PLANNING AND RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE

To be able to run a proper business today, you need to be in sinc with the latest developments in technology. This means that you will also need to have a professional website that is integrated with your business plan.

A website that only gives information, is not good enough anymore. And a website that stays the same for several years and that is not being updated regularly, will also not portray the right image. It is therefore important to get expert advice, so that the internet will work for you - even while you are sleeping or relaxing.

Thorough planning, development and maintenance will ensure that your website portrays the professional image of your business. User-friendly navigation, interactive pages, information that will attract targeted visitors, good positioning of keywords and articles that search engines will easily notice, are all elements that contribute to an exceptional website.

It is therefore important to choose a web developer with care. A website that is visually pleasing, but that's designed and then left alone, is worth nothing. Choose someone that is prepared to become a long-term partner, someone that will management your website effectively and that keeps abreast with the everchanging world of internet business.

What steps are important?

• Analysis of your business and determining how your website will fit into your business and marketing plan
• Formulation of short and long term goals of the website, as well as a current and possibly a future target market
• Drawing up a flexible outline for the website
• Implementation and development of the website. The first phase is usually to establish the core part of the website, whereafter further expansion can be implemented in phases. The original website will normally consist of: a home page, a page that gives more details on the background of the company, a few pages with details on products and services offered, a page with contact details, an electronic enquiry form that is sent to your business via e-mail, as well as an automated response to the user. Further development can include the following: a catalogue with an option to order online, a photo gallery, documents with information that can be downloaded, a members area, projects, articles, etc.
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). While your website is being developed, the key focus should invariably be on techniques that will ensure top search engine ranking.
• Thorough testing of the website. Before your website goes live, proper testing should being done to ensure that all forms and links work and that there are no technical problems with different browsers or screen resolutions.
• Publication of the website should happen without any problems.
• Search Engine Submission. As soon as your website has been published, it should ben submitted to the most significant local and international search engines. As soon as confirmation of a specific search engine listing is received, a test run should be conducted on various keywords to evaluate the ranking of your website. If necessary, changes must be made to further increase ranking. As search engines change their indexing algorithms all the time, the positions of your website should be monitored on a regular basis so that amendments can be made when required.
• Further development and maintenance. As your business is growing and you receive feedback from the users of your website, new needs are normally identified and new possibilities are being explored. Monthly projects, e.g. a newsletter or interesting articles, might just be what is needed to attract more potential clients or to ensure that existing ones return to your website again and again.
• Analysis and evaluation of the website. After a period of say 12 months, it might be necessary to step back and to see if the short term goals with your website have been reached. If not, it is necessary to adjust the direction and feedback from users could be asked, for example. An online need analysis or survey could provide a few new ideas.

It is important to us that your website should be an integral part of your business plan and that it should contribute to the success of your enterprise. Our goal is thus not only to get or to keep your website on the internet, but rather to ensure that it is and stays a dinamic and interactive marketing tool.

Does that sound like a healthy partnership? If so, please contact us right away so that we can transform your website into a busy junction on the information highway!