7 Keys to Web Site Success

Creating a Web site involves a number of key strategic considerations that can't be ignored if you want your site to be effective.
May 22, 2008

By Derek Griffin

Once you come to terms with why it's so important to have a Web site and what you want it to accomplish, you can focus on how you will achieve success with your Web site project. Start with these key strategic considerations:

1.    Plan with Return on Investment (ROI) in mind. As you invest in your Web presence, consider how you plan to get a return on that investment and then continue reinvesting in future growth. E-commerce Web sites are sometimes easier to gauge return through direct online sales, but you can also measure success by using your Web site as an interactive sales tool and measuring how many new business prospects contacted you through it.

2.    Grab attention and keep it. As discussed in what the goals of your Web site should be, it's absolutely critical to balance aesthetic appeal with ease of use. A strong graphical presentation may take too long to download or be so focused on looking good that it's difficult to navigate. A Plain Jane Web site leaves prospects wondering how you will make their apparel look good when creativity is obviously missing from your home page.



3.    Drive return visits. Updating your content through a section of latest news, special offers or other timely information will get customers coming back. If your content never changes, why would someone come back to the site?

4.    Consistent branding and identity. Make sure your branding and corporate identity permeate each page and are consistent with your business cards, brochures and other marketing documents. This is especially important if you've built significant brand equity in your offline operations because it quickly enhances your credibility online.

5.    Make business transactions easy. This can be accomplished at different levels, which will be addressed in future articles. Just keep in mind a Web site doesn't offer the benefit of face-to-face contact with your customer where you can adjust your sales approach based on customer feedback. You need to ensure that the e-commerce section of your site flows smoothly, minimizes frustration and causes customers to feel comfortable spending money with you. If you don't offer e-commerce, create a link that provides an easy transition into the apparel catalogs of your suppliers.




6.    Embrace broadcast email communication programs. You get them in your own inbox everyday, but are you sending similar useful information to your own clients? Create a Web-based automated email newsletter through which customers give you permission to market to them. Announce new products, provide helpful how-to tips, position yourself as an expert and cultivate future sales opportunities.

7.    Be found. A new Web site is not the "Field of Dreams" where you build it and customers just show up. Not only should you tell all of your customers that your new site has been launched (through an email broadcast announcing the site launch), but you should also keep search engine visibility in mind as you develop the site. Your site could be the best at attracting attention and facilitating e-commerce. However, if no one can find your site, you're not getting the best possible return on your investment. In addition to registering with the major search engines, create and manage "keywords" to increase your search engine visibility. You also can pay to advertise your Web site and even restrict your advertising dollars to searches within your geographic area. We'll touch more on search engines in a future article.

Regardless of what you do and how many of these suggestions you incorporate, always remember that your Web site is the sales agent that represents your company 24/7. Make sure it creates the first impression you intend. When you implement these key considerations as well as those of other business owners who have already achieved success with their sites, you'll gain the knowledge and tools you need to generate substantial returns on your Web site investment.

Click here to read Derek Griffin's "Put Your Business on the Web NOW!"

Derek Griffin is president and co-founder of SpearTek, an Atlanta-based firm that helps companies make their Web sites easier to manage and more profitable to operate. He speaks at the Imprinted Sportswear Shows on the topic of company stores. You can reach him at dgriffin@speartek.com

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