The Power of a Great Website

Like anything else you do, if you're going to have a website, you should be aiming to make it a great one. Not just a good one, or even a mediocre one, but great. But ask yourself this, do you really know what it is that makes a website great? Can you identify what it is specifically about your site that will make it great for you and your business?

If you don't know what great looks like, how will you possibly know when you've achieved it, or worse, when you're not achieving it? Let's go back to basics and take a look at what makes a website great for businesses, and why greatness makes it the most powerful tool in your marketing shed?

At the most basic level, a great website is one that makes your audience want to do whatever it is that you want them to do. Now, that might mean many things to many businesses, but it's the one universal test we can all apply to see if our website is great or not.

How do we apply this test? Well, the first step is to actually know what it is you want people to do; have you got this clearly defined? You also need to know who you audiences are, and what it is they might want or need, both in general terms, and in relation to your business. How do you reach and relate to them? and what's the outcome or experience they are seeking from a website like yours.

Do you simply need them to be able to see your contact details when they search for you online (as most people do these days, thanks to the good old smart phone), or are you hoping for something more?

Perhaps you want a new audience of potential customers to become aware of you when they search for a particular product or service online; so a powerful website for you has amazing search engine optimisation, and lots of regularly updated content.

Or maybe you want potential customers who are already thinking about you to research your products or check out your handiworkso they're more motivated to buy. Detailed product or project descriptions and excellent photography will give them the pre-purchase information and confidence they crave.

If you need more people to prefer your business over a big competitor, you might want to engage your audience on personal level, so let your personality shine through and offer content they'll love with social media integration. This turns mere customers into friends and loyal advocates.

On the other hand, if you want to make your wares available to a wider market and have them buy it from you there and then online, you need to find ways to put compelling offers and calls to action in front of them, and create a seamless transaction process that they can trust.

You might even need a website to support your existing customers, to keep them happy and save time and money to boot. A customer login to track projects or business processes with you, or a live chat for customer support might be just the ticket.

A blog or Twitter feed can turn you into a trusted authority in your field or industry, while an eye-catchingly sexy design can create a mood or persona for your brand like nothing else. Calendars can work wonders for venues and attractions, while a free bonus offer upon signup could put your email leads list through the roof.

There are just as many solutions as there are needs, but by doing your homework, you can create designs, content, functionality and engagement that directly respond to your users' wants and needs, and your website will be well on track to achieving true greatness.