Your Web Site, Your Bottom Line
Making the Most of Your Most Important Marketing Investment

By Leslie Vickrey, President & Founder, ClearEdge Marketing

Every time a marketing dollar is trimmed from your budget, the importance of your Web site surges higher. Economic turmoil and bare-bones budgets mean that fewer prospects, candidates, clients and investors will interact with your company at industry events, through promotions and in advertising. Now more than ever, your Web site is your company’s most important marketing asset and branding vehicle.

So here’s the most important marketing question you can ask yourself in 2009: How accessible, inviting, effective, current and professional is your Web site today? If you have concerns about the quality and content of your Web site, you can be sure that visitors coming to your site do as well. For too long many staffing and professional services businesses have relied on mediocre and even (let’s be truly honest) low-quality Web sites. Because professional services companies are outstanding at building and maintaining relationships, a weaker Web site presence has rarely been a serious drag on business results.

That’s no longer the case. With businesses everywhere now struggling for survival and competition more grueling than ever before, a second-rate Web site is a serious marketing problem. It’s a first impression that cannot look sloppy or disorganized. It’s a gateway to your services, business profile, candidates and opportunities that should never confuse or lose an interested party.

The good news is that a mediocre or poor Web presence is also the best marketing problem you can have. Why? Because with smart, strategic efforts, Web sites can be dramatically improved with small investments.

Five Pillars of Web Site Excellence
To help your business determine how effective your Web site is today and where it could be hindering sales and marketing opportunities, study the following five pillars of Web site excellence. If you can say that your current site is performing well in each of the five areas, your business can congratulate itself on a strong and dynamic Web presence that attracts, informs and supports visitors. If you identify deficiencies, now is the time to make changes and ensure your number one marketing tool can perform and deliver bottom-line business results.

#1 Accessibility: Easy to Find
If your Web site is hard to find, you’re feeding opportunities to competitors who are easier to locate on the Internet. Easy accessibility begins with your Web address. If your URL doesn’t match your company name, many people trying to get to your site are getting lost.

The first goal in URL selection would to be to try and acquire the URL that precisely matches your company name. If that effort is impossible or too costly, your next job is to find the simplest, most intuitive solution. Internet users know that companies must battle for URLs and are often pros at trying to enter a few variations on a name. Short and simple is always best because 1) shorter is easier to remember 2) shorter is easier to guess and 3) shorter is easier to market in brochures, in e-mail signatures, on business cards, on advertisements, etc. And that brings up a final URL point: If you have a viable and accessible Web address, do not forget to market it everywhere you can. E-mail signatures, business cards and every marketing and promotional piece you have should point potential visitors directly to your Web site.

The second essential practice in achieving strong Internet accessibility is search engine optimization (SEO). Search engines are the great matchmakers of the Internet, bringing prospective buyers, investors and candidates to eager businesses. The sheer number and diversity of businesses in today’s marketplace means that businesses need high search engine placement to be seen. The difference between being in the top listings called up on Google or Yahoo versus being on the fourth page of listings is profound. The 2008 iProspect Blended Search Results Study found that 68% of search engine users will click on a result that is on the first page of a search while only 8% of users will click on results beyond the third page of a search. How many pages of a search are you willing to click through to find what you are looking for?

Unless your business has a technology team highly versed and skilled in search engine behavior and algorithms able to keep your site on page one of most engines, it’s important to acquire SEO support from a proven provider. SEO is an important investment, and it’s also one that can be measured. If your provider is not able to quickly and significantly improve search engine rankings, get your money back and move on.

#2 Content: Clarity & Credibility
You’ve heard it a million times, but that’s only because it’s true: On your Web site, content must be king. Once your audience finds you, what are you telling them? Are they able to find the information they want? Exquisite design is good to have, but Web site content trumps design in importance every time.

The messages and information on your site offer a first and critical impression, one you cannot afford to waste in today’s competitive environment. Now is the time for a careful content sweep to ensure that your business’ messages are strong, current, clear and appealing.

One area of messaging that many professional services firms struggle with is describing the services they provide. It’s a common messaging challenge because professional services companies work on a diverse range of projects and want to communicate expansive capabilities. Prospective clients, potential investors and candidates, however, are looking for simple answers: What services do you provide, what opportunities do you offer and what markets and businesses do you serve?

