Your corporate website is the center of your marketing Universe – But is it worthy of the position?

With all the talk of all the different types of internet marketing available to businesses (email marketing, social media etc…) it is still true that your biggest marketing asset is still your company website.

That doesn’t mean that other media aren’t crucially important, they are. But make no mistake – all paths often lead back to your website. Email marketing commonly has links to pages on your website. Facebook call-outs and tweets often reference specific webpages on your site too. In fact most marketing strategies are designed to drive traffic back to your website. So the big question is…

Is your website ready for all the attention?

Many websites fail to have what it takes to be an effective marketing tool. Sometimes this is due to poor design or site structure, sometimes it is because there was no real plan or strategy when the site was first created.

You’ve heard it a hundred times before – traditional forms of advertising and communication are on a constant decline. The habits of the people are more and more reflecting a attitude of looking “online” for answers before they “do”, “ask” or “seek” from any other source. So you better be there when they go looking.

Your company website should be the very best marketing tool it can be. I’m talking the super-deluxe variety of website. So what makes a business website a great website? Here is a list of ‘must-haves” if your site is going to make an impact (and money) using one of the most powerful medias available to the common business owner or mega corporation alike.

1. Build your website with analytics
No site is worthy of being called great if you can’t measure it’s success. If you don’t have an analytics program on your site – get one. The basic principal here is – “those things that can be measured – can be improved”. And when you have a website , improve you must. Constantly and consistently.

2. Build SEO into your website
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is the practice of designing and programming your website to be found near the top of the first pages of a search result. SEO is a combination of programming in key words (words that your target audiences uses to find your type of products or services) into your websites back-end and into the content of your website. To have your site ‘search engine friendly’ hire a professional web design firm or SEO company to help you through the process. They can help create a website that is attractive to search engines so that you get found by more people more easily.

3. Present the best first impression you can
Your website is like any other marketing tool, it is a media you use to get your message out to the masses. And your message is based largely on your company or products brand image and brand message. Treat your website as you would any other media. make sure you have first worked out you company’s brand messaging and that your are presenting an image and position that is designed for your audience.

4. Create easy to use (and understand) navigation
When designing your website you should follow many of the best practices for design and usability to minimize confusing or frustrating your visitors, because if you don’t they will click away faster that you blink. Sites that are designed using usability best practices often have the best conversion. A good reference for usability is the book: “don’t make me think” by Steven Krug.

5. Build a blog into your site
In the world of smart search engines you need to have the mind set the search engines have – which is “give the people what they want”. And what they ‘want’ is information. The search engines (and your audience) is always looking for new content on your area of expertise. so give it to them. You will rank higher on the Search engines and attract people who are higher up in the sales process who are looking for the products and services you have to offer.

6. Offer value on your website
Another key component of your website is it’s ability to offer valuable information to your audience. There are millions of people already in motion this very moment, looking for answers to their problems. You could be the one who provides it for them. It could be a report, a white paper, a checklist or diagnostic tool, whatever it is – make sure its valuable to your target audience and make sure you offer it on your website.

7. Create effective calls to action on your website
A call to action (CTA) is a method for driving a visitor to a desired action. CTA’s are a key tool in lead generation – but only if done right. Some calls-to-actions are more effective than others. The more valuable and copelling the offer is – the better the response you’ll get from your CTA. It can be the offer of a free trial or an immediate download. Whatever it is make sure they are compelling and that they are present on your website.

8. Design your website with ‘customer proof’ written all over it
No matter how well written your content and brand messaging is – your visitors want to see proof that you have made many other customers happy and satisfied with your product or service. You can do this with testimonials (written or in video format) or you you can use tools like case studies. These can be featured as short statements on your site or as short stories or even downloadable reference sheets. The more proof you have on your website – the better.