Brand Strategy for the Web
Websites are an increasingly important contact point
with customers. So naturally web designers are asked to ensure the look of
the site enhances the company image.
Unfortunately that is often where the problems start.
Conventional thinking is rooted in traditional media. Company logos and
brochures start with the need to attract attention in a world of glossy
brochures from all the competition. Websites are then build around
the same need.
But the Internet is different. By the time someone is
looking at your website you have their exclusive attention for a few
seconds to interest them to look further. Until that point the web is
NOT a visual medium. Searches depend on text. A domain name is text.
So to attract web visitors you need to concentrate on
your use of text not graphics. Of course, once you get to a site the need
changes. Visitors normally come in search of information or to purchase.
Before they even look at the detail, they will register an impression of
it. They will need confidence in the web owner before purchasing or
accepting information as valid. Any fancy visuals that take time to
load are risking a serious proportion of the few seconds of evaluation
time most visitors allow.
In practice simple sites normally work better than
complex ones. Visitors come to satisfy their own needs for information not
to suffer the images and puff so many companies want to give them. Simple
navigation to find answers to a wide range of potential questions is the
key. Give customers what they want!
If your site is not performing as you want, go to:
Web Marketing
Consulting
My Own Marketing Results
My objective is to double the visitor traffic and
triple the number of Enquiries by December 2003.
My new keywords have not yet changed the number of
visitors. It has taken longer than expected to get my top rankings for
some keywords. One phrase that should be a major traffic builder
only appeared on the Google first page 2 weeks - and then at the bottom -
and so far there has been no result from it.
However the Enquiries flow is much more positive.
October results were nearly double the level of the previous 3 months. But
I still have to wait to see it is more than a single happy month.
We live in hope and will report again next month!
Stephen Orr |
