A sales manager from a small technology company recently challenged me recently to describe in a few bullet points what a good company website should look like, and how it should be developed. He was obviously considering starting again with his own company’s site. I’ve been thinking about that, and here’s my answer.
The Content
1. An “About Us” section free of corporate blandness;
2. A product section with a page for every product;
3. An applications section with a page for each situation where the company’s products might be suitable;
4. A “News, Views and Technical Background” section.
Instructions for the Designer
1. Clean, modern and above all simple styling with contact details on every page;
2. Use an open-source content management system;
3. Incorporate semi-automated search engine optimisation.
Ongoing maintenance
1. Add an article a week (case study, technical backgrounder, etc);
2. Add a news or views article every week;
3. Organise a quality inbound link every week.
In total then, that’s maybe three or four thousand pounds of outsourced work and a few weeks’ in-house commitment to build – or rebuild – the site in the first place, and perhaps a day or two’s effort each week from then on to maintain it. Outsource the ongoing work and you’re looking at £15,000 in year one and £12,000 a year from then on. That’s all your single most important sales and marketing asset requires to put you ahead of the vast majority of your competitors.
It’s very important to have great layout and style especially when you host a lot of ads. A clean and organized ad sidebar is a must.