Your marketing website

Your website is most likely an essential tool in your marketing strategy. It helps new customers find you and advertises what you can offer. You can use it to keep existing customers informed, improve your customer care or offer online sales through an e-commerce website. It reaches consumers and businesses nationally and internationally - and it can do all of this very cost-effectively

Planning your marketing website

Before developing your website, you'll need a clear idea of who you are trying to reach and what you want to achieve. Many businesses see their website largely as a way to attract new customers - and to get maximum exposure, you'll need to promote your company website on search engines such as Google. You'll also need a memorable domain name, and to consider other marketing techniques such as online advertising, PR and email marketing.

But a marketing website can do more than attract new customers. You can use it to keep existing customers up to date with special offers, product launches and news about your business. You can improve your customer service and cut costs by providing information and contact details online. Enabling people to order goods and services through your website is convenient; and if you use agents or distributors, you can use your marketing website to communicate with them as well.

Web site design and content

The design of your website should reflect your business image and brand identity. A cheap, do-it-yourself approach is unlikely to give a good impression. But complex design and technologies such as video are only worthwhile if these suit your image and help your website fulfil your goals. Above all, your customers must be able to find what they need quickly - clearly laid-out information and straightforward navigation are essential.

Your content should be led by your marketing objectives. For example, if you want users to visit repeatedly, provide regular updates. If you encourage visitors, you can send email alerts when the site is updated or circulate a regular newsletter.

You can use this information to conduct basic market research and to tailor your offer to different groups of customers or even individual users. E-commerce websites like Amazon, for example, use cookies to store visitor information so they can make recommendations based on individual users' past purchases.

Maintaining your company website

Building and launching your website is just the start - you then need to make sure that it works properly and is regularly updated. Out-of-date content and technical hitches are deeply frustrating for visitors and they will simply click away.

Choosing the right internet service provider (ISP) to host your company website will ensure your website performs. You should also respond to customer enquiries promptly. If you don't have the time to do this, pay someone else to do it.

A good website design will also incorporate tracking software that enables you to see which pages are popular and which are under-performing. Tools like Google Website Optimizer will allow you to test different content to see how you can improve your performance. Regular monitoring and ongoing website development are critical if you are to continuously improve the results you get from your marketing website.