Onsharp

All too often, a company's website looks great but doesn't come close to fulfilling its potential. Looking cool and up-to-date is important-no one wants a site that looks like it's from the 1990s. But when it comes to successfully running a company, web strategy development isn't about simply matching a competitor's website flashiness.

Websites should provide measurable benefits in marketing, sales, customer management, and service. They should be directly oriented toward reaching your target customer base and toward achieving specific business goals, such as:  

• increasing sales
• reaching target customers
• retaining customers
• building your brand 
• reducing labor cost.

Don't let these goals be abstract; tie them directly into your annual business plan with specific metrics. If your strategic goals for your website are realistic, then the website should meet those goals-or else something's wrong.

As a key business strategy decision-maker, you know that the ultimate measurement of any investment is its impact on the bottom line. That's certainly true for strategic website design. When you plan your website, the following tips can help you make your website a key profit generator for your company.

Don't include "lazy" pages

A good rule of thumb for web strategy development is that every page on your website should be clearly tied to a specific goal. If a page doesn't have a clear purpose, it's like a lazy worker. It's there, but it's not productive. Drive efficiency in your website just as in all areas of your business.

Design pages to be clear

Each page should be developed with content and organization that makes it clear what that page is about and what the visitor should do. The look and feel of the page should be tailored to the page's function. The relationship between the graphic design and the page's effectiveness shouldn't be underestimated.

Use the right technology

Working with website design professionals, make sure that your websites are functional using technology that your target customers will have. For example, keep in mind how your website will look on tablets. Or if you think a significant portion of your customers are still on dial-up, how will their experience be?

Encourage action

The site should have clear prompts for visitors to take the actions you want them to take. These actions should of course be closely linked to your goals.  Once you know the actions you want to encourage, design your site to make taking those actions a breeze. People don't waste time on websites that are difficult to navigate or understand.

Build relationships

In your strategic plan, you have certain target customers. Your web strategy development should include mechanisms in the site to identify these customers and turn them into leads. And the overall aesthetic of the site should be geared toward these target customers. 

This isn't a case where appearance is largely superfluous. Designing a site's appearance to appeal to a critical target group is a legitimate aspect of results-focused site design.

Measure results

As with any investment, you should develop metrics (e.g., page views, length of views, lead generation, direct sales, customer feedback) to track how the site is performing. If you develop your site with specific goals in mind, you definitely want to know if those goals are being met!

Meaningful measurement also drives constant improvement. Diligently follow the metrics that really matter to your business and adjust your site accordingly-with pre-established procedures for change.

Key point

Your web strategy development needs to be integrated with specific business goals; otherwise it won't provide the return on investment that it should. Every facet of a website should be profit-geared in a tangible way. 

It's better to know than not know. We offer a free online evaluation: