Taking your website for a spin

2 February, 2010

Congratulations, you just bought a new car!

Oh, you must feel so proud. It has those electric windows you always wanted, power steering (lovely) and the all important air conditioning. Very cool. You even got a fair price on it, cheaper then you expected and it included a few more gadgets and features.

That feeling of driving your new car out the lot and taking it for a spin is something you always remember.

Driving away, you are completely aware that the buck doesn't stop there.
When we buy a car, we all know that we need to put in fuel, it needs to be registered, insured and serviced. With that said, why don't most businesses realise that the same applies when it comes to developing and maintaining your website?

YOUR WEBSITE IS YOUR VEHICLE FOR BUSINESS.
Your website is what drives enquiries/sales and potential customers to your business.
Your website needs to take your customers for a ride, and based on the quality and experience, they choose to keep coming back and tell their friends.
Your website needs to feel safe. When your customer hands over their details to you, they need to know that they won't be taking a risk.

THE QUALITY ON YOUR VEHICLE AND ALL THOSE FEATURES.
For most businesses, that first impression is the ultimate decision on if you do business or not. You shouldn't feel embarrassed or ashamed that you didn't get all the extras, you just can't justify spending your money on features you don't really need.

What it actually comes down to, is being smarter with your money and getting the best model for you. To do this, you need to have a true understanding of what your customers want and what your business needs. Spending your money on a lemon is short term thinking, and not long after, you'll be forking out more money to keep it running while it breaks down once a week.

Before making that decision, talk to your customers on what features they are looking for.
For a breakdown on helpful features, read Michael Bartlett's article, What are you missing out on.

WHAT DOES YOUR VEHICLE SAY ABOUT YOU?
Does your make and model suit your business?
Do your customers take you seriously when they see you in it?
Do they want to know about all your features and extras?
For more ideas on redesign, strategy and maintenance, read Letitia Power's article, How to tell when a business website needs a redesign.

WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO UPGRADE?
To save you money and time, maintain your site by updating your content once a month, ensure you're up to date with your domain registration and hosting and promote online offers. If you've been maintaining your vehicle, then a major service every two years would be a fair estimate. For optimum performance, conduct market research, ask your current customers what they think, have a opinion poll on your site, or send out a survey.
For more ideas on how to maintain your website, read Michelle Jennins' article, How to Keep your website on the ball.

PUT SOME FUEL IN THE TANK.
Driving your car as far as it will go on one tank of petrol, dumping it and forking out more money to get a new one is a very expensive process. Spend a little more time and thought, give it that service and you could be going further without starting from scratch. A way to prevent this is to also establish and maintain an ongoing relationship with your web developers. Keep them informed and share your company goals - so when you talk to them they spend less time trying to reestablish and understand your business.

To find out what Feedia can do to help support your business simply complete your project enquiry form here.