Money Management: Is your Website effective?
Whether you plan to build a Website for your business or you already have one, a user-friendly, accessible and informative site is essential to good business.?The Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants provides the following checklist to help evaluate the effectiveness of your site.
DETERMINE OBJECTIVES AND MESSAGES
The first step in building a Web site or enhancing your current one is to determine your objectives.? What do you want your site to accomplish? For example, do you want to offer services or sell products online??Or, are you trying to improve customer relations?
COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY
Once you know your objective, the next step is to determine your messages.?What do you want to communicate and to whom?? Make sure the writing is geared to the audience you want to reach.? Many sites have an “About Us” section, which provides an overview of the business or organization, including mission statements, goals, services and client or customer benefits.
FOCUS ON CLEAR NAVIGATION
Your Website’s navigation is the road map your visitors will use to find their way around your site. The navigation should be easy to follow so visitors can quickly locate information.?Use key words that accurately convey each section of the site.?These can be used along the top or as a sidebar.? Make it easy for visitors to travel within the site and return to the homepage as necessary.
DON’T OVERLOOK CONTACT INFORMATION
It’s important you also include contact information such as addresses, e-mails and phone numbers of key contacts within the organization.? Often, sites neglect to provide such critical information.
ADDRESS PRIVACY AND SECURITY ISSUES
Develop Website privacy and security policies and be sure to post these on the site.?Visitors to Websites are especially concerned information provided through a Website will be misused or distributed without their permission.
Privacy policies should describe the information you collect through the Website, how you use that information, and whether it is provided to third parties.?Your security statement should outline the steps your firm has taken to protect against the accidental disclosure or misuse of personal information.?Samples of privacy statements can be found at www.etrust.com or www.webtrust.org.
If you would like additional assurance of the security and privacy of your site, you also can engage a CPA.?Some CPA firms offer WebTrust and SysTrust services, which involve independent verifications of a company’s business practices, Web site security and privacy standards, among others.
GIVE VISITORS A REASON TO COME BACK
If you want visitors to return to your site, you must give them a reason to do so.?Provide a list of useful and timely links, post new employment opportunities, include current news or offer a question-and-answer section.?You also can create a communications board that fosters networking among your customers.
(Tony Jennings is president of the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants headquartered in Brentwood. He can be reached at 615-377-3825 or 800-762-0272.)