Are you getting maximum benefits from your web site?
Web sites are a powerful survival tool in the Information age, but like any tool the way it is used has a strong influence on how effective it is. The main features in determining a web site's value is its content and presentation. It has been said 20% of a site's value is in presentation and 80% in content. If the information is not presented to the client in a clear smooth flowing manner, the viewer will quickly move on to another site. If the content doesn’t interest the viewer he will also move on. Designing a web site must not be based on the one size fits all model. Some features will be common to all sites but the way they are used may vary. Other features will vary from site to site. Web sites are a cost effective way to advise potential clients of products and services you can supply to them. They also offer an easy way to get feedback from the client about his needs or wants. They can easily be fine tuned to the exact products or services you provide. As conditions change they can be updated to deal with these changes, quickly and easily. Web sites can take orders from clients, process payments, collect information for order fulfilment. They can also process queries or changes clients may want to make concerning the order. Feed back from the client can also be included in this process. Many companies will supply any thing from a simple 3 or 4 page web site with minimum features to a full blown 50 page site with all the whistles and bells you can think of. Many of these companies will deliver top quality web sites with minimum technical input from the user. But if you want to get the very best results from the site they build, you need to have some understanding of what makes a web site work best.
A little extra knowledge can make a big difference in results obtained from a web site. This improvement can be achieved without becoming a Computer Nerd. Useful information can be gained from reviewing the site's newsletters, objective discussions, meeting reports. All are valable sources of useful information about setting up and using web sites. This information has been generated by people with practical hands on experience, not sales hype from a marketing department
Brent Roberts