There was a time when corporate executives used to ask a very disturbing question: Do we really need a website?<\/em><\/p>\n Switch to now, every corporation has a website. The sad part is that a lot of these websites are an equivalent of a business card \u2014 a company bio with a phone number. They give an idea of what the company does but if that\u2019s all, then it\u2019s as good as not having one.<\/p>\n To make sure you get the best out of your online presence \u2014 here are five things to keep in mind when designing your corporate website.<\/strong><\/p>\n Visitors\u2019 attention span is less than that of a goldfish. That means you have less than 8 seconds to catch their eye and build engagement<\/a>. Your website\u2019s navigation is the deciding factor on whether or not your visitors will stay longer.<\/p>\n Create a simple and a clear navigation path that helps users easily move on your website. The sooner users find the information they came for, the higher are your chances of converting.<\/p>\n Website design should be more functional. When 86% of visitors are looking to find information about your products or services<\/a> and the first thing you show is your \u2018About us\u2019 page, they are more likely to bounce off.<\/p>\n Check out the example<\/a> of how you can make your homepage all about your products without being too self-centered. As a corporate executive, you might feel the need to educate users about your company. If so you can make a ‘Company page’ a separate navigation tab. Remember, the aim of your website is to help people and not to promote your legacy.<\/p>\n A mistake committed by many corporate websites \u2014 they look as if they were made by robots, for robots. Your website design can’t look like it’s churned out of a factory \u2014 boring and cold.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t make your website a one-way experience, where your website is doing the talking and visitors are just listening. Users expect a better treatment than that. Start a conversation and engage them. You will get the insight that allows for better customer service. <\/span><\/p>\n Use live chat feature to directly communicate with your visitors, as soon as they reach your site \u2014 enable instant dialogue to provide a human touch.<\/p>\n Your website should give the impression that there are actual people involved, the idea of human presence builds trust. Here are some of the ways you can humanize your corporate website:<\/p>\n The philosophy of Kaizen was founded in Japan. It translates to \u2018new change\u2019. In management terms, it means \u2018continuous improvements\u2019. When you apply Kaizen to the way you develop your website, it will let you progress by making regular changes.<\/p>\n It doesn’t involve radical changes, instead, its emphasis is on making small steps. These continuous tweaks will later lead to a more substantial change.<\/p>\n This philosophy allows companies to make better use of their data. Often, companies try to bring in sudden innovations and fail. Kaizen teaches that once you have your data, you should use them to bring in small-scale innovations at regular intervals.<\/p>\n Let’s assume that you want to make improvements to your customer support for your website visitors. Collect customer feedback<\/a> to assess your current performance in quantifiable terms, compare the actual performance to your desired one. Start working on one metric and over a period of time, improvements in one will reflect in others as well.<\/p>\n If you want to receive many valuable feedback, invite users to send you tips via email, Facebook, or visual feedback tool<\/a> – all great for feedback gathering. Positive changes will begin to reflect on other aspects of your customer support as you get more proficient at managing your customer feedback.<\/p>\n When it comes to getting your grammar right, make sure that your proofreading skills are up to the mark. A grammatical error can make you look unprofessional \u2014 you don\u2019t want visitors making fun of your P\u2019s and Q\u2019s.<\/p>\n You can take certain grammar compromises like using common lingos or jargons, it\u2019s an effective way to engage users. But there is a very thin line between lingos and wrong grammar \u2014 be careful not to cross it.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t keep your website estranged from your overall brand marketing plan. In fact, it should be the cornerstone of your branding efforts. If you made your website \u2018brand-less\u2019 or not adapted to your branding, you don’t help customers to trust you. Differences in your brand appeal can make customers feel very doubtful of your website claims. It might raise questions on your overall corporate integrity.<\/p>\n Making the website coherent with your corporate identity should be an important aspect of your site design. Here are a few ways you can brand your corporate website:<\/p>\n By now you should have figured out that designing a corporate website is more nuanced than one can imagine. It\u2019s not to be taken lightly and corporate executives should not treat it like a business card.<\/p>\n Look at your website as your corporate brand ambassador \u2014 a place where current and potential customers can learn about your company. Keep in mind the above points. Build trust by engaging users and remember your \u2014 company might be judged through the lens of your corporate website.<\/p>\n About the author:<\/i><\/p>\n Niraj<\/strong> is the founder of Hiver<\/a>, an app that turns Gmail into a powerful customer support and collaboration tool. Niraj can be reached on Twitter @nirajr<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your corporate website has to be more than just a digital print of your company profile. It has to engage users and give them an exhaustive overview of what your corporation does. \n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0},"categories":[100,8842],"tags":[55,20,5,30],"yoast_head":"\n1. Visitors have a very short attention span<\/h2>\n
2. Don’t make your corporate website look robotic<\/h2>\n
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3. The philosophy of \u2018Kaizen\u2019<\/h2>\n
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4. Be a grammar nazi<\/h2>\n
5. Make it coherent with your branding<\/h2>\n
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Summing up<\/h2>\n
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