There are important aspects manufacturers need to consider when building an online presence. In last week’s article we covered the importance of understanding your target audience, conducting a competitor analysis, choosing the right platform and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
In this article we will cover:
1. Responsive design
Responsive design refers to the design and development of your website ‘responding’ to the different user screen sizes. In a nutshell, do you want your website to be viewable on desktop computers and mobile devices such as phones and tablets? More and more people are accessing websites using mobile devices, so it’s good to ensure that your website responds to different devices and screen sizes.
2. Security against hackers
You might think why would anyone hack my website, but don’t let that make you skip this important step. Hackers can take down your website, remove pages and cause all sorts of damage. It’s best to have a security suite for the platform you are using. Your website developer will be able to talk you through the options.
3. Consistent branding
Consistent branding not only refers to your logo, but the website layout, design, fonts, colors and your company’s messaging to ensure they communicate a united brand story. They also need to be in line with your other marketing, e.g. brochures, business cards and other marketing touch points. It’s important that your marketing communicates the same message, and has the same look and feel.
4. Lead management
Someone has come to your website, what do you want them to do? Subscribe to your newsletter, get a free quote, organize a consultation… How will you start to build a relationship with them, show them you are remarkable and they need to buy from you! This will also be part of your broader marketing strategy.
To read more Wikipedia has a great explanation on lead management.
5. Information architecture
Information architecture is a fancy way of saying the structure for your website. It’s how users understand where they are and where the information they want is. Think about your navigation menu, what level the pages will be on (primary menu or one or two clicks away from the homepage). Make sure when planning the information architecture, you use words that the user understands and uses.
6. Website analytics
When your website is ready to go live, you will want to see what traffic is coming to your site. Website analytics will provide information such as:
- number of people viewing your website.
- length of time people spend on your website.
- pages they’re visiting (what interests them).
- where they are coming from e.g. search engines and keywords, from a link or by typing in the website address.
- what pages/information isn’t being viewed/isn’t performing.
These statistics will assist you to evaluate your website’s performance, your broader marketing strategy and how to increase traffic.
Now what?
Planning for any project is very important and this includes your website project.
Make sure you consider all the important aspects when building your strong online presence. Now that you are aware of these things, you can start planning your requirements and either build your website or find someone to build it for you.
Remember, 81 per cent of consumers conduct online research before making a purchase, so you need to be in it to win it!
Does this sound way too complicated? Do you really need a website? Read the article about why window and door manufacturers need a strong online presence
