subject: Web Site Design: A New Year's Resolution... Revamp the Online Do-Do! [print this page] Web Site Design: A New Year's Resolution..Web Site Design: A New Year's Resolution... Revamp the Online Do-Do!
I wanted to share a few things for the new year... and hopefully make you think about your online business goals and web site design.
This year has been a tough year for many - I'm no expert on fiscal policy but I don't see it getting much better too soon, do you? I personally know peoplewho are losing jobs, cutting back and generally having a harder time lately.... which is why it's important to reflect and adapt - I know I am!
Have you lost clients this year - we have! For a small businesses that's disappointing or maybe even critical. Most probably blamed the recession / trading conditions. Right?
Well without being privy to their objectives, practices, skillsor financial situation... as a web designer I know that year-on-year, web site owners that don't make itonline are the ones who do very little or almost nothing to either promote their business web site, modify it or change their 'sales pitch'.
In the case of our recent lost clients - well they were of that group and I saw it coming... So in reality we lost clients, but we didn't lose any big income stream - Yes, we think could have done more to help them and maybe we lost somepotential too. But these clients rarely contacted meand always ignored many of my suggestions to improve things. And as time is so precious we tend to help the ones who are pro-active, who have a budgetand are serious about learning and improving their web site. That's so much more enjoyable for us all, as I like to enjoy my work. None of us want to spend precious time on 'pretenders', right?.
I'd say with refelction and with some certainty, that pro-active clients, who care about their businesses andwebsites, have survived due to being pro-active, most actually improving business over last year... that doesn't mean it has been easy but I believe you increase your chances of success if you take some risk (calculated) and put the effort in tomake it work.
... "no pain, no gain" always springs to mind.
If you are one of those web site owners whothink a web site alone is the route to riches and success- thereal 100%fact is that IT NO LONGER IS (if it ever was). The dot.com boom ended years ago.Your web site is another marketing tool,your shop window, a potential sales generator but you havetoGET TRAFFICto it, the buyers who are interested in your service...
And that's the hard bit for sure.... because the web is saturated, and it gets more competitive by the minute- making your job and your web designer's job a damn lot harder !!
Having studied the web for 15 years and built 100's of web sites i have seen trends, devices, technologies come and go! Which makes the subject VAST and ever expanding. With every new tool and technology that comes along I have to re-learn....THE WEBDOES NOT STAND STILL ! SoYOU CANNOT afford to stand still.
Re-Design Your Web Site to Reflect Your Business Goals and User's Needs
If you don't know how to get your site ranked, working betteror don't have the time to do this yourself, then you'llhave to outsource it! Right? If your site is NOT PERFORMING then do something about it or it will always be in the dark lonely shadows of the web and to be honest, a waste of cyberspace (pun intended) !
Now I learn something new every single day I do this web design job. It's that knowledge and experience most of you don't have, ask about, understandor have the time to learn. But it's critical to getting your site better positioned in the search engines and in the faces of buyers.... without buyers you have no business!
So you may need to get help to design your business web site and improve your online marketing, but be aware the design alone cannot make people buy your product or service - that's your job !
So maybe over the next few weeks take some time out to think over your business goals, your product, prices, service, value-for-money,have a fresh look at your web site, change it/update it, worry about it (no one else will)...
But also LOOK BEYOND YOUR SITE... these days you need to worry about search engines, social media (Facebook / twitter, etc), where are your audience / target market? What are your competitors doing better than you? Do you have a unique selling point that's not getting across to prospects ?
OK, 2011 should be at least a fresh lick of paint - but I'dreally recommend you secure some budget to make your web sitetie in with your current business goals, product benefits, off-line marketing and reflect where you want it to go. Start WORKING ON YOUR BUSINESS - Take A STEP BACK.
TIPS:Maybe you could consider and research: video, search engine optimisation (SEO), PR articles, blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter, ad' banners, special offers, vouchers, testimonials, free downloads, Google AdWords, eBook guides, ecommerce, regular newsletters, YouTube, forums, product reviews... best get your thinking caps on! Some of these you can do yourself with limited budget too - yes others will cost - but success does not come cheap !
OK so have a great new year, personally and business-wise... but it'll only be great if you make some positive changes.
