Below are some of the benefits (but by no means all) of our website content management software: SiteMaster.
Each feature has many business benefits to discuss all of which would be too lengthy a process. If you would like to discuss any feature and see how your business and website would benefit then please feel free to contact us for an informal discussion.
Creating a custom form simply and easily allows you to gather the information you require rather than what a pre-determined form asks for. Apart from getting information you may not use, you also avoid upsetting would be respondents by asking for too much information. When requesting visitors to fill in a form you must be aware that they are likely to be put off if there are reams of questions. Stick to what is necessary, if you have their telephone number you can ring and ask if you need the fax number or address. Take the work off them, let them fill in a minimal form that allows you to move this newly created relationship forward. Ask for too much and the relationship will not even start.
Having unlimited pages has many benefits. Firstly it avoids having webpages that are too long and require excessive scrolling. Any information that is below the 'crease' in the webpage (i.e. needs scrolling to) runs the risk of not being seen. You are reliant upon the visitor making that positive action. Certainly if the main point is below the crease they may feel there is nothing at first glance to interest them and therefore click away. Where possible avoid scrolling altogether, at least ensure priority messages are above the crease. This can often be a financial restraint as web designers may charge by the page and as such longer webpages save money. Save money they may do but make money they quite probably do not.
Another advantage to unlimited webpages is that it makes the website 'future proof', the website will not become out of date because your new products/services are not listed (combine it with the ability to manage the content and the website really does become future proof). New webpages can be added as required to ensure the latest items get coverage.
Unlimited Categories are similar to unlimited webpages. By having the ability to add extra categories you can keep the site tidy and easy to navigate.
Hosting - all websites need to be hosted somewhere, that is to have a physical location that can be accessed 24 hrs a day by those using the Internet. For a business website free providers should be avoided. They are usually very busy with thousands trying to get their requests down the digital pipe and thus causing blockages. These blockages can lead to your website not being seen by prospective visitors. Paid for services tend to be better plus if they do not perform to your satisfaction you can spend your money somewhere else (this is always a good point when it comes to ensuring your visitors can get to you, the provider does not want to lose your money. Free providers do not have that same incentive). Hosting costs vary enormously and many offer huge amounts of web space, do not be fooled by the numbers 10Mb of space is many times more than you will ever need, but from the salesman's point of view it sounds impressive! Typical hosting costs would be around £150 - £250 a year and more for a SSL (secure socket layer). Hosting is included in the monthly payment for your SiteMaster website.
Domain names are the address of your website and can include your company name or products etc. Some businesses use sub domains of other domain name owners i.e. company.webbworlds.com. This is not particularly impressive for the potential visitor to your site whom you want to strike a relationship up with. As far as they are concerned you cannot be bothered to get your own domain name or you are not willing to pay for it.
It is essential for any company that is serious about its web presence to have its own domain name.
As an aside they should also use the domain name for their e-mails. Often companies have a domain name but there e-mail is an aol or some other address. Domain names vary in price depending upon where you buy them and what suffix you have (.com, .net etc.). They should not cost you more than £30 a year for a .com and £30 for .co.uk (2 years). It is possible to pay more and even to get them for free. Remember though nothing is for free and those that give you a domain name probably tie you in with other charges. For example the name is free but to get a website hosted with them is expensive and if you try to move it they charge you an exit fee. A domain name and its subsequent renewals are included in your monthly payment.
Search Engine registration - some websites are created and not submitted to any search engines. The meta-tags are not created and therefore the website is difficult to see. Often this may be one of those extra hidden charges that springs up later. It is not necessarily the smaller cheaper websites that fall foul to this some larger and very expensive websites have appeared without any meta-tags. Each SiteMaster has the ability to put in the meta-tags and to edit them for more effective search engine placement. All SiteMaster sites are registered every year with the major search engines.
Website Statistics even in their most basic form can be invaluable to help improve the efficiency of your website. Monitoring how many unique users have visited your website this month compared to last may help show the effect of a particular e-mail shot, advert or mailer etc. knowing where they came from may help tell if registration in one search engine is proving more effective than another. Which pages they enter on and leave on, how long they stayed and many other statistics help improve your website and therefore your business. Website statistics are often an extra charged for item, but with SiteMaster they are included in your monthly payment.
Forums are an excellent way of creating content that will make visitors return to your website. They involve the posting of questions which others may view and answer. Topics are often called threads and new threads can be created to start a debate on a new topic. It is another good way to see the issues your visitors are having and to help them and let them gain confidence in you. There questions may receive answers or comments from others, thus building an area where expertise and experience can be sought. An effective way of getting repeat visitors.
A website can also be used to help expand the customer/potential database of the company. This list is the life blood of the company as prospects are moved from selling platform to platform. Increasing the 'targets' to move onto customers is a hard task. Many people have a website and never try to capture any data from their visitors. A member's area is a way to do this. To gain access to a members only area the visitor would have to volunteer some personal information, in exchange for this they need to perceive some value being added to their experience. If the visitor feels what they will get for that personal information is not worth while then they will not join. Do not make the mistake of not telling them what is in the restricted area before they enter, they will most likely decide it is not of value. So tell them what they get if they join and make it worthwhile then you will get new members who you can market to. Typical examples of member area content would be help and advice, discounts, regular briefings, forums and chat rooms, downloadable forms or software etc.
For those wishing to do business online but not ready to take payment on line then the e-catalogue is the solution. You may be a start up company that needs to build up interest and orders before spending more money on a full e-commerce website. Credit card orders can be taken by phone due to the low volume of orders presently. Regular customers just fill out an order form online and enter an order number and they are processed as though they had sent in their order on paper. There are many reasons why clients are not ready for full e-commerce. The e-catalogue allows clients to put as many products on their site for visitors to see and get information on. Without an e-catalogue visitors would have to pour over hundreds of pages to find the product they want (and quite probably getting all but the most determined to leave the site unsuccessfully).
When clients are ready to trade online they can have a full e-commerce website complete with shopping cart, secure area, order tracking and the ability to add/delete or change product details, price, delivery etc. Details can be entered on the secure server and picked up by the website owner to be processed manually or for an extra charge real time transactions can be done through a third party like World Pay (this charge is passed on at cost to Webb Worlds customers).
SiteMaster software is very easy to use and requires only the ability to use a simple word processing package (similar to MS Word), the ability to 'drag and drop' and Internet Explorer version 6 (freely downloadable if you have an earlier version) however Technical Support is provided by e-mail as well as through our network of Agents who can advise on the practical usage of the software.
Have a look at our Software Support site for more information
Whilst the ability to choose from a template is satisfactory for many businesses, some want their own design for their website. This is available through SiteMaster and a designer will meet with the client to discuss the requirements, a spec will be produced at the meeting and the designer will then produce a draft design. The client can then view the website design and comment on its suitability. Any points raised will be noted and rectified so as to produce the final design. This allows the client to fully integrate their website into any corporate image they may already have.
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