Site content would have to be one of the most important aspects of your marketing efforts, inducing a customer to purchase and also do repeat business.
It is no good getting a customer to your site if it's poorly built or uninformative. Unlike traditional business, where a customer builds a relationship with the business or shop owner, the customer can only build a relationship through the website itself. It is therefore critically important to have a website that incorporates these items:
1. Clear, concise and easy to navigate.
B. Keep your pages simple and concise.
C. Make sure your pages load quickly with properly editored html.
D. Graphics are nice, however the make the pages load slowly.
E. Make sure all pages are linked and navigation bars are easy to find and use.
D. Too many banners can annoy customers and make your site look unprofessional.
2. Convey trust and expertise.
B. Include contact details on every page, including phone numbers and addresses.
C. Include testimonials from past clients.
D. Start your own ezine and write articles on relevant issues.
3. Keep the customer at your website for a certain period.
B. Incorporate guest books, surveys competitions etc.
C. Supply links to other websites offering free items, software, counters, scripts etc.
D. Provide free email accounts, ffa page, mini search engine.
E. Include a search facility linked to a major search engine.
Many of the above items are applicable for the next section (4) also.
4. Get the customer to revisit and inform others.
B. Start your own affiliate program.
C. Have "specials" every once in a while.
D. Use a script on your website like "tell a friend" to inform others.
5. Decent or niche products.
As you can see, I have placed products down the bottom of the list. You can have the best products in the world, however if you don't have the other four items, your website won't be doing much business. Many of the above items you will be able to find free on the internet.
The best guide to whether your site is up to scratch, is to notice what you do yourself next time you're looking for an item on the internet. Do you read the testimonials? Do you read the "about us" page? How many times do you visit the site before you purchase? etc. Many of these methods may not be suited to your website, therefore you just need to search the internet for ones that are. Also, adding some or all of these items takes time, so be patient and it will slowly come together.
Chris Taylor