When services messages are too complex, too broad or too vague, site visitors are confused and frustrated. Define, clarify and simplify your core business messages, especially your services story. Be sure that what your business does can be quickly understood by everyone who comes to your site.

Credibility and consistency in your content is also essential. Are the messages on your Web site the same messages that your sales team is out delivering? If not, it’s critical to align them now. Prospective clients and partners will visit your site after meeting sales representatives. If what business development teams say is different from the information on your Web site, your business loses credibility. And in this economy, who can afford any losses?

Finally, make sure your content distinguishes and differentiates your business. Use case studies to show the value you provide and the clients you serve. Use testimonials to highlight customer loyalty. Bring in thought leadership (articles and white papers) to demonstrate the knowledge and talent on your teams. Remember, your content tells the story of who your company is. Make sure it’s an impressive story worth reading.

#3 Functionality: True to the Basics
You would be surprised to see how many professional services Web sites flub fundamental Web functionality. Are your candidates (consultants or staff) able to apply online? Is the application process simple and headache free? Are job listings easy to find and their existence prominently publicized on the home page? Is the search mechanism simple and effective? Can candidates apply for more than one position with one application?

Basic job search and application functionalities are critical to drawing in high-quality talent. Be sure you are prominently providing job search and application tools that help top candidates quickly identify opportunities that match their skills. Testing these tools and even gathering feedback from candidates and consultants can help you significantly improve their performance and appeal.

Even contact information on the Web site should be treated as a tool that should be analyzed for ease of use. People use Web sites for quick and easy access, so be sure your contact information is glaringly easy to find. And if your business serves more than one location, be sure it’s simple for any online visitor to find the right office to contact and the right resources to speak with—be they recruiters or business development team members.

#4 Design: Attractive, Clean & Web Smart
Design speaks volumes to credibility, professionalism and personality. Your Web site design should echo your brand and your company character, but it should also be Web smart. It should load fast and look good on any browser. Complex, overbearing designs not only make it harder to organize content, they will slow down a site. The longer it takes your site to load, the more visitors click away.

What’s important to remember is that people go to the Web for information first. Your Web design is not why they are coming to study your site. Nevertheless, a dated, unappealing, poorly organized or difficult-to-navigate Web site will lose business points and potential opportunities.

#5 Relevance: Up-to-date & Connected
Finally, a Web site should be a vibrant and evolving forum that highlights your company’s latest events, press releases, press coverage, blogs, case studies and new hires. A dated site, where it’s clear few updates have occurred in several months, is a warning flag to potential customers and investors. If this business doesn’t have any current news, press or events, how well could it be doing?

If you have a presence on key social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn), promote them. If your organization has established important partnerships with industry organizations or career sites, share the value with your Web audience. Regularly check your site to ensure key sections like events, featured jobs and PR are up-to-date. Demonstrating how active, engaged and well connected your organization is across the online world and across the industry is an important way of showing your organization to be a relevant and credible professional services force.

Many businesses mention at one time or another how they have news and events to share online, but cannot find the time or resources for continuous updates. The truth is Web updates can be fast and simple, and they are often what separate you from a competitor. If your in-house resources are tapped out, consider finding a third-party Web services provider that can cost-effectively help you keep your site current.

Goal? A Web Site Always Ready for Opportunity
Businesses grow accustomed to marketing programs that start and end—the fall direct mail campaign, the holiday sales contest, this year’s advertising look and feel. Your Web site, however, is a perpetual and principal marketing tool that requires steady attention. Be certain that the visitors who arrive by cyber pathways are always welcomed by a current, convincing, professional Web site ready and able to address their needs.

About the Author
Leslie Vickrey is president and founder of ClearEdge Marketing, a marketing communications firm specializing in the IT services industry. After beginning her career in marketing for well-known companies such as McDonald’s Corporation and Junior Achievement, Vickrey quickly found a niche in the technology services industry, where she has worked for the past 10 years managing marketing operations or providing consulting services for companies such as Spherion, TAC Worldwide, Harvey Nash, NACCB, The Armada Group, TransTech, Galmont Consulting, RiverPoint, Pierce Technology and Technisource. For more information, please e-mail lvickrey@clearedgemarketing.com or call 312.731.3149.