Very surprisingly, there are alot of websites that are very old, looking like they were written in before 2005. 10 years later, we have moved beyond box-like, gif animated websites.
Having a website these days allows us so much more. for a start, the percentage of views via a pc, is dwindling. There are so many devices available and often we have multiples of them.
Think about it !!!... You have a work computer, one at home, and no doubt a laptop. you might even have a tablet. Most certainly, you have a mobile phone. Even if you don't have all of these devices, you would probably find them all within your home family. Even most of our cars are connected these days!
We use all of these devices to connect to the internet via various programs and apps. Our lives are so integrated with the internet, that we can barely function without connectivity. This is typically a problem in South Africa, during our power outages. People are now using mobile to access the internet more than they are using desktop computers.
Not only are we connected locally. Our personal boundaries now cross continents. Facebook, Twitter, Skype, email, and a hundred other tools have made it easy to have friends globally, and to be in daily contact. This extends to business as well. It is common to have meetings spanning many countries via camera, with people interacting in real-time.
Coming back to the websites of old.... the technology is available and mostly free for all websites to be world class. What is a world class website? It meets standards that we have all become used to. It needs to be available on all devices, easily found and accessible, aesthetically pleasing, functional and relevantly informative. It should also offer ways to contact you.
A geriatric website will meet very few of the above criteria.
Put yourself in your viewer's shoes. If your website cannot be found or is too slow, the viewer will move on, knowing that there are many more options available. If it doe not meet the basic requirements, it is equivalent to having a great shop, locking the doors, and staring at the clients through the glass, wondering why the won't enter. They really do want to, but end up getting so frustrated that they will go elsewhere.
Be kind to yourself and your client/customer/viewer. Allow them and yourself to interact.
Google encourages and rewards interaction. If you have the big guys on your side, they will help you to get noticed. If you don't work with them, you will be ignored, and left by the wayside.Your market is no longer limited to your local community. It is now global.
Are you ready for it?
By Carl Krimchanski (www.nascor.co.za)
