Websites to catch the eye: ThePost.ie


TCH Archives > Sunday Business Post > 2005/09/04 > Websites to catch the eye

Websites to catch the eye
Sunday, September 04, 2005 -
Creating a successful web plan takes time, but the result can be a website that will increase functionality and profit, writes June Caldwell

Studies show that 75 per cent of internet users search for the products or services they seek and not for a business name. This means that having a proper web strategy in place, is vital.

A lot of websites are put together without adequate attention to strategic considerations such as defining the target audience. Building an elaborate site using up to-the-minute technology without a clear sense of purpose, audience, or what the company's culture and objectives are, is sure to fail.

Creating a successful web plan takes time, but the result can be a site directly aligned with company strategy that will increase functionality and profit. Between 70 and 80 per cent of internet users rely on search engines and directories to find the websites they seek.

This information alone is enough to see how important a thoroughly researched and managed online marketing campaign is to any web design strategy.

A successful website can bring in orders for your company 24 hours a day, inform your existing customers of new products they might be interested in. It is an online brochure that can be updated at any time.

Tom Doyle, managing director of 2bscene, an online marketing and web development firm based in Dublin, said most Irish businesses had yet to achieve success with their websites and didn't regard the internet as an important sales tool.

“In the early days, web design companies were charging huge fees for simple brochure websites that weren't interesting. There was absolutely no thought put into how people would find the website.”

According to Doyle, there has been a notable rise in businesses looking for ways to do business online, but it's still an area that has a lot of room for growth.

“A lot of mid-market companies tend to have an existing website, so they are usually looking for a redesign of their existing website, or maybe an implementation of a content management system or an application to help with internal workflow processes,” he said.

“All types of business have something they can offer online that will improve the users experience and potentially increase sales through customer satisfaction, whether it's a simple call back feature or a completely interactive document administration system.

“The key to any successful website is a good marketing strategy,” said Doyle. “Our best advice to any business developing a website is to set aside a budget for the marketing of the website. This can be for internet marketing, search engine optimisation or real media marketing such as papers and radio.”

As a rule of thumb, midsized companies need to develop a strategy that is succinctly aligned with its general business planning. They need to ask themselves such questions as: Why are we re-developing our site? And what is its intention - client portal, sales tool or brochure wear?

Gary Cosgrave, senior consultant, Web Solutions (formerly Labyrinth), BT Ireland, said that, typically, budgetary constraints were the most important factors but it depends on what industry you're in.” said. The company won best web development company at the 2005 ICT Excellence Awards.

“If you look at an example of a successful website, such as Butlers Irish Chocolates (www.butlerschocolates.com) it is a transactional site that successfully markets products to a wide market and as a result, gets a lot of overseas orders. While other companies don't need to spend as much on web development as there is little or no value add to the product or service.”

According to Cosgrave, mid-market or large companies differ from SMEs in a number of distinct ways which has to be closely looked at before developing a practicable web strategy. Larger companies will have a dedicated ICT team that formulate an overarching ICT roadmap (with the help of consultants) and there is usually various interrelated IT projects happening at the same time.

“Larger companies tend to be driven by diverse applications development (and integration) rather than solely a web strategy,” said Cosgrave.

“This is often a sub-set of a much larger transformational project. Also, larger corporate companies have ‘been around the block' since the mid-90s when it comes to the web - they've seen the pitfalls as well as the success stories. So they are often very shrewd and understand the importance of a clear cut strategy over something that can either be totally ignored, rushed or done halfheartedly.”

Most medium-sized companies have limited in-house IT resources and often rely on web development companies to develop and maintain their online presence. “I think the most important thing to bear in mind when sitting down to write your strategy (and redevelop your site) is - ‘Why will people visit and return to our company's web site?’ If there's nothing in it for them, nine times out of ten, they'll go elsewhere,” said Cosgrave.

Michael Russotti, director, Nuasoft Web Services, doesn't believe there is any difference in setting up a web strategy for a large or small business. “The internet is the only place where a small company can compete with a large company on an even playing field,” he said.

“For a reasonably small outlay, a home based business can have a website that is every bit as professional looking as a large company. However, once your site is designed and on the internet, it is just the beginning of your web strategy, not the end of it.”

Russotti believes that promoting the site at every given opportunity is the only way to make a real difference to a company's core business.

“Make sure your site has been submitted to all the leading search engines and directories, not forgetting specialist Irish web directories such as finditireland.com and browseireland.com,” he explained.

“Consider advertising your site in search engines and directories. Google's ad words program is one of the most popular programs available at the moment and provides good results.”

The focus on site management as a strategic element of website functionality is a key concern to web developers.

“Web surfers no longer want to log into a companies website that has information and news dating back to the 1990s,” said Thomas Brides of Irish Web Developers. “Surfers want a website that looks fresh and up-to-date.”

A good website should be simple to use and have a customised content management system in place. “A lot of developers are using off-the-shelf pre-developed content management systems and are trying to fit these to the companies' needs,” said Brides.

“Most web companies offer to develop functionality that the company just does not need and charge a premium rate for it. However, shopping around for the best price does not always work if the cheapest solution means having to redesign a website in a year's time.”

Companies such as Irish Web Developers build customised management systems. This means a company can add products to their websites, update entire pages, track orders or bookings, add up-to-date news and send newsletters about their latest products or events to people who have signed up to their newsletter.

“Example sites we have developed that contain such systems are www.whartonstravel.com, www.parentsplus.ie, and a more graphically stimulating example static site that I developed, www.glasskote.ie'‘ said Brides.

For large scale projects, the web developer should present a document to the company that outlines and details a phased approach to the end solution. During these phases the developer should be in constant contact with the company in case they go off track.

George Brown, managing director, Active Web Design, said that web development was becoming increasingly competitive but the basics remained the same.

Brown said the following questions should be covered: is the current website performing as it should be?; is it bringing in business?; does it reflect your company's image as well as it could?; is the site fresh and up to date?; is it user friendly?; is it search engine friendly?; does it create a professional image?; is it creating leads and sales?’

“If you answer no to any or all of these questions, then you may well need a site redesign,” said Brown.

Cost is a contentious issue and is not unheard of to send out a web site specification to numerous web developers and get back quotes ranging from €1,100 to €20,000.Again, prolonged planning and consultation will reap realistic expectations of cost and results.

Stephen McCarron, managing director, Hosting 365, said he wouldn't pay more than €5,000 for a very good solution these days.

“Your average medium sized business can buy a beautiful site for €2,000, and for another €1,000, get a complete dedicated hosting solution with backup, firewalls and 24hour support.”

Figures from the .ie domain show that there's a 33 per cent increase year on year of Irish companies going online, but still over half of these Irish companies are being hosted in the US or Britain.

“Hosting is completely straightforward, it is a commodity product,” said McCarron. “Web design is a creative discipline so prices will always be wide and varied. I would recommend that a company makes a point of meeting with at least a few web developers and hosting companies before making a final choice.”