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"I
need a website, but I’m not sure what I need."
This is a pretty common feeling among businesspeople. The
internet is growing tremendously as a marketing tool, and most
astute business owners or marketing professionals know that a
company website is rapidly becoming a “must have.” At the same
time, many admit freely that they are new to the process of
web design and are not sure what it takes to successfully put
their company on the web.
The answer is simple: A successful website is the marriage of
great content with great design. The great design, however,
can only be achieved by understanding the content. By way of
explanation, let’s use a quick analogy:
Think of your website as a car. With any family car, the most
important feature is the passengers – it’s the passengers that
will determine what the car needs, what it doesn’t need, and
what, ultimately, the family will buy. For instance, if you
have a big family, you’ll need a bigger car. Kids? Maybe
something with storage space and children’s seats. Plan to
take road trips? You’ll want something comfortable. Commute
frequently? You’ll want to look closely at gas mileage.
Mid-life crisis? You’ll be needing something fast and exciting
and probably red…
It’s the passengers that determine all of these things, and if
you think of your website as a passenger vehicle, you’ll be
well on your way to creating a successful web presence for
your business.
So who, exactly, are the passengers for your website? Well,
the passengers, quite simply, are the information you want to
make available to your site visitors – all the information
that is contained within the website.
Do you sell products? You’ll probably need a product listing.
Do you want people to purchase online? You’ll need more than
just a listing – you’ll need an e-commerce solution. Do you
want your visitors to be able to contact you? You’ll need a
section with contact information like phone numbers and email
addresses. Does your company excel at something? You’ll
probably want a section that boasts a little about this. Do
you provide a unique service? You’ll want to make that
information available as well.
Your website design will depend first and foremost on the
passengers – what you want to say to people who visit your
site. The first step to building a successful web presence is
thinking about who you plan to reach. ICOM can help you with
this process, and our expertise at using the internet to
promote business will be a valuable resource for you as you
decide what your website will be. Ultimately, however,
deciding what goes on the site is up to you.
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