In this series of posts, we’re taking a look at whether it makes sense for business owners to go “beyond the basics” when it comes to having their websites designed or upgraded. We know that there are a lot of factors that go into decisions, and that the answers aren’t always clear.

In the first post, we made the point that, all things being equal, it usually makes sense to go a little bit “bigger” with your site then it does to cut back on it and wish you had more functionality later. This is especially true when you consider that most markets are competitive enough online that you have other companies you are trying to keep up with.

But that point isn’t written in stone.

Before you even hire a website designer, it’s a good idea to take a look around and see what your competitors are doing – or even what other companies in the industry, even though they might not be directly in competition with you, are doing as well. You’re not only looking to see what works, or what you think looks good and could be profitable in your site, but also a sense of where everyone else is going on the web.

If the newer sites you’re seeing all have video, secure client account access areas, highly search-optimized pages, and so on, then you know that at least some of these are probably going to be a necessity for you, too – if not now, then at some point in the not so distant future.

On the other hand, however, if other companies haven’t considered it worth the money to go farther than posting some simple HTML pages, or setting up their sites from a template, then you know two things: first, that you have a good chance to get a leg up on them; and second, that the road from a cutting-edge website to new customers might not be that clear…or at least wasn’t to them.

This can be important, especially if you have larger competitors with advertising firms and market research companies at their disposal. By figuring out which pieces of the online marketing puzzle were important enough for them to incorporate, you can make some educated guesses about what sort of figures they came up with, and what kind of advice they got.

In the next post, we’ll take a closer look at your numbers – some quick ideas on figuring out the return on investment for any new website or future. In the meantime, get out there and study your competitors.
Want to work with Calgary’s best web design and online marketing team? Contact eKzact today to see how we turn Internet dreams into bottom line realities.

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