Website design
A well designed and appropriately promoted web site can prove to be a valuable piece of your marketing strategy ¨C generating new business leads and increasing your sales potential.
If you are investing in Internet based marketing, focus on the aims and objectives of your web site and ensure that you get a return on your investment and achive marketing objectives.
For most businesses, a web site needs to:
Driving traffic to your site:
Visitors to your site will arrive there from one of two means. Either they will already know about your company ¨C from prior knowledge, traditional advertising, etc. - or they will find it on-line through either a web directory, on-line advertising or an Internet search engine. Simply having a web site will not generate new business. Your site needs to be promoted so that potential customers can find it.
The most appropriate form of promoting your site will depend on the nature of your business and your target audience, but for all sites a clear strategy is required.
Converting visitors into customers:
Once you have the visitors at your site, you then need to convert them into customers. To do this, you need the right balance of creativity, clarity and content.
Most importantly, your visitors need to be able to find the information they are looking for. such as products or service details, contact information or a company profile. Employing the services of a professional marketing writer and / or a professional digital photographer can help you deliver your message more effectively. No matter how good your content is, you'll need to help your visitors access the parts of the site most relevant to them - navigation through the site must be clear, simple and consistent.
The design of the site needs to be appealing, but shouldn't be too graphically intense. Even today there are many, many users who do not have fast Internet connection. This should be complemented by a clear message and a strong call to action.
