Here's a few shocking truths you need to know before ... further in the ... Don’t ... Don’t work! This might sound a little strange coming from me, an Internet ...
Here's a few shocking truths you need to know before investing further in the Internet.
Websites Don’t Work!
Websites Don’t work! This might sound a little strange coming from me, an Internet Consultant, but it's the truth. In fact most company's websites are about as useful as a brochure nailed to a tree in the middle of a rain forest. Should it not reach your target audience and if it doesn't result in "client conversions" it's useless.
A website should not cost you a penny! A website (or more accurately, an e-Business Solution) should not be an expense to your company. It should be a balance sheet item that delivers a measurable return on investment.
Most websites are developed without understanding business requirements, such sites are typically created by technical people or by those with little business knowledge. As a result most websites are poorly designed. Technical people don’t have any idea about internet marketing or how to drive profits to your business using the internet. This is why most web sites fail.
How many times have you visited a website to find out more about an organisation and have you noticed that a vast number of the sites don’t reflect the company branding? Did you know that 80% of internet usage is to do research on products and services? Poorly presented websites can actually damage the reputation of an organisation. Would you expect to receive a handmade business card from a professional business person?
Other sites are developed by graphics designers, these sites may look good but major opportunities to automate business processes might be missed and the website could have technical flaws. As a result such sites rank poorly with search engines.
Websites are also implemented, without any content or technical maintenance plan. Have you noticed when you are surfing that there are sites that state when they were last updated and it was several years ago. That just isn’t competitive on the web today. There is often no one specifically responsible for maintaining and monitoring the website or the specific business results that were expected when the investment was made
“A company that neglects its website may be committing commercial suicide. A website is increasingly becoming the gateway to a company's brand, products and services—even if the firm does not sell online. A useless website suggests a useless company, and a rival is only a mouse-click away. But even the coolest website will be lost in cyberspace if people cannot find it, so companies have to ensure that they appear high up in internet search results”
May 13th 2004 Economist
