Merge

There are a lot of BAD web sites out there—we all know that. If I had a nickel for every time someone said, “You should call so and so. Their web site is awful.” If that is all it took to get new clients, Merge (and every other web firm) would be set with new clients for life.

In the last couple of years, the business world has realized the value of web sites, and now instead of finding a bad site for almost every web site you go to, you can expect that a decent company will at least have a pretty good web site.

So “Good” is the new bad and Great becomes a necessity. Here are 5 elements of a web site that will take your site from Good to Great:

1.  No holds barred look and feel. A polished, clean look is now the sign of a Good web site. You need to take it to the next level. How will your look and feel differentiate you from everyone else's “Good” web site? Looking like everyone else isn’t a strategy. It’s the status quo. Great web sites have a differentiating, outstanding, "ooh that's different" look and feel.

2.  Personality. Individuals are surfing your webweb site. As evidenced by the explosion of Social Media, people have an innate desire to connect and as such, people want to do business with people. Great web sites have personality. They reflect the personality of the company as well as the personality of the employees featured on the web site. Good web sites say, “blah blah blah” and you could insert any other company’s name and you couldn't tell the difference. Great web sites you can’t mistake for anyone else but the company itself. You could swap out a logo or substitute a name, but that wouldn’t fool you. You would know whose web site it was.

3.  Value. Good web sites are informational. Brochures. You know, just like any other paper brochure that you look at for 5 seconds and then throw away. Great web sites provide value. They have content, usually in many forms. From blogs, to podcasts, to whitepapers to information rich forums. A Great web sites provides the user with value. Good web sites just talk about themselves.

4.  Action. Good web sites let you sort of flail around, and when all else fails the contact button can be clicked when the user has absolutely no idea what he should do. A Great web site allows users to take action. Whether it’s momentum building action that builds up inertia throughout the web site, or it’s multiple calls-to-action that asks the user to do something. Good web sites ask for little or don’t encourage the user to do anything. Great web sites encourage the user along and then allow them to interact at all sorts of different levels.

5.  Results. Ask an owner of a Good web site what their web site has done for them and they either don’t know or they may guess. A Great web site has defined success. A Great web site has a clear objective and a clear vision for what it is supposed to accomplish. A Great web site produces measurable results.

Bottom Line: In the world of web sites, Good is no longer good enough. To stand out and best the competition, make sure your web site has these five elements, and you’re on the way to greatness.