Websites that really produce!

The constant question for a firm like the Dunham Group is what makes a website work and what makes it not work?

The constant question for a firm like the Dunham Group is what makes a website work and what makes it not work? We recently had a comment about a ecommerce site that was built by another company. It has produced all of 5 sales in approximately 6 months. The owner of the site has invested a good amount of time, energy and money into this endeavor and the ROI is non-existent.

First of all let’s just acknowledge the facts. There are between 350 and 375 million websites on the World Wide Web. (Not an entirely accurate figure, but it gives us an idea.) Obviously the competition out there is incredible. However, we do need to acknowledge that there are winners and losers….so the real question is how a website gets on the winning side.

There are a number of factors.

Your message is really important. No one wants to say that we are the lowest price. But someone does and I’ll bet that they get lots of traffic. Does your message convey the fact that the viewer, if they engage your company, will really get value for their money? Does your message differentiate you from the competition? Why would I choose your firm over the one who is listed above you on Google? It’s not enough to say you are the best or that you offer great value in your pricing. It has to be written into every word, so that there is a sense of credibility.

Design is another issue of equal importance. This has several twists. First of all is there any originality in your design? Or does your site look like everyone else on the net? Original design by a competent artist will win you customers. Think about your own experience when comparing two suppliers of service or product you may discover that one has spectacular and evocative design and the other is a standard template of some sort, which one will you gravitate toward?

Compliant code is an equally important factor. What most people realize is that there are hundreds and perhaps thousands of lines of code behind your site. It’s the code that makes it appear the way it does. Is the code compliant with WC3 standards? Does it take into account (at every turn) the search engine algorithms that are out there? Is the code clean and error free? The only way you will achieve compliance with the code is if you use the services of professional firm that employees top notch computer programmers along with their skilled graphic designers.

The conclusion of all of this is that home-made sites or bargain-basement websites rarely produce anything. They are a waste of your time and money. There are a great number of people and organizations that have the resources to pull together a professional presence that will both attract search engines and viewers. Their sites look and in fact are reliable. That’s the confidence that your future client or customer wants.