netpotential^™

In recent times the emphasis on technology in business and the ready availability of web designers and web hosting means you would be hard pressed to find a small/medium business without a company website.

Give some thought to these questions:

• does your business have a website?
• does your business even need a website?
• what function/s should your website serve?
• if you do have a website, where these questions ever asked?

When running a small/medium business it can be difficult to develop a website that serves any purpose at all, so the right questions need to be asked up front.

Before developing your company website you need to establish some goals.

Defining your goals

Before paying for your website to be developed you need to know what you are getting in return, and if it will meet your business needs. By setting goals you can avoid ending up with a purposeless website.

Some tell-tale signs of a website lacking in purpose:

• The website’s main function is to allow visitors to access phone numbers and other contact details.
• The website contains predictable, stale content pages that haven’t changed for months, or even years.
• The website’s main function is to allow visitors to sign up for newsletters.

Where do I start? What goals should my website achieve?

Aside from any specific goals you have for your website, there are some basic goals that all small/medium business websites should aim to achieve:

• The website should assist new visitors to hear your message (for example: find out about your business, products and services).
• The website should assist and encourage repeat visitors by keeping them informed of new developments.
• The website should provide value to visitors without requiring that they jump through hoops. (for example: give visitors access to content without requiring that they sign-up for the newsletter).
• The website content should change as business changes, such that content is kept up-to-date.
• The website should should provide optimal search engine listings.

Ensuring your goals are met

It is obvious that unless you have web designers/developers on-staff, a content management system (CMS) is going to aid in most of those goals. A CMS will provide you with the immediate control you need to keep content up-to-date and report on new developmemts as they arise.

Aside from the tools and business processes you use to maintain your website, there are other ways to help ensure your goals are met:

Carefully craft content

Writing for the web can be a difficult art, but its an art worth mastering. Keep information concise and structure your content carefully to aid scanning.

Review content

Review your content periodically, and update it to reflect your current business status.

Keep content accessible

Website accessibility encompasses many concepts, some of which only affect your web developers:

• Lower barriers to your content wherever possible. For example: don’t restrict your content to those visitors who are willing to sign up for the newsletter. You want your message to be heard as far and wide as possible, therefore you need to make it extremely easy for visitors to access.
• Present content in standard formats. Avoid proprietary data formats such as MS Word files where possible, and ensure that web pages are created to meet international web standards.
• Provide content in alternate formats. XML and RSS syndication can be a great way to allow interested visitors to access your content in a way that is easiest for them.

Report news

Any news is good news. Report any milestones or achievements that your company has achieved. Coupled with accessible content, this will allow interested visitors to maintain a mental presence or even excitement about your business.

Measuring your goals

There are many ways to measure whether the different goals above have been achieved on your website, here are some you can run past your web developer:

Website statistics

Website statistics can tell you which pages are being accessed and whether other sites are linking to your website. They can also tell you which part of the world your visitors come from.

Compliance testing

Does your website meet international web standards? Run them through automated compliance testers:

• HTML validation
• CSS validation

Usability and Accessibility testing

This can be as simple as feedback from your visitors, or as thorough as organising structured usability or accessibility testing scenarios.

Review and feedback

Ask for feedback from trusted members of your field outside your business. Do they feel your content is accurate and well formed?

Conclusion

Many websites are doomed to spend eternity as a monument to wasted money.

Don’t let your website be a casualty of pointlessness. Give your website some goals.