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| Site for Sore Eyes |
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 The graphics are an eyesore and take forever to load. You get lost inside a site and end up fruitlessly clicking the 'back' button. The customized search engine turns up 3,713 results and none of them are relevant. And just when it looks like you struck gold, you get one of those irritating "The page cannot be displayed" messages.
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Sound familiar? You've fallen victim to the Net: a goldmine of useful information from every corner of the globe and frequent source of frustration for the millions of Web surfers online.
We all know the Web can be infuriating. But we can do everything within our power to make sure our site is informative, well-laid out and designed for optimal usability. Try this simple test: ask somebody to find a piece of information located on your site. Without prompting, watch them carefully. Did they flounder around in cyberspace until they decided it's just not worth the effort? Or, did they locate the information quickly and easily?
Web users are notoriously fickle. If they don't find what they are looking for on your site, they will flitter off and never return. So your site needs to be user-friendly and provide users with news they can use.
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If you're considering building a website, you'll find some useful starter information in "So You Want to Build a Website."
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| The Right Resources |
A vital aspect in the early planning of a site lies in considering the interactive capabilities of the medium. Ask yourselves: What can we do online that we can't do on paper? A website can be updated as frequently as required — but it requires a substantial investment in time and resources.
Companies need to ask themselves what resources are required to produce content and keep it current. It's one thing getting a site up-and-running. It's another keeping it updated and filled with fresh material. One option is to do it in-house: train a staff member in the necessary skills to make the necessary changes as needed. Another option is to outsource the work to an agency. But regardless of which option you take, someone has to take the responsibility for ensuring the website is well-tuned and current.
Depending on the services offered on your site, people need to be available to answer emails, respond to customer queries and ensure that the competitive advantage created by the immediacy of the medium isn't lost by slow response times. And, if you're publishing time-sensitive material, remember to include the original publishing date.
When planning or upgrading your website, don't be tempted to indulge what Web guru Jakob Nielsen calls the "gratuitous use of bleeding-edge technology." "Users care about useful content and your ability to offer good customer service," he notes. Providing people with a reliable and useful service gives them a reason to keep coming back for more.
This begs the question: what specialized information or services can we supply to our users? Do we have access to information relating to our industry that isn't readily available? Can we make that information available in an easy-to-use format? What about external links? "External links can provide valuable information that will enrich your site," says Samantha Daily of Argus Associates, "...allowing you to provide access to information and ideas that you might not have the energy or expertise to implement on your own." However, she cautions, "thou shalt not send anyone away from your site before you've had ample opportunity to convey your site's mission and highlight its content. You want to use external links where they will enhance, and not detract, from your site."
There are many different considerations when building a company Web presence. However, the benefits are manifold. The Web allows companies to transcend geographical boundaries and communicate with customers worldwide. Global reach, at a mouse-click. That's why your website is literally your window to the world. Make sure it's worth looking into.
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The Trendletter team welcomes your comments.
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