A Tale of Two Websites

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Can a new website and online marketing program change your business? Can a website be a significant factor in helping a company revolutionize their business?

These are questions many business owners ask themselves in their bid to find more ways to take their business to a whole new level. Whether the need is to increase revenue and bring in more customers, or to launch an extensive marketing campaign to promote a new product, business owners naturally want to implement cost-effective strategies that will deliver the best results.

In a highly digitally interconnected world, the website has emerged as the most important digital real estate any business should have. It is the hub of their online presence and the epicenter of everything they do online. It establishes its brand identity and their expertise in their field. It showcases their knowledge and command of the business niche they belong to, enhancing their credibility in their respective markets and industries.

But what is more important is that a website allows them to engage with existing customers, generate new leads, and connect them to potential clients. For a website to be effective and generate value, business owners must plan, develop, and implement various online marketing strategies that will drive traffic, convert visitors, and make sales over the long run.

Many of these business owners may already have a website and may have generated business opportunities at various levels through this online channel. The rest may still be contemplating or are already planning on launching a new and dynamic website, which they think will generate the business and revenue they are aiming for.

Whether the plan is to create a new website or upgrade the performance of an existing one, the biggest question in the minds of these business owners and marketing heads is to identify which approach they should employ for their websites and their online marketing campaigns.

There are two main routes to consider in this regard.

One is to build their websites in-house and forego the need for hiring web developers to do the job. Many business owners opt to use the build-your-own-website facilities offered by most web hosting service providers, with ready-made templates and website-creation wizards as add-on services as well. Using this approach, businesses can readily launch their websites, showcase their products and services, offer promotional freebies upon completion of an online contact form, and maybe generate some quick business transactions.

Web development
Web development

The other route moves away from the prefab or DIY approach to website creation and opts to hire the services of a professional web development company to plan, design, build, and launch their website. The company that takes this route understands and does not expect an “instant” website because they know it takes time to create an attractive and engaging design that converts visitors to customers. The website launched does not have the “prefab” or “themed” look, which thousands of other websites have, but has a more customized, visually appealing, and more compelling look.

Establishing an online presence does not end with the launching of the website, however, but moves on to the next phase of an internet marketing strategy – Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO involves in-depth analysis and audit of the website and its relevant elements – speed, performance, keywords, backlinks, mobile-friendliness, traffic analysis, competitive analysis, metadata, tags, and more.

Which route or approach in website design and development would be more effective?

The following infographic from Landau Consulting, A Tale of Two Websites,” explores the difference between these two routes in website development. Two competing companies in the same line of business will take different approaches in developing, launching, and marketing their websites. The presentation follows how each of these companies engages their clients through two different strategies, how their websites perform and generate results, and how successful their websites are in revolutionizing their business.

Can a website revolutionize a company’s online marketing programs and catapult their business toward the next level? What kind of approach in website design and development will generate the right responses from your target audience, eventually achieving the results you want?

A Tale of Two Websites” will tell you how and why.