A Website is Only the Start of Your Worries

Build a website. That's the next item on your "To Do" list. You start imagining all the web traffic that brings new business opportunities and how busy you'll be... But what makes a website successful? A successful website has got to be more than good graphics and pretty colors. A website needs aim; purpose; direction; it needs a strategy. Have you really wondered if you even need a website at all? Perhaps some well-targeted print work would suit your business needs much better. Firm conviction that a web presence is your best solution is job one.

Success or Failure is not Hocus-Pocus

The next most important job you will do, then, is build a web strategy. The success or failure of your initiative will depend on it. You cannot rely on driving traffic to your site - even quality traffic - to increase sales or boost your company profile. If your visitors don't find what they are looking for you will not see results that you should be able to otherwise expect.

A good web strategy will answer the following questions:

• why does your website exist?
• who is your online market?
• what services will your website provide?
• what content will create value for your visitors?
• how are you better than your competition?

With these answers clear your content and design will fall into place. If it doesn't line up with the strategy, it doesn't stay.

You too can Predict the Future

Forgetting or avoiding web strategy is a primary pitfall for many online businesses, whether it is meant to be a primary source of customers or not. The content of a good website will always line up with the strategy and therefore meet the needs of online visitors. A website can be predicted to fail in meeting its goals without strategic direction; and don't make the mistake of thinking that there is only one way to fail!

There are websites that never reach launch phase because of the changing requirements of the owner. If there is nothing to say that a project is finished, how can it ever be finished? Other websites have too broad a scope and have no real focus. It is safe to assume that you don't need something for everyone on your website. You have an online market and you need to determine who this is and then speak to them.

Failure can even occur when good traffic visits because they aren't satisfied with what they find. This could be due to incomplete information, data that is difficult to locate, a look and feel that fails to connect with visitors, or -- gosh! -- just about anything else if it doesn't meet their needs. Worse than any of these is that a website is inferior to the competition. If customers, both current and potential can go elsewhere and have a better, smoother, more pleasant experience they will.

Take Aim and Execute!

Take a minute and try to answer the above questions. If you can't do it what better time than the present! We can help you with this process. As you form the answers to these questions your strategy will become clear; and so will many other things. Do you have a vision of your ideal website? Measure it against your newly formed web strategy. Does it align or does it need to be further refined?

Developing a web strategy will prove to be one of the most important decisions for your online business. It will enable you to avoid failure. It will assist you as you expand your web presence. Most of all, it will save you time, money, stress and prevent handing new customers to your competitors. Take the time to work out your web strategy, take aim, and execute! (so to speak...)