How to Set Up a Website that Works

Of course, there are crystal clear benefits why any person in their right mind in business should have a website. But, like anything in business, creating a website that doesn't achieve a good return on investment or meet your objectives (or the needs of your customers) can be an expensive mistake. That's why you need to plan.

Understand what the web can do for your business, and get ready to harness the power of the internet.

You need to get it right. Research by BT Openworld shows that a quarter of small firms are at risk of losing customers by relying on out-of-date company websites. So it's not a case of sticking a website up and that's it, job done. You need to promote it and keep it fresh by updating it regularly.

By understanding the basics of a good website you can avoid wasting money on the web. Regardless of numbers and statistics the average web user - be they customer using the web or employee using an intranet - visits a website to access information or perform tasks as quickly and easily as possible.

Sounds simple enough doesn't it? If you can create a website that enables users to access information or perform tasks quickly and easily - bingo.

Unfortunately, it's not as simple as that! Why? Because. there are so many variables involved in making a website really perform. Each of these variables needs to be reviewed and revised to really make your website work for you, and ultimately optimise its performance/results. Success criteria/variables:

1. Navigation/information hierarchy/usability - the order in which you place information and allow users to browse your site.

2. Content - must be useful enough to encourage return visits from your visitors.

3. Copywriting - the message must be clear, crisp and web-friendly.

4. Design and appearance - needs to create the right perception.

5. Search engine readiness - must be indexable and likely to get a good ranking in the search engines.

6. Targeted marketing - needs to market to the right people at the right time.

7. Accessibility - must be accessible by all, including blind and disabled users using screen readers and other technology to browse websites.

8. Legality/security - must have all the necessary privacy policies, terms and conditions.

9. Web metrics/competitive intelligence - should track your visitors and keep an eye on what the online competition are doing.

10. Customer satisfaction - must keep your online customers satisfied by timely response and quick service/delivery.

Each variable is crucial to get right to make the most of your website. You might have all of the above variables working for you, except for the search engine readiness, so you'd experience low traffic despite having a fantastic website. Or you might have a site that is search engine ready but has a confusing message. So you might get plenty of visitors, but few enquiries and no sales.

The majority of people who have websites built for them are not aware of this fact: that all these variables must work together to maximise website conversion rates (how many sales or enquiries you get). So you already have a head start.