Time to rethink your Web strategy

September 18, 2008

Everyone knows that the Web is a crucial marketing medium and that businesses cannot afford to stand still...but many do. Even if your company has a Web presence, ask yourself this question: Just how effective is your site at being the most complete representation of your company’s capabilities and productively generating sales and/or leads? If you are frustrated with how your Web site is performing, then it’s time to get serious about strategy.

The Web has evolved. It’s no longer all about pretty designs and slick animations. Sure, that can be effective, depending on the industry and audience. But the Web has changed — content is king. And it’s more than just what the site says. It’s how the content is organized and the message conveys what you can do for a potential customer.

Quality Web site content can also include productive tools that help a current or prospective client do business with you. “Brochureware” Web sites that say who you are, what you do, who works at your business and how to get in touch you are going the way of the dinosaur. The Web offers unlimited opportunities to achieve efficiency through online business applications. If there is one thing for sure, it’s that Web sites are cheaper than people. If there is a back office effort that could be done online, don’t
hesitate to look into what it takes to make that happen. Making this transition might not be the hard undertaking you envision.

Another key component of a successful Web strategy is marketing. People choose to visit a Web site because of a pre-existing interest; they rarely stumble upon a site randomly or jot down a Web address off a billboard. If your Web strategy hasn’t taken into account how people will find your site when that need or interest arises, then you definitely need to rethink things. Search marketing is greatly undervalued when it comes to launching a new Web site. Why invest in a great site if you cannot spend the money or effort to
draw visitors to it?

Search marketing has grown far beyond pay-per-click advertising. Your site can gain exposure with resources like social media, online PR management and content sharing. Search marketing is worth every penny, especially with specialized products — one or two sales might pay for the entire marketing expense.

Web site strategy should be seriously investigated before design or code is ever talked about. If it’s not, you are doomed to fail and end up frustrated.

Don’t learn the hard way (again).

Don’t underestimate your ability to turn your Web presence into a key contributor to your bottom line.

Tags: website strategy, seo, online marketing, ppc, sem