To be effective, your organisation's website must be attractive, clear and distinctive. It must deliver the message – what my organisation is, what we offer, and how we are distinct from our competitors.

Customers should be able to understand your services and access them with ease.

As the Internet age progresses, everyone not only expects to be able to find all information, but to have immediate access to the exact information they want.

As more and more information becomes available, everyone expects to find an exact match to their requirements – instantaneously. We all know from our own experience that if we don’t find what we are looking for on one website in the first minute or so, we’ll move on to another one. We are spoilt for choice, and we can probably choose from hundreds of other websites offering the same products and services.

These are some of the elements that require expert attention:

• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): your website should be at or near the top of the list when someone is searching for the products and services you offer;

• Design and page layout: your web pages should be neat & clean, easy to read, the message should be clear, and pages should be quick to load; your website must say who you are, and how you are different from the competition;

• Navigation: once someone has arrived at your website, they should be able to find their way around easily, clearly and quickly. If not, they will leave;

• Linking your website to access to data, where you are selling a range of products, or giving access to a reservoir of information; information must be easy to access, and clear in its presentation;

• Providing an effortless and easy route for customers to buy online, and not be put off by slow and complex shopping cart procedures, or unfamiliar purchasing options;

• Making your “members” feel welcome; if you have special areas of your website for your members, or those who have registered as clients or customers, make sure that they feel welcome and privileged, and can easily gain access to the secure areas of your website.

There is no single solution to web site design. Every organisation is unique. If the purpose of your website is to give access to lengthy and complex information (a university or technical resource centre for example), you need to make sure that this information is easy to access, read and download. If you are selling a range of products, then the requirements will be different. Customers need to find the product they want, compare it with others, and go through to purchase quickly and simply. You will also want to entice them to buy something else on the way; and come back to visit you again soon.

We can give you expert advice on all these issues, and create a website that is ideal for your purposes. We can help you monitor the effectiveness of your site, and refine it and upgrade it as your own activities evolve, and as the world of the Internet becomes more advanced.