They’ve come a long way, but websites still have far to go. It’s not enough these days to simply stick your company’s logo and a few blurbs on the internet. Design, targeting and added value all work to make - or break - a website.
The best of website design can approach modern art. The seamless blending of colour, text and shape can make the marriage of art and commerce wonderfully profitable. A good website can determine whether your electronic venture is a cash cow or huge waste of time and money. The past 10 years have witnessed an explosion of sites and a flowering of eye-catching conceptions. But the medium as we know still remains imperfect and sometimes downright annoying. Those are the conclusions from Forrester Research which has examined more than 1,000 sites over the past couple years.
Forrester analyst Bruce Temkin says, “In the early days, the biggest problems sites had was with value. They just weren't delivering value. Now that's improved, but over the last few years, the bigger problem has become navigation.” Sites have grander ambitions, they’re complex and they try earnestly to deliver much more value. But sometimes, it’s hard, almost impossible, to really find what you want, when you want it.
There are many ways to provide value to your clients. Having all the most important information just ONE click away is most important. Providing adequate information about your products or services is another. Many websites, especially web-based businesses, offer value by giving discounts to customers who venture onto the web.
The most obvious example is www.amazon.com with online stores throughout Europe, the United States and parts of Asia. They want to make your trip to the web worthwhile by offering reductions on books, electronics, games and a score of other products, ranging from 5 to 70%! Many travel sites, airlines, car hire agencies and a host of others reward you for going online. Even small hotel chains or individual proprietorships give you incentive to cut to the chase and book online. It saves them (and you) time and money. Certainly, many of these stores exist only on the web. This might not fit your enterprise. But the point is clear – think creatively of how you can offer more value online to today’s demanding consumers.