Website Power & Presence - a Must for Business Survival

By Debbie Israel, APR
President, PROFIT Communications

Nowadays, after your business name, logo and marketing plan, a website is your most important marketing tool.

When businesses ask us how to prioritize time and budget dollars for marketing communication purposes, we almost always say, “Get your website in order first.”

Visualize the hub of a wheel, with the spokes connecting to this centerpiece. The website is your hub, and everything else should be designed to complement and drive traffic there.

Even if you already have a website, implement the following points of to get the most positive return on your Internet real estate investment.

• Keep the content updated and fresh - as in update at least monthly
• Make sure your content is relevant and authentic
• Add interactive material, such as audio and video podcasts
• Identify keywords and phrases for your business, and insert or embed them into all site content, including photo captions and images
• Drive traffic directly to your website via brochures, media presence, business cards and advertisements
• Generate “viral” exposure by using social media, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and my personal favorite: blogs
• Effective websites are:
  √ Professional
  √ Consistent
  √ Simple
  

• Keep the structure organized and simple – users should be able to get anywhere on your site within two or three clicks
• Find ways to engage your readers faster, and encourage them stay longer each time they visit your site
• Keep important content and links “above the fold.” In other words, eliminate long chunks of content that involve a lot of page scrolling
• Website readers don’t typically read, they scan, so strategically focus users’ attention. For example, the eye naturally travels from the top left down to the middle of the page.
• Always use high-quality images
• Don’t direct users away from your site by linking to other websites

Review, renew and refresh when it comes to website development and maintenance. If you need help creating or polishing your site, call the PROFIT Team!