Conceivian's Secret Sauce for the Optimal Business Website

Posted by Saqib Rasool on 25 Mar 2010

Lately, I often find myself in conversation with entrepreneurs and business owners looking to trim marketing budgets. Though cutting costs makes sense in this tough economic environment, compared to traditional local advertising and direct mail marketing, the right mix of online media is definitely the most cost-effective way to go. Following is Conceivian's own (not-so-secret) recipe for minimizing costs and maximizing ROI with the most effective possible web presence.

1. Find the Right Team

Yes, I said team. You'll need more than a designer with HTML skills. More than a developer with a flair for style. Building an effective online presence for your organization requires a range of skills. Copywriters, designers, developers, social media marketers, and business strategists. A great website is much more than a pretty online face. It should be built with a user-friendly content management system (CMS) on a stable, robust technology infrastructure. At the same time, unless you have a multi-million-dollar budget, you're likely to get lost in the crowd at a larger agency. Instead, take the time to identify a boutique group in your area with the necessary mix of skills and technologies.

2. Tell Your Own Story in Words and Pictures

First, invest in original, quality photography and design. Nothing will dilute your online brand and diminish your uniqueness more immediately than pre-packaged design templates and stock photography. On the other hand, a business site that looks too homegrown, or as if its cobbled together by a hobbyist, rarely instills the confidence required for customers to pick up the phone or place an online order. But again, remember that a professional website doesn’t have to be impersonal. On the “About Us” page, tell a story about how you started your business and what motivates you. Invest the time in creating editorial content that tells your story and sets you apart. Again, striking the right balance between the personal and the professional is often best achieved by finding a experienced, talented creative team with whom to work.

3. Include Complete and Detailed Product/Service Descriptions

One of the most common barriers to completing an online purchase is uncertainty as to a product's exact dimensions or color. It's crucial to provide complete information about your product or service. And nothing showcases a product or service better than a picture. Choose high quality pictures. Allow users to see a much larger picture if they ask for it. If needed, provide a picture gallery that shows various aspects of a product. And, of course, this is not limited to an e-commerce website. Having your professional services fully and accurately presented can turn a website visit into a phone inquiry or a customer visit. 

4. Provide Your Business Address (and a Toll-Free Number)

You'd be surprised how often businesses fail to make clear that there is a real-world corollary to their online presence. Though some business owners working out of their homes may be reluctant to display a physical address on their site, customers who find nothing more than an email address on your “Contact” page may worry about your business stability and after-sale support. Though customers will generally use email or phone to communicate with you, it gives them peace of mind to know that you're in a physical location where they can find you. Along the same lines, consider providing an 800 number. Though it may seem a bit Old School in a world of cells and Skype, this is still a very inexpensive way to extend a courtesy to current customers and lower barriers to prospective clients. 

5. Engage Your Audience in Conversation

Web 2.0 is here to stay. A blog properly built into your site is an ideal way to attract visitors and engage them in conversation. Again, avoid canned content. Strive for originality and authenticity. Let your personality show. Ask questions.  It's also a good idea to integrate your Facebook, Twitter and other social media networks into your site. It can be a little overwhelming at times trying to stay on top of all those virtual social networks, so it's that much more important to anchor it all around your site, use the right tools, and create connections and shared messaging across networks.