Four symptoms of ineffective websites

In our 2010 Web Analytics Survey, 49% of respondents said their websites were “not effective” or “somewhat effective”. This is a disappointing result.

In the digital age, your website is critical. Organisations simply cannot afford to survive without a solid web presence. And while some are embracing advanced initiatives such as social media and multi-channel marketing; others have very under-developed online programs.

In Australia, with the planned rollout of the National Broadband Network over the next few years, consumers are only going to get more demanding of their web experience. Enhanced broadband access will enable customers to take full advantage of web tools, digital content and applications – and people will have even higher expectations of your website.

With this in mind, any organisation with a less-than-effective web presence needs to think fast about taking action.

But first, it pays to look at the reasons behind this ineffectiveness. What is causing these websites to fail in their assigned tasks?

The four reasons websites let you down

In speaking with respondents in the survey, we identified four main reasons why websites are not performing.

1. Your website is not used in the right way

Is your website essentially “brochureware”? Is there nothing on there except rudimentary product information and the standard “About us” pages? For websites to deliver value, they must be built with business processes in mind. They must support the business in whatever way they can – whether it be to generate sales, capture leads or engage deeply with customers.

2. Your website has architectural issues

This is a common one. Navigation, forms, content and links are all critical elements that will make or break a website. It pays to conduct regular assessments of your website architecture to ensure that it meets all objectives and satisfies the user experience.

3. Your website doesn’t get enough traffic

Sounds obvious, but it’s true. Many organisations invest significant funds to build their websites – but no-one sees them. You will never have an effective website if your customers don’t know about it. Invest in search marketing and other promotional activities to drive traffic to your site.

4. Your website doesn’t support your campaigns

Too many organisations are still failing here. In these instances, there is a massive disconnect between the campaigns that customers interact with offline – via TV and print advertising, in-store promotions, out of home – and what they see on your website. These organisations are not using the online channel to its maximum potential, and therefore getting mixed results in their campaigns.

The only way is up

The good news is that all of these issues are easily rectified. With the right plan in place, organisations can significantly boost the performance of their online channel.
At Bienalto, it’s our job to help you transform your online presence – and it’s our goal to help reduce that 49% statistic to something much more respectable.

Want to improve your online channel? Contact Bienalto today.