Five Keys To Maximizing The Effectiveness Of Your Website

A website can be a key marketing tool for almost every type of business.  From flash pages and music to video and pop up cursor messages, website design and structure options are limitless. However, have too many entrepreneurs and CEOs lost site of the fundamental marketing mission websites serve?  Have bells and whistles replaced message and branding?

"The bottom line - websites should serve as a way of introducing, supporting and building loyalty for your business," says Allan Gorman, author of the new book, Briefs for Building Better Brands.  "As the Internet's influence on society has increased exponentially, a website can no longer be just a corporate brochure or shopping flyer as it used to be in the 'old days.'  It must be a tool to brand your product or service."

Gorman offers tips for companies to achieve maximum marketing value from their websites:

• First (page) impressions matter most - Branding begins before the first page of your site loads.  Does a visitor have to wait too long for your flash animations to load?  Are the clips useful for telling your story or just gratuitous pieces of art that say: "See how cool I am?"  Is the first page designed to load efficiently for all connection speeds?

•  Ease of use equates to a pleasant visiting experience ... and marketing effectiveness - We've all visited websites which seemed impossible to navigate and which bred instant confusion.  Does your website use all the trendiest fashion, styles and web tools at the expense of legibility and clarity? Or, is it pleasant to look at, easy to understand and easy to navigate?

•  Give people a reason to return - Website "stickiness" is important, but giving people a reason to want to return is even more essential.  See if you can create relevant and interesting self-assessments, puzzles, surveys or tests that will make their experience educational and interactive - and that relate to your products and/or services.

•  Provide essential information for your customer - This sounds simple enough, but take some time to visit various websites and you'll find accessing basic information isn't always easy.  Regardless of the type of business, every site should include: a clear explanation of your product or service, highlights that make it unique, success stories/case studies, endorsements, and contact/order information.

•  When designing a website, pretend you're giving a website visitor a tour of your office or plant to impress them - What do you think they'd want to see or know? In what order does it best make sense to present this information?  How can you keep them interested and make it fun?

"The power of the web as a psychologically powerful influencer is often overlooked by businesses," adds Gorman.  "A company website should be consistent with all marketing materials, and focus on introducing, supporting and building loyalty for your brand."  q

Allan Gorman's company, Brandspa, specializes in crafting effective marketing and branding strategies for small to medium sized companies, so that even firms with limited budgets can attain status as the leading brand.