Ten Reasons Your Site Isn't Selling
By John Cunningham
Your Web site is a key player in your lineup of promotional tools. As the front door to what may be your company's largest reachable audience, it should not only complement your overall sales and marketing program, but also be your mainstay for building brand identity.
However, many companies pour thousands of dollars into sites that are full of basic marketing blunders. Without a marketing expert directing the show, a Web site offers little more than Internet presence. It can be a beautifully designed technical masterpiece, but if it lacks marketing value, it's worth nothing more than the hefty check you handed your Web developer. (See "
Online" for some sites that have successfully avoided marketing pitfalls.)
Here are some common mistakes you'll want to avoid, along with constructive advice on how to improve the market value of your Web site through marketing-savvy design tactics:
1. Confusing your visitors with conflicting content.
If you're trying to build brand identity, inconsistency is your primary enemy. It's critical that your fonts, graphics, colors, logo, and content be consistent, not only throughout the site, but with all of your other corporate marketing or advertising materials.
Put your online and hard-copy materials side-by-side. Have somebody compare them word for word, image for image, message for message.
