As we were rebuilding our site (direporter.com), I harkened back to the days when there was no web to contend with. I was personally involved with launching the original Nikon websites as their vice president of Internet Development, and all I remember is that there were no rules. Whoever knew the biggest Internet buzzwords was considered the expert, and all anyone wanted was to just have a website—even when they had no idea what that meant.
This time around, we were lucky enough to find a very creative and competent web design firm—G4 Designs; not at all surprising, we found them on the Internet. The entire process gave us a chance to restart our web activities and take a hard look at what our website was delivering, and what it lacked.
I tell you this not just to encourage you to visit our site but also to encourage you to visit your own. After looking under the hood for a few days, we realized we hadn’t really been paying attention to our Internet efforts. Like a retail store, it needed a fresh coat of paint.
An old website might signal to your customers that your brand is a little dated. A website that is not compatible with mobile viewing can also be an important deficiency, as so many consumers are doing much of their searching and buying on the web. In addition, make sure your social media efforts are up to date. Being able to refer people from your site to other sites is an important lead generator that you shouldn’t pass up.
Finally, make sure the right people are running your site, because it needs TLC every day. Our amazing executive editor, RoseEllen Sanfilippo, is persistent in making sure our news stories are uploaded to our site every day; and our webmaster, Tracy Mack-Jackson, does a great job in managing our outbound e-mails. All to keep you better informed.
Like your smoke alarm batteries that need to be changed every six months, make sure you pay attention to your Internet site—the ultimate window to your customers.
