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Why good sites go bad

Why do so many companies loathe their website and mutter darkly about the people who created it? A remedy can be found in a clearer understanding of your business, says John Odell...

By John Odell

[Register and post your own comments on this article below...]

Why do so many companies loathe their websites and mutter darkly about the people who put the site together? Are you ashamed to give out your website address to potential customers? Why do good sites go bad?

The answer is they don’t. Producing a good website isn’t rocket science – especially when you are working with people who know what they are doing. The difficulty lies in the fact that a website is an expression of an organisation. Its purpose is to illustrate who the organisation is, where it’s going, why you should want to be involved and buy its product or help its cause. However, there are lots of organisations that would be stuck when answering these fundamental questions. This isn’t uncommon or a failing on anybody’s part, people are often just too busy doing business to stand back and answer these questions.

Zoom in on who you are

Developing a website takes commitment, determination and a firm sense of who you are as an organisation. It’s your biggest window into a global market and one of the most versatile and dynamic communication tools at your disposal – so why do some companies take it so lightly?

The process of developing a good website depends on establishing three things:

· Who are you as an organisation?
· Who are you trying to reach?
· What do you want to achieve?

After these questions are answered there is still much to be done (such as requirements capture, branding, planning, a load of technical stuff and writing content). Nevertheless, once this start point is firmly in place, you are in a position to try and steer clear of some other potential pitfalls...

A common mistake that companies make is when they communicate passively: “This is who we are, take it or leave it. No time for fancy audience segmentation, tailoring to specific targets or working out what people want to hear”. This passive approach doesn’t work with a website, where the objective is to interact and engage with each visitor as an individual. Although you can’t control who will look at your website, you can target content at specific groups, introduce flexibility into your brand and not be afraid of a little change.

Don’t confuse gimmicks with innovation

On the other hand, sometimes an organisation’s lack of flexibility and willingness to experiment is the least of a website’s problems. The opportunity to do sexy things on the web can be a little overwhelming for some, and the idea that you could have a site that does these amazing things can eclipse the question of whether you should. Being innovative and successful with your website will only come from understanding your requirements. Being clever for the sake of it is almost always missing the point.

Reflect business growth

Perhaps the most common and serious problem is that a website is not just a one-off effort – it’s for life. Just as the organisation grows and develops, so should the site. And like any part of an organisation or a member of staff, the site needs care and commitment to ensure it grows. It’s very easy to whack a site up and leave it to its own devices, only to come back to it after six months or three years and question its effectiveness. The truth is that regularly reviewing, refreshing and updating an essential corporate tool is an essential corporate activity.

Revisit objectives

The final trap to avoid is forgetting to regularly evaluate your website. You have already established what you want to achieve with your site, so how are you doing? If you are not achieving what you want then it’s time for a strategic rethink. If you have already met your objectives, then why not raise the bar?

Good websites don’t go bad. They can start from the wrong place or fall into holes along the way, unravel in the face of insufficient interest and wither away due to lack of care and / or investment.

A good site comes from a good start – an organisation that knows its strategy and goals, has realistic expectations of what their website will deliver and the time and commitment needed to make it happen.

About The Author:

John Odell is commercial manager at Internova, a leading new media agency specialising in web design, online trading and digital content. Established in 1999, the company already has a growing reputation for delivering innovative and successful projects for its customers which include London’s Transport Museum, the Woodland Trust and the award winning Weebls-Stuff.com – and solutions such as PrintShop, its online sales priority, fulfilment and customer services package. Internova is also focused on online learning and specialises in creating engaging interactive digital content for education.