In order to attract and continue attracting the right sort of visitors to your web site you need to ensure that it is effective in its delivery of information and functionality. If there is no value to your VISITORS then they will not return and to have them return is what you want. You also need to ensure that they take some form of action that leads to business opportunities for you.

Research shows that only 40% of websites are indeed effective. My personal experience would put the figure MUCH lower. How do you measure effectiveness. As the owner of the website you can answer that question by asking yourself – To what extent does my website positively contribute to the way in which I conduct my business.

It is critical in business to understand what your website contributes to your business and this should be measurable. Most easy is to examine the impact on your business bottom line figure. You have spent a great deal of money in creating your website and maintaining it. You should understand the level of return it is making in your business. If you are unable to clearly determine this then you may wish to consider performing a website audit with qualified consultants or website designers who can independently provide an unbiased opinion. In performing this audit consider the following aspects:

1. Document the processes – This is no different to any other aspect of your business. Every aspect of your site and its operation and support should be documented and managed to a plan. This is a valuable business asset. The review of its effectiveness should be conducted on a regular basis and in accordance with a documented plan. Be sure that your operational staff have an input to the design. Whilst web developers are good at creating terrific looking websites they are not business people and have little understanding of such so do not be lead by them in how your business should operate its website.

2. Does your website address your entire market – How many websites seek an international audience yet are only delivered in English. In Australia we are particularly notorious for this and so of en such websites seek out our Asian partners as a key target market. Even matters as simple as providing phone numbers without international codes or giving out 1300 or 1800 numbers without the local number. We sometimes overlook the fact that terms in our own country are not understood overseas.

3. Responsibility for an effective website belongs with you as the business owner. Engaging suitably experienced Web Architects can assist in delivering an effective design that will provide functionality that works with your business and an Internet marketing strategy that will promote your website responsibly.

4. The last aspect to consider is the integrity of your code – Be sure that all program code is without error and that all links go to an actual page. Misusing links are one of the greatest downfalls in websites. A number of websites provide free testing tools to verify W3C compliance, missing links or poor page upload speeds.

5. Treat your website with respect – You have spent a lot of money putting it together. You continue to spend money keeping it active. You pay far more for a salesperson who invariably is involved in activities that can be achieved through your website. Be smart, use your resources effectively and deliver better results