Are you getting the most out of your website?

September 11 2009 | Jeremy McMaster

Many companies have a website developed, place it online and expect people will just show up to start purchasing goods and services. The reality is that getting a quality design is only the beginning. The website is only one part of an overall strategy and should be closely linked to your in-store/company systems, print catalogs, and other sales channels to ensure success. Promotion, search engine ranking and cross-linking all play an important role in delivering traffic to your website.

The best advice we can provide our clients is to develop a plan which answers the big question:

How does the web fit into our overall business strategy?

For every business the web can provide different benefits. Some businesses want to drive sales through their website via e-commerce while others intend to just use the web as a tool to provide product and service information. The key is to know and understand your goals and consider the following questions:

• What is the purpose of the website? (informational, sales oriented e-commerce, or simply a corporate presence)
• What is our desired response from a visitor? (complete a sale, provide information, peak interest, generate a call or email)
• What do we want to track? What are our key performance indicators?
• How do we address the results and alter the plan over time?

A website can deliver tremendous value to almost every organization. Let us help you develop a strategy which will not only meet but exceed your expectations.

To contact Jeremy McMaster regarding this article or any of The Dunham Group Inc's services please call 905-628-6010 (ext 106).