If there’s one mistake Internet marketing veteran Andy Renk sees over and over when evaluating business Web sites, it’s a lack of clear objectives.

“I think a lot of people just throw up a Web site and it’s ‘brochureware,’” said Renk, co-founder of Click for Clients, an online marketing training company for small businesses. “It’s something that if you hand someone a business card, you can have your Web site domain on it and not feel embarrassed when someone goes to the site.”

Regardless of size or how well the business is financed, a Web site without goals – whether generating leads or producing profits – creates confused visitors, he added.

The problem intensifies when the site’s focus is on the company’s story, instead of the information visitors desire. While most businesses target prospects’ needs in their day-to-day activities, this action doesn’t always carry over to their online presence.

“Your Web site is not different from any other form of advertising; your visitors want to know ‘What’s in it for me?’” stressed Renk, who started his first online business in the early 1990s.

Jason Baer, a Flagstaff-based social media and e-mail consultant as well as the founder of Convince & Convert, agrees.

“The right way to build and operate a Web site is to get a handle on what those key questions are that your customers, prospective customers or current customers have about you or your company, and build a Web site that answers those questions as quickly and easily as possible,” he said.

Baer, who has provided digital marketing advice to some of America’s largest companies since 1994, also advises companies to consider starting a blog. Not only do they provide “a look under the hood of the company” – a feature people find appealing – blogs also do well in search engine optimization.

As for topics, industry trends, tips, checklists, decisions about products and services, or future plans for the company are all fair game for blog posts.

“The things that seem mundane to you seem mundane to you because that’s what you do all day every day,” Baer added. “The kind of things you think are boring, your customers or prospective customers may find quite interesting because they don’t know that stuff already.”
When it comes to finding companies online, most people discover business Web sites through search engines, with Google being the most popular. To ensure your business Web site is search-engine friendly, Renk recommends the following features:

· Search-engine friendly URLs (that use keywords instead of irrelevant numbers and letters)
· Editable page titles
· A site index
· A link page
· Linkable footers
· Contact information on every page
· A way to collect e-mail addresses

In addition, frequently updated content helps keep your business Web site ranking well in search engines. It also gives people a reason to visit your site often, as does your blog and activity on social media sites such as Twitter.

Google Analytics (www.google.com/analytics) can help uncover the keywords people search to find your business online. The free service can also help determine, with pretty good accuracy, how much traffic you can expect to your site.

Three similar tools recommended by Baer are Woopra (http://www.woopra.com), CrazyEgg (http://www.crazyegg.com) and ClickTale (http://www.clicktale.com).

If your Web site isn’t getting the results you want, Renk and Baer suggest testing different elements, including the offer, graphics, headlines and copy.

You can also use a service such as UserTesting.com to receive unbiased reviews via audio and video. For $19, you can select a reviewer by gender, age, income level and profession.

“Everything should be tested,” Baer emphasized. “Fundamentally, the reason the Web is so powerful is because it’s all knowable. I can tell you exactly why each person clicked each button and why and where they came from in ways I don’t know in TV, radio, print, outdoor, direct mail or anything else. So to not use that information to make your site more effective is criminal.”

Andy Renk’s free video, “How to Build a Kiss-Ass Biz Website in 59 Minutes,” is available at www.clickforclients.com

Jason Baer can be reached at www.convinceandconvert.com