Here at Streamline6, we are in the process of re-designed our website for 2011 so it links our blog, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and RSS Feed all in one place. As we have been going through this process ourselves, we got to thinking about our clients and the way we encourage them to use their websites. So, here’s some insight!
In today’s technology-centered world, the Internet is a business’ best friend! The Internet, and therefore your company’s website, is one of the cheapest and easiest ways for you to get your company’s name and information “out there.” Because of this, your business’ website is often the customer’s first impression of your business. If your website is confusing, unorganized and cluttered with unnecessary content, that is exactly how they will view your business. And not only do you have to consider your website’s appearance, but also you also need to make sure that your website is easily found in search engines such as Google and Bing.
Since it would be pointless to make sure an ill-designed website was found by search engines, we will discuss website design first. Possibly the most important rule for creating a website is to keep things simple and sensible–don’t make things complicated. And this rule applies to every aspect of your website, from your web address to your “contact us” page.
Flashy words scrolling across the middle of your homepage, coupled with an unorganized collage of pictures unrelated to your brand with a bright colored background are all very good examples of distractions from the rest of your website’s content. Such color content may even convey that you are “shouting” at your website’s viewers. You want your website to be warm and inviting. On your homepage, you should have a very clear description of what your business is and what exactly it is that you do. A simple photograph of you or something related to your business would be appropriate here. The accompanying tabs on the website should be broad components of your services offered, products, client testimonials, pricing structure and related resources. Lastly, make your contact information easy-to-find. You could lose clients simply because you weren’t easy to contact. Name, phone numbers, and email should all be clearly stated.
Now that you know the basics of a good company website, you need potential customers to view it! We cannot stress the power of the Internet enough to gain your business clients. Search engine optimization (SEO) is how you are going to make a name for yourself via the Internet. Basically, SEO is finding ways to increase your web site’s appearance in search engines. Use keywords in every aspect of your website: your titles, content, URLs, and image name. Put yourself in a potential client’s shoes–if you were looking for your product, what terms would you search? Beware of keyword-stuffing, search engine spiders are programmed to ignore sites guilty of this and will then label as a spammer.
The next step in utilizing the Internet as a valuable asset to your company is to monitor where your website’s search standings. You can do this by using tools such as your Google toolbar. Also, check your referrer log to track where your visitors are coming from and the search terms they are using to find your website.
This is just a starting point to set up your company’s website. We rely on our internal web design guru for his suggestions because he knows the internet best. We encourage you to research for further information regarding website design and effectiveness, and how you can integrate those tools into your site to make it more powerful.
When the new Streamline6 website is complete, we will be sure to share it with all of you!
