In order to attract and continue attracting the right sort of visitors to your web site you need to ensure that it is effective in its delivery of information and functionality. If there is no value to your VISITORS then they will not return and to have them return is what you want. You also need to ensure that they take some form of action that leads to business opportunities for you.
Research shows that only 40% of websites are indeed effective. My personal experience would put the figure MUCH lower. How do you measure effectiveness. As the owner of the website you can answer that question by asking yourself - To what extent does my website positively contribute to the way in which I conduct my business.
It is critical in business to understand what your website contributes to your business and this should be measurable. Most easy is to examine the impact on your business bottom line figure. You have spent a great deal of money in creating your website and maintaining it. You should understand the level of return it is making in your business. If you are unable to clearly determine this then you may wish to consider performing a website audit with qualified consultants or website designers who can independently provide an unbiased opinion. In performing this audit consider the following aspects:
1. Document the processes - This is no different to any other aspect of your business. Every aspect of your site and its operation and support should be documented and managed to a plan. This is a valuable business asset. The review of its effectiveness should be conducted on a regular basis and in accordance with a documented plan. Be sure that your operational staff have an input to the design. Whilst web developers are good at creating terrific looking websites they are not business people and have little understanding of such so do not be lead by them in how your business should operate its website.
2. Document the processes - This is no different to any other aspect of your business. Every aspect of your site and its operation and support should be documented and managed to a plan. This is a valuable business asset. The review of its effectiveness should be conducted on a regular basis and in accordance with a documented plan. Be sure that your operational staff have an input to the design. Whilst web developers are good at creating terrific looking websites they are not business people and have little understanding of such so do not be lead by them in how your business should operate its website.
3. Designing to meet the needs of those with disabilities - Whilst it may sound strange to expect blind people to read your website this is in fact a requirement under W3C standards and in fact a disabled person apparently took the Sydney 200 Olympic website to court because they could not read it as a visually impaired person and won their case. A few websites now have the ability to be read aloud as they comply with the W3C standards but I would venture to say this is a small minority.
4. Designing to meet the needs of those with disabilities - Whilst it may sound strange to expect blind people to read your website this is in fact a requirement under W3C standards and in fact a disabled person apparently took the Sydney 200 Olympic website to court because they could not read it as a visually impaired person and won their case. A few websites now have the ability to be read aloud as they comply with the W3C standards but I would venture to say this is a small minority.
5. The last aspect to consider is the integrity of your code - Be sure that all program code is without error and that all links go to an actual page. Misusing links are one of the greatest downfalls in websites. A number of websites provide free testing tools to verify W3C compliance, missing links or poor page upload speeds.
6. The last aspect to consider is the integrity of your code - Be sure that all program code is without error and that all links go to an actual page. Misusing links are one of the greatest downfalls in websites. A number of websites provide free testing tools to verify W3C compliance, missing links or poor page upload speeds.
7. The website is not the domain of your IT Manager of PA - This is a corporate tool and impacts every part of your business. Get your whole management team involved with decisions made about the look and feel, the functionality and the support. Be sure to involve the marketing people by the way!
Research shows that only 40% of websites are indeed effective. My personal experience would put the figure MUCH lower. How do you measure effectiveness. As the owner of the website you can answer that question by asking yourself - To what extent does my website positively contribute to the way in which I conduct my business.
It is critical in business to understand what your website contributes to your business and this should be measurable. Most easy is to examine the impact on your business bottom line figure. You have spent a great deal of money in creating your website and maintaining it. You should understand the level of return it is making in your business. If you are unable to clearly determine this then you may wish to consider performing a website audit with qualified consultants or website designers who can independently provide an unbiased opinion. In performing this audit consider the following aspects:
1. Document the processes - This is no different to any other aspect of your business. Every aspect of your site and its operation and support should be documented and managed to a plan. This is a valuable business asset. The review of its effectiveness should be conducted on a regular basis and in accordance with a documented plan. Be sure that your operational staff have an input to the design. Whilst web developers are good at creating terrific looking websites they are not business people and have little understanding of such so do not be lead by them in how your business should operate its website.
2. Document the processes - This is no different to any other aspect of your business. Every aspect of your site and its operation and support should be documented and managed to a plan. This is a valuable business asset. The review of its effectiveness should be conducted on a regular basis and in accordance with a documented plan. Be sure that your operational staff have an input to the design. Whilst web developers are good at creating terrific looking websites they are not business people and have little understanding of such so do not be lead by them in how your business should operate its website.
3. Designing to meet the needs of those with disabilities - Whilst it may sound strange to expect blind people to read your website this is in fact a requirement under W3C standards and in fact a disabled person apparently took the Sydney 200 Olympic website to court because they could not read it as a visually impaired person and won their case. A few websites now have the ability to be read aloud as they comply with the W3C standards but I would venture to say this is a small minority.
4. Designing to meet the needs of those with disabilities - Whilst it may sound strange to expect blind people to read your website this is in fact a requirement under W3C standards and in fact a disabled person apparently took the Sydney 200 Olympic website to court because they could not read it as a visually impaired person and won their case. A few websites now have the ability to be read aloud as they comply with the W3C standards but I would venture to say this is a small minority.
5. The last aspect to consider is the integrity of your code - Be sure that all program code is without error and that all links go to an actual page. Misusing links are one of the greatest downfalls in websites. A number of websites provide free testing tools to verify W3C compliance, missing links or poor page upload speeds.
6. The last aspect to consider is the integrity of your code - Be sure that all program code is without error and that all links go to an actual page. Misusing links are one of the greatest downfalls in websites. A number of websites provide free testing tools to verify W3C compliance, missing links or poor page upload speeds.
7. The website is not the domain of your IT Manager of PA - This is a corporate tool and impacts every part of your business. Get your whole management team involved with decisions made about the look and feel, the functionality and the support. Be sure to involve the marketing people by the way!
About the Author:
Having difficulty with your web site achieving results? Evidence shows that many websites fail for some very basic reasons. Greg Tomkins has identified how to achieve true effectiveness with web design and Internet Marketing. Visit his website at www.seo-optimise.com.au to see the full range of services.
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