A web site is not the same as print media. It can sometimes be tough for business beginners to understand or fully comprehend the capacity of a great web site. Many people just copy what they put in their promotional brochure or materials on to the web site and call it good. Having a little repetition can be good for branding–but a strong web presence can do so much more.
It might help to think of how YOU use the internet and what you do when you visit web sites. Chances are you do not read each page from start to finish or even read a page in full like you would if you were looking over a brochure or a flyer. You probably scan, skip around, check out the menu bars, go forward and back and investigate links and icons. You are not staying in one place for very long. With this in mind, take a look at your business web site and see if it is exciting and easy to bounce around in. Are you inviting people to move around on your web site since that is what they are wanting to do anyway?
Web sites should be kept fresh and interesting–without being so crammed and cluttered that people cannot figure out what to do or visit. Also, keep in mind that not everyone is going to enter your web site from the home page. Many people just assume that people start at the home page and then precede with some order through the site. A few years ago, I did consulting with an organization and we did an ongoing study and reporting on how people entered and exited their web site. It was shocking to the organization how many people came in to a page that wasn’t the home page and left after only visiting that one page. When we looked over their web site, it became clear that if someone Googled and entered in through one of the individual pages, they might have no idea what the organization was really about. Our goal should be to keep people on our web sites and keep them moving around until they make a purchase, place an order, or make an inquiry.
Also: Coming Up with a Formula
Materials Should Be Jargon-Free