Why Many Websites Don’t Produce Results

Is your website producing the results you want? If not, you may want to re-think your strategy because your site may have been created with the wrong vision.

You Can’t Just Kick The Tires.

The primary reason many websites fail to produce desired results is that they focus on features rather than benefits. Most organizations purchase a website like they purchase a car.  They have a required set of features and a desired level of quality they want, so they search for the vendor who can deliver it all as quickly and as inexpensively as possible.  Features are things you can touch; it’s easy to know when they are delivered. Yet features by themselves don’t produce results.

It All Comes Down To Money.

The second problem is how web projects are budgeted. Most websites are treated as cost centers or as a necessary evil of modern business. Every company must have one in order to be competitive.  Conversely, with a results-oriented approach, websites are treated as profit centers that leverage the opportunities of the online world to bolster returns and provide a competitive advantage.

The Focus Is All Wrong.

A third problem that affects many websites is that most are inwardly focused. The look, feel and features are dictated by the personal preferences of decision makers inside the company.  This approach often doesn’t work because what the decision makers want is not always the same as what the customer wants.  The first step towards fixing this problem and creating a results-oriented website is shifting the focus to design and functionality that will appeal to customers.

Making It All Work Together.

Another reason most sites fail to produce desired results is the sheer complexity involved with integrating the various components needed for a successful site: good design, engaging content, great marketing, mechanisms to convert visitors to buyers, and ongoing innovation. As you can imagine, it’s crucial to have a strategy in place to bring all of these moving parts together. 

So, what are the keys to a successful website?

• Be intensely focused on results, not features. Too many sites are built as a set of features. Always ask, "What are the benefits and results that each feature will produce."
• Continually improve and innovate. Great websites are not built in a single phase. Think of your website as a living laboratory for finding better ways to get results. Hypothesize, experiment, measure, enhance, and repeat as often as possible.
• The path to success is paved with delighted users. With your competition just a click away, it’s important to remember that the customer is in control. Become an expert in what your users want and constantly deliver it.

Follow these steps and the multitudes will be beating down your door – and telling their friends.

Foto courtesy of Stefan.