Is your website working?

You may be feeling as though you have pulled out all the stops for your business but the expected bonuses have not yet knocked on your door.  Maybe this can all be put down to your website?

Too many businesses make mistakes when trying to utilise their online presence but instead of hitting the nail on the head it is all too easy to simply fall short.

Follow these simple, yet effective, steps and watch how you can grab hold of the plethora of opportunity running around the World Wide Web…

Simplicity

There are literally thousands, if not millions, of websites on the Internet that go absolutely overboard.  They are crammed with unnecessary fonts that can’t be read properly, weird buttons and complex backgrounds that just confuse the visitor.

This is a huge put-off for your visitor.  When you think about the websites that really managed to stick out in your mind, they were probably simple and clear – Google is a great example of how utter simplicity can be a winner.

Provide an easy journey for your visitors allowing them to slowly flow from one page to the next.  If a site is too complicated and the visitor cannot find the information that they are looking for easily then they will simply move on.

Updates

Keep on top of your website – if you don’t update your website then there is no reason for visitors to return.  It’s great to set up a nice, new website for your business but after a while unless it is given regular updates it will just become obviously dated.

Keep your site interesting and exciting as much as possible.  There’s nothing people hate more than reading an article that is four or five years old – they feel they have had their time wasted.  However if you aren’t able to update your site regularly then make sure there are no date indicators attached to anything on your site.

Interaction

It is important to be in some form of communication with your visitors – I’m not saying that you should be publishing your home telephone number on the site so people can call you with feedback.

Instead, provide an email address that visitors can use to provide feedback on the site.  By doing this you will be boosting the professionalism of your website and understanding what your visitors want all at the same time.

A great way to find out whether your site is on the right tracks or not is to perform come market research online.  Provide temporary customer surveys on the website with incentives that should attract visitors.  There is no point in having a website if no visitors enjoy it.

What about you?

What advice could you give regarding websites?  Have you got any tried and tested methods for success or do you feel that the whole process is a bit hit and miss?

Let us know what you think…we’d love to hear from you!

Our Random Articles

• Small businesses plan staff cuts in early 2012
• Unemployment rise – what does this mean for small businesses?
• The Mary Portas Review
• Experts Warn Small Firms of the Need to be More Aware of IT Security Risks
• SMEs Unprepared for New Pension Reforms

More Links