By Ginny Stibolt, Consultant, Sky-Bolt Enterprises

Just think how many people will see your site – what a fabulous opportunity.  This is the second of a series of articles on web content to remind you of steps you may take to make the most of your website.  In the first article we covered the basics of “the first impression.” 

Launching a website is only the beginning of a long-term project.  If you are going to make the best use of this great resource, you must take the time to figure out the real purpose of your website. Is your site primarily; (#1)a sales pitch for your company, (#2) a retail sales location or (#3) a resource for your established clients?   Let’s look at each of these possibilities and how you can focus your site to fulfill your purpose(s). 

Topic #1: Is your site primarily a sales pitch for your company?   If your web site’s primary purpose is to get the visitor to contact your sales staff:

• Make sure you have stated the benefits of working with your company.  A list of features is not the same as the benefits.   You must answer the visitors’ question, “What’s in it for me?”  It is a tendency of engineers and programmers to list all the great stuff they’ve worked so hard to develop, but such a list is not the same as the benefits to the clients.
• Ask for an action – some examples: Pick up the phone today!  Send us an email.  Fill out this request form.
• Provide enough information about your company’s expertise so that your visitor becomes a prospect and acts on your request.
• Provide enough information and resources that will interest your typical prospects so they’ll come back to use your website as a resource.  This would include items such as general worksheets, relevant links for your industry, reviews of products or success stories from your clients.

Topic #2: If you are using your website for e-commerce you must give it as much attention as another branch store for your business.  This is accomplished on several fronts:

• Make sure your clients can easily find what they need. If you have many products, organize them by category and include a search engine.  People’s attention span is not much more than zero these days: if it’s too hard to find what they need, they’ll go somewhere else.
• Provide secure pages for accepting payment – this part could be outsourced to another site.
• Include photos of the products with enough description so that people know what they are getting.  The benefits and features of each product should also be included in the text.
• Keep track of the sales and clients through a POS and database solution.  It should be flexible enough to expand with your business and produce the timely information to keep your inventory stocked and updated.  Make sure you can also use it for one-on-one marketing to your clients – but that’s another column.

Topic #3: If you wish to keep clients coming back to your site...   Your clients should probably have their own pass-worded section with resources they need to keep up with what’s happening with your business and how it affects them. Everyone likes to feel special, so providing the exclusivity does that plus it may make prospects wonder what they are missing.  It is very important to keep this section updated with new information.

Keep in mind that the focus of your website may expand as your clients know to look for you there. There are many sources of information on web design, but one of my favorites is www.fixingyourwebsite.com, an off-beat look at what makes a great website.  You don’t have to be a designer to learn how to focus your site.

Ginny Stibolt is a web-content consultant, and owns Sky-Bolt Enterprises. Ginny Stibolt taught technical writing before her 20 years in computer business, starting in 1981 when she opened a computer retail store.  She developed and managed her company's website for more than five years and since then has helped clients with their websites. She is an adjunct faculty member at Howard Community College.

www.sky-bolt.com

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