Dwight M. Scott

Now-a-days websites are used for all sorts of different purposes. However, when it comes to a company profile on a website you want to make sure you are getting the most bang for your buck. When obtaining a website if you do not have one already, be sure to be descriptive of the services that you offer and you market your services towards the right audience. Ensuring that your market gets a understanding of what exactly you do is vital.

Another important aspect of your website if functionality and usability. Take your website to the next step by eliminating a commonly faced problem by your users. It may be something as simple as a contact form. I know of many instances of information that is too hard to find or contact information is not present. Saving users the time of opening their email client because your website has a mail contact form on your site just increased your usability and functionality of your website. Save your users the time and show you care by making their experience on your website more pleasant and worthwhile.

Keeping your content fresh and up to date will bring users and clients back to your site. Be sure to take advantage of a news or announcement system that you can implement on your site, even if it is manually updated. The landing or home page should be filled with the latest and freshest content with happenings, events, and/or promotions within the company. Static websites are becoming outdated. The web is evolving do not be left behind!

Essentially in the business world time is money. A question that is often asked is; “How do I turn time into money?” There are a few different ways. The first way would to be organizing your day. If you go in to the office knowing what you have to do there is a greater chance you will get it done in a more timely manner.

Preventing useless meetings is another way to save time. I know we all want to sound busy and say we have meetings to attend but in all actuality this is killing your revenue. The only time you should attend a meeting is when picking up a check or receiving a commitment from your prospective client.

Taking these couple of tips into effect will allow you to budget your time better and allow you to turn that once wasted time into more productive doings. This will hopefully bring your more leads, sells, and revenue. So stop wasting time and get more productive with your day.

I have ran across a few companies that want to make their website do more for them but do not have the resources to do so. I always give the same reply, “it doesn’t always take what you may think in order to achieve your company’s goals.” The web is packed full of useful and helpful information that will leverage your website.

One of my favorite tools to use is Google Analytics. This tool will allow you to track the stats of your website. With this analysis you and your web expert can devise of a plan that fits your needs and budget. Therefore, allowing you to find the market that is appropriate for your company. This will help gain awareness which brings leads and leads bring new clients.

Another way to ensure your website is achieving greatness is by placing your domain name on as many free online web directories as possible. This technique will give you more impressions on the web which will allow search engines to find you and/or your company easier. This may take some researching on to which directory to place your website on and will it be beneficial for you. However, this is a wonderful guerrilla marketing technique, which will cost you absolutely nothing but your time. Not to mention you will be able to apply this technique at your leisure.

Create a LinkedIn profile - This is another superb way to get noticed and gain valuable contacts for you and your company. LinkedIn is one of the largest FREE professional social networks. Do not just create a profile and not be active. Answer questions, ask questions and invite others to join your professional network. Take a peek at my LinkedIn profile. While you are there send me an invite and I’ll be sure to accept!

Design plays a big factor when it comes to captivating your audience. Statistics say you have about three seconds to capture their attention to keep them on your site. The best way is usually through the appearance of your site. It doesn’t take long for somebody to criticize your site without giving it a “real” chance.

There are many different parts of design that most people overlook. The most common are:

• Banner
• Text
• Buttons
• Corporate Identity (logo)
• Content layout/placement
• Footer

Having a custom design for each of the above can get pricey. Although these things are nice, they are not always needed. One of the most efficient ways to cut back on design is through navigational links. A lot of people want the fancy buttons with roller overs. What they don’t realize is that it can cause their price to go up too. So, what you can do is…have regular text links! This is a simple way to cut back yet still have a pleasing design.

Don’t get me wrong, design plays a MAJOR role in web development whether it be Columbus, Ohio or not! It’s really about captivating your audience and grabbing their attention long enough to find out about your company or purchase your products/services. I personally recommend going with a fancy design when you have a brochure site (informational - not too much functionality) since there isn’t a lot the site would have to offer functionally anyway. As I said in part 2, I would always recommend the functionality over design since that’s usually what increases your revenue, productivity, or awareness. Keep in mind that this is only if your budget doesn’t allow you to get the full package up front. It is usually less expensive to re-design a site rather than re-developing one…

A website can almost be determined as a twenty-four seven online representation of your and/or your company. That is why it is very important to have one that works properly and looks good at the same time. A lot of people fail to realize that the visual representation of your website can cost you business.

Having a poorly executed website not only sends a red flag to potential customers but puts a MAJOR cap on the growth of your business. Think about it…your website can work in so many ways for you or when you simply do not want to work - twenty-four seven! Why not make your website increase your revenue, generate more leads, and raise awareness for your business?

Now, I know you are wondering, “How can there be more than 1 part to design vs. development?” Sometimes, if your budget does not allow you to conquer both a fantastic fully functional back-end and pleasing design with the bells and whistles then you may be forced to scale down. I’ll further explain what to scale down on and what to sacrifice. If you should sacrifice at all. Stay tuned…