The information you put on your website is just as important

as your design, if not more. As a result, it is essential not

to let yourself down when it comes to the content placed on

your Web site. Remember, while your design gets customers to

initially view your site, your words get people to "buy" your

site.

The information on your website will communicate your type

of business to thousands of customers.

You do not have the option, as you would at your "bricks and

mortar" premises, of being able to change selling tactics to

suit individual customers. So you must ensure you get it

right the first time round.

Remember these pointers:

Your website should load quickly It should communicate your

company's area of expertise It should describe the products/

services offered It should highlight the benefits it offers

It should be easy to navigate and easy to understand.

Knowing what to write

Writing content for your Web site is harder than designing

it. Content is there to serve a specific role and if it is

not well thought out, it could have a negative impact.

What you want to do is turn a prospective customer into

a sale. On your website, this is done by providing premium

content for customers on every page.

The information provided on your website is not only about

informing customers, but should also build an element of

trust between the user and your business.

Let your customers know straight away that you are a

reputable and trustworthy business. To do this you should

have a certain level of compulsory or "standard" content

on your website.

This includes your ACN, business name, logo, your physical

address, telephone, facsimile and e-mail address. You could

consider incorporating this information as part of the page

template so it appears on every Web page.

Just because you must include standard content on your

website doesn't mean it has to be boring.

Keep the content fresh and make your customers want to read

more. You can do this by using humour, breaking up the text

with snippets of quirky information or by just making the

content informative.

The following is a detailed look at what you should consider

when it comes to your site content.

What identification information to add

To help your customers trust your business you should tell

them as much as you can about who you are. Saying this, it

is important not to do this on your home page. Give customers

a link to an "About Us" page so they can choose whether

they need more information about your business.

Don't bombard customers on your home page with information

about your business. The customers initially want to know what

you can do for them and then they might be interested in your

company's history.

Important identification information includes:

"Real-world" address Operating hours ACN Phone number Fax

number E-mail address.

Having your "bricks and mortar" address, telephone and

facsimile numbers will help encourage customers to visit

your offline store. It will also make them more comfortable

buying from you knowing you have an existing business.

It is also important to make sure your information is

consistent. This means that your stationery carries your

Internet address.

Make your site sticky

Keeping users on your website for as long as possible is

important. This is known as enhancing the "stickiness" of

your site.

To do this you must always provide links to other areas of

content held on your site.

Each of your website pages should provide links to other

similar areas of information. For example, someone browsing

EBC's website may be interested in benchmarking a business.

They will arrive at a page titled "The Benefits of

Benchmarking" which is an article about benchmarking. This

page also provides links to other business-related articles

within EBC's site.

To keep the user at your site, therefore, offer them links

to your other Web pages, which will provide similar or helpful

information. This ensures that no page is an "orphan" and your

visitors are not left with nowhere to go except back.

Instead of your visitor just reading the article and leaving,

they are given an incentive to continue their search for

information.

The longer a user stays at your website the more likely it

is he/she will make a purchase.

Don't forget the contents page

A contents page or table of contents will help to tell

customers what your Web pages contain. There should be a

link from your home page to this information.

Your contents page should set out the major content headings

customers can access on your site.

By clicking on these headings they should be directed to the

information they are seeking.

Packaging information in "easy to digest bites" is a good way

to inform users. This means keeping the content concise while

still being informative.

Using short paragraphs is also a good idea. This way the user

is not put off by long pieces of text.

Using hyperlink icons on your contents page is a great way

to give customers easy to identify links to other snippets

of information.

You can also use a site map instead of a contents page if

you prefer. This is similar to a contents page and shows

visitors how the site is laid out and which sections are

where.

Many software packages will automatically generate either

a site map or contents page for you. Use whichever one comes

with the package or ask your developer to create one for you

that automatically updates itself so you don't have to do

it manually.

Create website search functions

If your budget allows or if this function is incorporated in

the software package you are using, you should incorporate a

"search" feature on your site, particularly if you are adding

numerous pages of content.

Many visitors to your site may not know exactly what they

want but if you include a search function on your site,

they can look for it very easily.

Like search engines, this feature will allow your visitors

to type in a word and then search for it on your site. It's

like having your own mini search engine, only instead of it

searching the World Wide Web, it just searches your site for

key words. It's a nice feature to have in addition to your

contents page.

EBC incorporates a search function on its site. With more

than 10,000 pages on its site, it was a must.

Search functions are fairly easy to incorporate onto your

site. For instance, FrontPage automatically generates it for

you which, once inserted, will read all the text on your pages.

If you are using a developer, he or she should have access

to what is called an "index server." Again, this is a type

of search engine which can be inserted into Web pages and

will automatically search text. Unless you are using complex

Active Server Pages, like EBC, your developer can generate

a search function very easily using the index server.

Add value to your website

This is an extremely useful content tool. It is the process of

adding and creating extra information as an add-on service for

customers.

By value adding, you can also encourage more "hits" to your

site. For example, if you are a hotel in a ski region you could

include on your site weather reports, ski hire prices and

information, and perhaps a restaurant guide. This added

information may help to make a reservation.

