Note: This article was written some three years ago, but I do hope that the basic information found here, may still be able to help readers, especially those businesses wanting to put up their own Web site.
The article was published on BusinessMirror, Vol. 1 No. 215 Friday-Saturday, July 28-29, 2006 Issue, C2 of e-Business section
Content Makes a Standout Web site
by Jude Cartalaba
There are three main reasons why most companies put up their own Web pages. It is to create an online 24-hour global presence that people can view, to foster a loyal community of audience that allows interactivity and to conduct actual transactions—if their site is meant to be an e-commerce in order not to miss a client opportunity. A classic example is Amazon.com.
But the real question is—how can a Web site achieve all these? In marketing they call it—giving products or a service a visage. Folks it’s packaging.
Packaging is one of the 5 principles or better known as 5Ps created by Action Plan Marketing team: Positioning, Packaging, Promotion, Persuasion and Performance. But let’s dwell more on packaging.
Merriam-Webster defines packaging as an act of presenting a product in such a way as to strengthen its appeal to the public. It’s making it attractive for someone; inviting anyone to try and check it out. It is building a case for a product or a service through well-written and designed materials akin to a Web site.
Marketing Information. On June 30, Asia Internet Usage Stats and Population shows that there is estimated 7,820,000 Filipinos as Internet Users (FIU) up against the total of 1,043,104,886 World Internet users.
After checking the winners in the previous year’s Web awards, it’s discouraging to note how the winners might have been judged or let us say who were voted to win. It was pretty obvious that they won based on their site’s flashy and high-tech graphics.
Graphics is still part of content, yes! However, content does not necessarily equate on graphics alone. On the Net, words and technology are closely intertwined.
Let’s analyze further. A surfer goes online because of 2 accepted reasons. First, they want to find something new and second, they want to learn something useful. Surfers want information and that is what content is.
Today, Web sites are becoming mainstream marketing tools, which somehow for a country such as ours, which is comprised of 7,100 islands, more and more businesses—large corporations and even small and medium scale businesses (SMEs) saw the need to maximizing its capabilities for drawing more revenues.
When you drive on Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA)—you’ll see various billboards bearing URL addresses e.g. Kamiseta.com, benchTM.com, Penshoppe.com, Maxschicken.com, Oishi.com.ph to mention some. They advertise their products along with their Web sites with the hopes of letting travelers access their site at their convenience—be it at home, in the offices and anywhere they have the access to the Internet. Their aim is to establish contact and let the public be acquainted with their products and services.
A Web site garbed with news stories, feature articles, and editorials. When people get to be interested in anything that would supplement their inclination, they will likely bookmark that site. That’s where you have won the first phase of the competition.
An article written by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson titled, “Web Marketing Where Content is King”—a portion mentions about real estate brokers itemizing 3 important factors in appraising a piece of property. They are in this order: location, location, location. Translating it into the Web marketing lingo, this becomes content, content, content. Again this usually means information.
Marketing personality. How to survive from the cutthroat competition in the Internet revolution? There are not just thousands but there are millions and millions of Web sites competing worldwide these days. It’s quite a jungle out there, huh?
Like pre-paid mobile phone cards, the Internet pre-paid cards are becoming a necessity not just a plush and they come in various denominations with their corresponding surfing hours. People learn to connect through the Net with all sorts of reasons whatsoever. And mind you, techie buddies are also budget-conscious and that leaves the competition, indeed a tough fight. Even key players in telecommunication industries have managed to offer affordable rates and attractive Internet services for these users just to subscribe to them.
The point of the matter is, a Web site is there to maximize the potential of generating additional sales. Every Web site should know how to send to the surfers the signal that each page has flesh and blood. Surfers must be able to see beyond the pages—that are real and not a fly-by-night virtual character. Its personality is given with great emphasis. Somehow, surfers need to check if they’re the authority.
In fact, there’s this site that has a virtual newscaster called Ananova, who delivers news stories on categories e.g. regular traditional type of news like court cases, earthquakes, politics and war), light (all about entertainment news), sporty (as the word implies) and quirky (all about bizarre stories that anyone can email to their friends). They call it social user interface.
Why come up with such gimmicks or say approach? It is because people are comfortable dealing with a human or a personality rather than a cold, murky and faceless computer.
The demand over the Net is very different. To convince someone to purchase your products or hiring your services especially if these are already widely available or offered—is a difficult task.
Trust is the name of the game. How would surfers trust a site that doesn’t have something substantial to offer? It would only just give the visitor the meringue feeling—so sweet, but so thin in the inside; they will grope for nothing and would just be a farce. It’s a no-no!
On creating a standout Web site. A Web site is rated for its functionality, ease of use and performance. Ziff Davis Smart Business Labs and eyetracking.com employ an eye-tracking equipment to find out how a Web site gets to fair in terms of usability, visibility and optimization.
Articles are written to address skim reading. People don’t read Web pages, they scan them with their eyes; the number of words per article 350 the least and 1000 the most and utilizes bold headings and keywords.
Create compelling contents that are concrete, objective, interesting and non-commercial and with values. That would spell out the difference!
Your Web site contents can either make or break you. It’s a thick forest out there in cyberspace. Do you choose to innovate, imitate or vegetate? If the last, you might as well abdicate. Content surely makes surfers click and click.
Posted by iamccunnings 
