A group of World Wide Web pages usually containing hyperlinks to each other and made available online by an individual, company, educational institution, government, or organization ~ definition of a website from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
A company’s website should tell its story and connect with its key stakeholders. However, not all websites are created equal, and not all corporate sites represent the organization as well as they should. Before you look to refresh or build your company’s website, there is some recommended pre-planning to help you create the presence you want that will achieve the goals as intended.
Your website is an extension of your company’s identity. It typically defines the organization, providing insight into who you are, what you do, and why you do what you do. It can showcase your experiences, your team, and your ideal partners. A website is your digital corporate brochure and virtual business card, so confirming that it accurately reflects your brand and tells the story you want it to tell is critical.
Before constructing new or improving what exists, spend time understanding what you want and what you have by performing an audit. To begin, you first should ask a few simple questions. Your answers will provide the framework for your audit.
What is the goal of the site? Is it to introduce, educate, continue the conversation, or recruit? While you may say yes to all, arrange these goals in order so you can be intentional with the types of content changes you want to make to your site.
What do you want people to know? If a site’s goal represents the information you want to share, answering this question will help confirm what you want the visitor to leave knowing. Thoughts like - this company will help me solve my problem, or this organization will seamlessly manage my project from beginning to end. Articulating what messages a visitor should hear will help improve how you organize content.
What is the ideal first impression? This question really speaks to the visual, what people see. If your website was a person, would it be someone you would want on your team? What type of balance should there be between product- or project-focused and people-focused? Do you want a site with clean lines and white space? What are the key places you want visitors to see on your site? This is where you concentrate on color, images, white space, layout, and navigation.
What do you want visitors to do? Essentially, this is your call to action. When a prospect comes to your site, what do you want them to do – call, email, download an article, complete a form, review your portfolio, etc.? Make sure you identify your call-to-action and determine how you can measure it. This is your website engagement and is one way to assess its effectiveness.
Now that you know what is needed, take a hard, honest look at what you have. The following assessment offers five primary lenses to view your site and identify the areas that need your attention.
- Content – do you have the right amount and right type of content to address answers to the questions above? Also, do you have a reason for people to return to your site more than once? Do you offer thought leadership for your area of business?
- Images – If an image is a thousand words, what do the images on your site say about you? Do they properly showcase who you are, what you do, how you work, what you can deliver?
- Layout/Navigation/Flow – Does your site help visitors navigate to the information they seek? Does it make them want to learn more? Does it address a “less is more” and “keep it simple” point of view?
- Accessibility – Does your site have enough color contrast where the content is? Do you include description tags for your images?
- Searchability – This is really about getting found on search engines (aka Google). Is your site built with SEO (search engine optimization) in mind? When you enter keywords or keyword phrases for your products or services on Google, does your website show up on page 1 of the search results? Page 2? At all?
Now, go ahead and create the web presence you need. Tell your story the way it should be told, and intentionally connect with your visitors. Remember, prospective businesses or employees will look at your website before choosing you. Give them a reason to say yes. Yes, to buying your product or service. Yes, to joining your team. Yes, to partnering with you.
About the Author
As Vice President for Atlas Marketing, Susan Matson oversees client relations to ensure the messages created will engage and connect with key audiences. Matson applies her industry experience to helping clients tell their stories.
Atlas Marketing tells stories for companies who build things. The agency utilizes its experience to simplify complex ideas through engaging stories. Visit AtlasStories.com for more information about the agency and learn how the team tells stories for companies that build things.