For any enterprise, a website is a powerful device to attract and retain customers. Many businesses, however, limit its scope to lodging a mere presence in cyberspace. These static websites offer generic information, are updated once a quarter or year and are out of pace with the very business they claim to represent. “As a business owner, there is a tendency to say what you like to hear, or what you think is so special about you. Often, that’s not what your customer or a potential client is looking for,” says Gaurav Saklani, co-founder and COO, Inme, which organises outdoor and adventure-based learning programmes for 9-17 year olds. Saklani is in the middle of overhauling his company’s website—and therefore, has learned the hard way on what it takes to get the job done.

A corporate website can be a great way to sell your company’s product and showcase its USP. It is also valuable online real estate that cannot afford to remain under-utilised, or ill-conceived. Some of us may know this and yet not be able to do much about it. It is also easy to get confused about where to begin and what to fix first—the look, the content or the navigation. So how do you make sure that your site is more than adequate? Says Mumbai-based visual designer Madhumita Srivastava: “A great website is hard work. With so much clutter on the web, it is tough to stand out. You need to keep a lot in mind.” We hope the next few pages are a quick, useful guide to some of that.

Think it through
Many people think re-doing a website is less detailed than it really is. An exhaustive brainstorming session must be the starting point for any revamp of your company website. You can’t outsource this. Roll up your sleeves and dig in.

“A website strategy is an extension of the company’s overall strategy. You need to understand how your web presence fits into that strategy. Your site should be aligned to your brand. To do all of that, you first have to ask yourself lots of questions,” says Itu Chaudhary, whose design studio (www.icdindia.com) has executed websites for Haldiram’s, Xerox India, TEAM Computers and Inme.

Articulate your business: First up, think why are you investing time, money and effort on the website? What are the problems that you want your website to address, or what are the opportunities you expect it to create? Some businesses want to raise awareness. Others might want to network. And many will want to create a new market or give detailed service offerings. Chaudhary says the questions can get tough. “It can be pretty complex. A website is talking to many people at the same time; investors, customers, media. Think about each of these concerns.”

He adds: “Everybody answers these questions. Some do it badly and have to do it again soon. Others take the time to answer them properly.” Identify clear goals: Write down the short-term and long-term achievements you expect from your new website. Only when you have clear goals do you stand a chance to measure them and adjust things if they are not being adequately met. Says Inme’s Saklani: “Over the next two years, 70-80% of our overall registrations should take place online. That is why we are redoing the website. Our first website was about branding. It prompted people to have a certain image of us. But our purpose now is to enable our customers to take action, download forms, sign up, register and pay.”

Define your target audience: You must define who your customer is. “Your corporate website is the outside world’s view of your business. Look at it as if it is your house. Who do you want to attract? If you sell clothing, you don’t want someone looking for a greeting card to visit you. It’s a waste of your time and theirs. Attract the right traffic and it will get you the right results,” says Peeyush Dayal, founder of IT company OnSumaye Web Solutions. (www.onsumaye.com)

Get to know your customers: It is not enough to simply know who your customer is, cautions Lubna Khan, a lead brand strategist with an international integrated marketing agency. Because customers are at the heart of everything a business does, companies should get up, close and personal with them. “You have to figure out your customer’s net life. You need to understand where and how to reach them. Are you likely to find them surfing an industry body website or visiting a gaming portal? Make associations. Your site must be linked to places where your customer hangs out and wherever else she’s likely to be looking for you,” she adds. She also recommends speaking to at least four or five customers before you start work on your website to gain insights and understand expectations.

Keep it simple
Go beyond the aesthetics: A common fallacy when people talk about design is that it is limited to decisions about graphics, colours, fonts, and the general look and feel. Of course, the website needs to be visually appealing. But, it is more important that the site architecture is user-friendly, intuitive and interactive.

“You don’t need to overwhelm with beauty. You need to engage with your customers and help them navigate as easily and effortlessly as possible. What is the point of looking good if your customers can’t get to what they are looking for in a couple of clicks?” asks Srivastava, the Mumbai-based visual designer.

She also recommends using interesting elements to hook people, who have come to your website by chance. But, she adds, “you have to anticipate your end user’s motivations.”

Use specialised expertise: In India, coders and programmers often end up designing the website, according to Srivastava. She advises getting a qualified designer, if you have the money, and also drafting in a usability expert who can create the right information architecture to make sure that navigating your site map is intuitive and effortless.

Stay the course
Update the site regularly: “Put in something new at least every 2-3 weeks. The web is a fantastic tool for bonding with your customers, and nurturing a relationship. Be creative. Apart from talking about your product, try and value-add. Go beyond the selfcentred narrative. You can post videos, create resource forums or have a blog,” Khan suggests.

Dayal recommends installing a Content Management System, which enables you to edit content easily. “Fresh content keeps users coming back to your site. Your business messaging continues to change over time and it must reflect on your website,” he says.

Put yourself to the test: A newlydesigned website should be tested with a small subset of the target audience to get feedback on design and usability prior to a launch. This helps to finetune your website before it is goes public. According to experts, websites of businesses with large online presence must be “Beta Tested” before launch. Inadequate testing can, sometimes, result in a drop in users and revenue.

Strive for feedback: Tools such as Google Analytics give rich insights into your website traffic and the effectiveness of your marketing strategy. They help you measure success and examine if your goals are being met. Since the web is dynamic, your website management should be too. Monitor, tweak and optimise your website regularly, not once a year or once in a couple of years.

	EMAIL THIS ARTICLE	PRINT THIS PAGE