Unless
your company is a household name or recognised brand then getting
potential customers to initially visit your site is probably one
of the biggest challenges of using the Internet to help run and
grow your business. There are 2 main methods of advertising on the
web. Firstly, you can register with search engines, some of these
companies now charge for commercial submissions and competition
for top rankings is extremely high. Secondly, you can pay for targeted
advertising on the web, which will probably gain little benefit
particularly as people appear to be blind to 'banner advertising'
these days. Methods of advertising your site that are often overlooked
are really the more traditional methods for example, newspapers,
trade magazines, phone directories, business cards, etc. Everywhere
you currently advertise or everywhere your business name is mentioned
you should also include a reference to your web site address. It
is becoming increasingly common for potential customers to look
at your web site before trying to do business.
Once a customer has found your site, how do you keep them there?
This is a real problem on the Internet, browsers
of the web tend to have very short attention spans and drawing them
into your site so that they look around is actually very difficult.
Research shows that you have around 7 seconds to trap or lose a
potential customer who visits your site. Even if you have the most
fantastic looking web site, then unless you provide the information
people are looking for, the chances are that the potential customer
may move onto the next site on their list.
How do you get customers to return to your site
to re-use your services or buy more of your products?
There is a lot of focus on initially getting
customers to visit your web site, while this is very important it
is also important to get existing customers to return to your site,
regularly. The aim is to get the customer to identify a product
or service with your company, so that in the future if they require
a similar product or service, they will come to you first. Bare
in mind that visitors may not always start out with the intention
of buying, rather they could be just browsing or looking for information.
Since this is an encounter with no direct contact, the only tool
you have to convert this into a sale or lead, is your well-designed
site.
One of the ways to get customers to return to your web site is to
provide changing content, e.g. the latest news in your industry,
special offers, upcoming events, relevant articles relating to your
business area, etc. Basically, supplying regularly updated information
that your customers would want to read will encourage them to return.
You need to be able to stand out from the competition and visiting
a site that never changes does not encourage people to dig further
into the site.
All businesses are aware that repeat custom is an important part
of turnover. If a customer has had a pleasant experience with your
business for whatever reason then they will be more inclined to
come back. Conversely, if they have had a bad experience they will
more than likely be determined not to come back. The same applies
to the web site business model.
Bringing it all together
The type of business and what is trying to
be achieved by using a web site largely dictates site content. However,
the manner in which information is written and presented can make
a significant difference to the business success of the site. We
have all visited web sites that either does not give us the information
we require or it takes far too long to find any relevant information.
It is important therefore to provide the content in an easily readable
and navigable format. A poorly designed web site will reflect negatively
on your business.
This is where a web design company can make a huge difference. They
have the experience and knowledge to make your site not only look
good but also feel good. Web site designers should do more than
just bolt your site together, they should advise on form, function,
navigation, interaction and content. These are all elements of good
web site design.
We will advise on the best approach to
building a presence on the web for your business
|
|
|
