The following post is from Kathy Marks, Managing Director of TMA+Peritus and my partner. Kathy, among others, will be guest bloggers for the 30 Day Blog. Thanks for your contribution, Kathy.
Day Nine: That’s right. Your website is meant to change and evolve over time by continuously adding new content and features. There was a time not so long ago, when we could design a website, breathe a sigh of relief when it was done, and let it sit for several years until it was time for a new redesign. Those days are long gone. Today, websites are meant to be content delivery platforms, requiring nurturing and ongoing attention.
Go into a new website design or redesign project with a 3-5 year plan and to get the most out of your investment, follow these basic guidelines to assure that your new website will flex and grow over time:
1. Build your site on a modern, widely supported, flexible and extendable platform, knowing that the site will need to change as your business changes. There are many great content management systems (CMS’s) that you can choose from, depending on your requirements. Our top choices for a CMS are Wordpress and Drupal. Modern CMS platforms will provide you with a host of modules, plugins and widgets that are continuously being developed and improved upon by a worldwide network of talented developers.
2. Be sure to align your website strategy with your business strategy. Most businesses will have a 1-3 year business plan. Share your business plan with your website design and development team. They will be grateful. Make sure that your website helps you to achieve your business strategy and goals.
3. Treat your website as a salesperson. View your website as a digital sales representative. What are your sales goals? What is your sales process? Make sure that your website steps site visitors through a sales decision process. Your site needs to generate leads and convert visitors into customers. Make it go to work for you, delivering revenue to your bottom line.
Create a website, aligned with your business strategy, and expect a return on your investment.