More than just pretty cyberspace

These days it’s not enough for your website to simply look good. Your site has to work very hard for you in the huge cyberspace expanse, says Steve Casaletto, Key IT Group.

Just a few years ago it was fine for your website to get the job done simply by looking attractive. Good use of your corporate colours and a smart linkto your beautifully-designed brochure and you were done. Well, things are not quite as cut and paste in 2012.

Today, being online is all about having a strategy that works extremely hard for you, encompassing everything, from good design and user-friendliness to search-engine optimised text and effective social media integration.

Naturally, the right design does come first. Modern trends lean towards simplicity, with an interface that effortlessly leads your customers through the space and, eventually, right to that vital ‘Contact Us’ page. In line with this, it should also incorporate clearnavigation bars at the top and side of the site, enabling users to get to pretty much any page, from pretty much anywhere on the portal.

And to make the most of all this, you’re going to need a content management system that makes light work of keeping things up-to-date. With access to the back-end of your site, you should be able to keep content fresh, adding news bites and new sections as and when your business evolves.

It should also be multi-language and cross-browser, sothat you can attract clients whatever their location or computer specifications.

Meanwhile, the thought of SEO and social media integration may seem like a lot to take on, but the results can be extremely worthwhile. The right content – written in a way that utilises keywords that your target market will be searching for, along with campaigns on Facebook, Twitter and other networks, could take your brand to new heights almost effortlessly.

Plus, supplementary add-ons, such as e-stores and payment gateways, could make yours a one-stop-shop that is both convenient for your customers and profitable for you.

Finally, you should be able to make your site accountable. Your designer or web development company ought to provide regular site statistics, based on Google searches, to highlight whether or not your online campaign is working for you.

Once all that’s sorted and with all of the above factors working together, it should only take a few tweaks to ensure traffic is driven directly where you want it to go.