No business worth mentioning can exist without a website nowadays. However, all too often entrepreneurs haven’t got a clue about what a company website should be like, what is necessary and what is a big no-no. As a result, many a corporate website is merely decorative and exists simply because it is supposed to exist, not to fulfill any particular purpose. So, what should you take care of before you launch a website for it to be an integral part of your marketing strategy? Let’s take a look.
- Purpose
Depending on your situation and goals, a website can fulfil many different purposes. It may be a blog keeping the community of your clients and potential clients aware of all the developments. It may be a more static corporate website describing what your company is all about, telling the story behind it, acquainting people with your methods and principles, and so on. Or it may be primarily a web store – and in each of these situations you should stress different aspects. Thus, you should decide what it is going to be there and what place it will to occupy in your overall marketing strategy ahead of time, and try to keep to this decision afterwards.
- Will You Make It Yourself or Hire a Professional?
With the emergence of tools like WordPress creation of a website has changed from an esoteric practice only people with a lot of experience were capable of to something virtually anybody can do with a little bit of persistence. Nevertheless, although you can put together a website without any real training, it doesn’t mean the results are going to be any good. A professional website designer knows plenty of things you can learn only by trial and error while wasting a lot of time and potential revenue. Therefore, if your website is an important part of your marketing strategy, it is always better to hire somebody who knows their way around.
- Color Scheme
Color scheme plays a much more important role in the efficiency of a website than many are lead to believe. Certain colors carry certain subliminal messages, and their thoughtful combinations can create the necessary mood in the first couple of seconds that a visitors spends on the front page. For example, blue feels calm, stable and professional, red – passionate, important and striking, black – elegant, expensive and elite. Of course, there is much more to it than a couple of associations, and you should have at least a basic understanding of the color theory before making a choice.
- Loading Time
While it is not much of an issue on PCs due to a wider spread of broadband Internet, it is often extremely important for mobile users – and, as we all know, they are in the majority nowadays. Even if you have awesome design and content, they are not going to be of much help if people are turned away from your website by long loading times – in fact, loading time is the aspect that is often cited as the most important factor deciding whether a visitor will stay or leave.
- Regularly Updated Blog
Blogs have turned from a gimmick to almost a must-have for corporate websites. A regularly updated blog proves that the project is alive, that its creators care about it and what is said on its pages. However, you should ask yourself if you have resources to maintain regular updates for a long period – after all, a blog that updates once in half a year is probably worse than no blog at all.
Having a website is a must for a modern business – but a lot depends on what kind of website we are talking about. Follow these tips, and you won’t make any glaring mistakes!
