The concept of website nurturing grew from our frustration with broken links, outdated content and "under construction" signs. Too frequently, we experienced sites that were old, dusty and made us sneeze.
We found that people were excited about developing and launching their sites. Once the site went live, however, enthusiasm declined. Maintaining and updating the website were often low priorities on a company's to-do list. And, let's be honest, it's not the most fun part of a website strategy.
Website nurturing takes care of the details that are not part of the development (IT) or design (look & feel) elements. Website nurturing ensures that content is relevant, up-to-date and responsive to your target customers' needs. At the heart of website nurturing are two critical concepts:
- Protecting your website's credibility
- Building your visitors' trust
It's not a pretty sight when the details are ignored.
Enterpulse, an Internet consulting company, conducted a study on customers' website expectations. Findings indicated "66% rarely return to sites where they've had a bad experience." In addition, "89% of business people aren't impressed with the websites they visit."
What happens when you're not paying attention?
- Loss of credibility and trust in the organization
- Website investment turns into a liability
- Brand erosion
- Unhappy visitors
- Competitors gain advantage
- Lower search engine rankings
- Missed opportunities to offer new information/services/products
- Liability issues from incorrect pricing or service/product descriptions
What happens when you nurture your website?
- Increase website value and credibility
- Gain visitor trust
- Enhance customer website experience
- Increase ROI through longer, deeper site visits
- Reinforce branding strategy
- Foster customer loyalty
- Increase sales in Internet and traditional channels
- Expand competitive advantage
- Increase conversion: newsletter registrations, product update requests, survey participation, etc.
- Stimulate return site visits and site bookmarks
- Encourage the media to view your site as a credible source for industry information/expert advice
- Improve search engine rankings
Good business - Good for business
After dedicating significant resources to develop your web presence, it's just smart business sense to include website nurturing in your Internet/branding strategy budget. Why wouldn't you?
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