Since the boom of web activity in the dot.com era, a lot of organizations have failed to build and maintain an effective website. As the website owner, it is your responsibility to drive this online channel forward in order to create a competitive advantage in online presence. But how can you do that? The following section will describe 5 main areas that lead to effectiveness, to help you understand what makes a powerful website.
1. Easy Navigation
• Visitors should be able to quickly navigate to each section;
• Key information have to be available within 3 clicks of homepage;
• Forms should be automatically populated for return visitors;
• All links must be active. Try to avoid the problem of broken links or display errors.
2. Search Engine Optimization
• Your website should be submitted & indexed by Google;
• The code should contain meta-tags, keywords and page titles ;
• The headers should be text-based, not graphic-based;
• The existance of a sitemap that links to all pages directly is compulsory;
• All pages should include incoming/outgoing links.
3. Contact Information
• Contact information should be constantly updated and easy to find;
• Forms should capture web leads by gathering contact info;
• You have to avoid forms that are too complicated or ask for too much info;
• All departments should have the contact information listed.
4. Clear Communication
• Visitors should immediately know who you are/what you do;
• The website objective must be clear;
• The target market has to be clearly defined and catered to;
• Eliminate the existence of irrelevant content or sections;
• Provide the right amount of info. Not too much/too little.
5. Analytics and Transaction Capabilities
• Analytics tell you who is on website and what their viewed;
• Through analytics you can determine where your visitors came from;
• New users should be able to make purchases without calling you;
• Shopping cart must be seamless, secure, and easy-to-use;