Or if you are a camping store selling camping products, you

may add information to your site which is relevant to camping.

This could include weather reports, lists and reviews of

camping grounds, walking tours and the like.

You could package information as part of your Web site by

having links to it. This means researching for this information.

Value adding also has advantages in that customers may return

to your site because they know certain information is available.

Someone wanting camping grounds information may automatically

go back to your site because they know the information is there.

It may also translate into more sales. If users log on to

your website specifically for camping grounds information,

they may also come across a product they need or want to buy.

You should also cross-sell and up-sell as part of your Web

content. If a potential customer is looking at a particular

product, give them a link or encourage them to look at

related products.

It is important to take advantage of every selling tool

available when trading online. You don't have the luxury of

dropping other product information in as part of a one-on-one

sales pitch.

Make sure to include important statements

Privacy continues to be a major issue for customers

shopping online. Concerns about the information they supply

and how it will be used can be a major barrier to making

a sale.

Extensive American research has revealed that Internet users

are far more inclined to shop at a site that has a privacy

policy.

The Internet shopping experience is really built on trust

between the customer and merchant. Privacy is the number one

ingredient in trust.

Your site should have an open privacy disclosure, which is

easy for customers to understand and gain access to.

Customers should also be given clear and easy links to your

return policy and security statement. These statements are

an important aspect of your customer service.

Users will want to know what your return and security

procedures are. It will help them to feel more comfortable

when making a transaction.

These statements are usually located at the bottom of the

page along with the business name, ACN and copyright notice.

Many sites have links to these statements usually built in

as part of the page template.

Your Copyright and Disclaimer of Liability

Your website should also carry a copyright notice to protect

the site's intellectual property. The copyright notification

should be part of your website template.

You can do this by making sure your website template contains,

for example, "Copyright (c) 1999-2002, Your Company Name."

The notice should be updated to reflect the current year.

There should also be a link on your home page, which directs

customers to your Disclaimer of Liability.

You should be extremely careful that you do not infringe

copyright laws when creating your website content especially

if you are tempted to "lift" information from another website.

If there is something you want to use, you must contact the

author or copyright owner and ask for permission.

Personalise your website content

Personalising your site's content is an excellent way of

endearing yourself to your customers. This makes the online

shopping experience seem less like just transacting with a

computer. Give them relevant personal information about

your staff.

Again this type of information can be placed in an "About Us"

page. You could include staff pictures and biographies. This

is useful if you are in a business where staff experience

and reliability is important.

For example, if you run a tyre company you may want to

list staff information such as qualifications, time in the

trade etc. This will give credence to any product

recommendations your site makes. Customers will conclude

that your staff knows what they are talking about.

Personalising content works extremely well for small "ma

and pa" businesses, especially those ones who are the real

characters behind the front counter.

For example, you might be a retail store, which sells

specialised pasta, sauces, small goods, etc., say Mama

Maria's Pasta. You are facing a lot of competition from

other larger, more well known, pasta businesses.

However, by providing customers with a biography of Mama

Maria, including photo, you are "humanising" your business.

Tell customers how she devised her secret pasta sauce recipes

and how she loves to cook. Customers will know who has made

their pasta sauce and will feel an affinity for Mama Maria.

After all, how many people buy Paul Newman's pasta sauces

merely because they "know" the actor and feel an affinity

with him?

Don't forget testimonials and reviews

Products reviews, comparisons or benchmarks will help

give buyers confidence in your products or services. Links

to reviews and testimonials are also a good idea.

These links could be to information stored on your website

or to another website, which could provide customers with

more information. However, remember that a link to an outside

website will lead your customers out of your site, which

is something you want to avoid wherever possible.

Also remember not to get bogged down by offering too much

information. Testimonials from satisfied customers will show

how your business can do a better job than your competitor

when it comes to customer satisfaction.

After you have launched your site, it is worth adding any

e-mails you receive to your testimonials. Be sure to ask the

person's permission to do so, just to be on the safe side.

Encourage transactions

Make it as easy as possible for customers to complete an

order by providing clear instructions.

Make sure delivery costs are outlined before customers get

into the ordering process. Have a link to your delivery policy

and, if your business allows it, have the prices there.

This way, customers will know what to expect, and it may just

be the clincher as to whether they will proceed with making

a purchase.

You should provide:

Clear instructions on how to use your online store and how to

order Clear delivery arrangements. An explanation of your refund

and return policy Summary descriptions of your products with

links to more detailed information Images which may enhance

product information.

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To help you plan your website, below is a checklist of things
to consider:

1.  Product/Service Details

2.  Contact Information

3.  Pricing

4.  Testimonials

5.  Frequently Asked Questions

6.  Response Form, such as "Join Mailing List"

7.  On-line Magazine or Newsletter

8.  Resources & Articles

9.  Guarantee

10. Survey

11. Events Calender

12. Search My Website Form

13. Refund Policy

14. Privacy Policy

15. About Us Information

16. Site Map

17. Copyright information

18. Useful Links

19. Media Information

20. On-line store

21. News

22. Directions to Your Bricks & Mortar Premises

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