When I sit down with companies to talk about their web site strategy, one of the first questions that I ask is Why did you originally develop your site? Often, theres a moment of uncomfortable silence before someone replies, because our competitors all had one, or our customers kept asking for our web address, or one of my personal favorites to get our name out there.
In addition, some companies build a web site for branding purposes, or to provide information to potential clients, thinking that one-way communication is a valid goal. Im afraid that I disagree. Using a web site merely to provide information is like using an airplane to drive around town without ever leaving the ground – youre missing the real opportunity to help your business take-off by creating leads and sales.
After all, a web site is a corporate resource, and like any other resource it should provide a return on investment. That return should be immediate and measurable, meaning that the bottom line for any website is how specifically has the web site grown my business today/this week/this month, and so on. Enter the concept of conversion.
What is Conversion?
For a...