When a business launches a new website there is typically some fanfare.
Congratulatory emails abound. Executives make announcements. Website analytics
are carefully watched for improved performance.
Yet the results that follow are often disappointing. Traffic stays
steady. Bounce rates don't move. Average time on site doesn't change. It seems
that no one cares that you've launched a new site.
If you find yourself in this position then your team needs to honestly
evaluate how they got there. In my experience it's much more likely that they
got the website strategy wrong than the execution. No matter how good your
website looks or how compelling your content is or how clever the technology
behind it is, if your strategy is wrong then nothing else matters.
Following is a quick rundown on the top 10 mistakes that cause people to
get their web strategies wrong:
1. Uselessness
This is a killer problem for businesses of all sizes. Your site should
aim to solve problems for your users by being genuinely useful. The concept of 'Branded
Utility' is not new, but today it is more relevant and important than ever.
2. Egocentricity
Far too many corporate websites seem to be designed around their
organisational structure rather than their customers' needs. This makes for a
frustrating experience for customers, who don't care how your organisation is
structured and just want to achieve what they came to do as quickly as
possible.
3. Diffuse identity
What is your site's value proposition? Do you know? Is it clearly
communicated to users as soon as they arrive on your site? There are billions
of websites out there. You need to tell your users straight away why they
should spend their time on your site rather than somewhere else.
4. Lost in translation
Taking analogue ideas and applying them to the digital world is a recipe
for failure. Many websites are literally an online representation of a
brochure. Is this really the most effective use of the medium? Does your site
do things that would never be possible offline? Does it do them in ways that
would never be possible offline? If not then you're probably missing out on big
opportunities.
5. Selfishness
The best websites are generous to their users. They don't try and lock
up their content on their site - they provide ways for users to share it. They
don't hide their best ideas behind registration forms and paywalls - they give
it away for free. If you're not being generous with your users, then why should
they waste their time on your site?
6. Listening to tech people
Tech people have a frustrating tendency to solve every problem by
focusing on technology before worrying about what the business or its customers
need. To avoid this, Forrester proposes the POST model, which outlines the
order in which you should think when establishing web strategies: People,
Objectives, Strategy, Technology. Understand what your customers need first,
what your business is trying to achieve second, and your strategy for meeting
both their needs third. Then figure out the best technology solution.
7. Disrespectful irrelevance
Creating a site that isn't truly relevant to your users is disrespectful
and a waste of everyone's time. This seems obvious but if you spend some time
browsing the average corporate website you will be amazed at the irrelevant information
you'll find. Do your customers really care about your Occupational Health &
Safety policy? Or the lengthy bio of your marketing director? Or are these just
getting in the way?
8. Same same
You can't expect to attract a significant audience by creating something
that is similar to your competitors. Users have endless distractions and short
attention spans. Unless you offer them something unique that they can't get
anywhere else, you'll be invisible.
9. Complexity
Creating overly complex websites can be an extremely costly error. You
should aim to create the simplest thing possible that achieves both your needs
and your customers needs. Ask yourself what Apple would do, not what Microsoft
would do. Ask yourself "What can we take out?" not "What can we
add?".
10. If you build it, they probably won't come
Finally, one of the worst mistakes of all: putting all your time, budget
and energy into making the website absolutely perfect rather than figuring out
how to promote it and make it successful. You can build the best website in the
world but if no one ever finds out about it then you've wasted your time.
If I've made getting your web strategy sound
difficult, that's because it is. It requires a deep understanding of your
customers, a clear idea of your business objectives, and a relentless focus on
creating something simple, relevant and useful. If you do these things right
then you can't really fail.