The Avogadro Group wanted to improve its image and also improve the usability of its site by staff, prospects and others in the industry. The objective was to have a professional website that engaged visitors and also provided some real tools to associates and industry peers.
Read more on our Avogadro Case Study.
Website Functionality Ideas. Consider adding these tools to your website with your next redesign.
1. Keep your pages fresh with live feeds: On the Avogadro Group site we included a feed on the home page and in the sidebars that automatically produces the first few lines from the most recent Blog post and case study. This quickly showcases Avogadro’s expertise.
2. Create your own social media: One of Avogadro’s goals is to become the “expert” in the stack testing industry. We set up a forum called Stack Exchange, where testers and environmental managers at manufacturing companies can exchange ideas and solutions. With this set up Avogadro is positioning itself as a “go-to” resource for everything related to stack testing.
3. Get your staff involved: The Avogadro Group has over 20 project managers, all with substantive stories to tell about the success they’ve accomplished for their clients. We created an area on the site so that staff can log in and submit a case study directly to the website admin for approval and posting. This saves everyone time and greatly reduces email and Word document back and forth.
4. Using a database to create cross links: One way to improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) is to create cross links, i.e., link pages within your site. For The Avogadro Group we used a database to store all staff bios and all areas of industry expertise, and then linked the two together. Voila! The service you need and the right people to call, all in the same place. Click here to see how it works.
If you’d like more ideas on functionality to add to your website, just email us.
Further reading about web development on our blog:
- Important advice about the function of web sites
- Web site for a book author is the home base for her marketing
- Web site planning process uncovered
This blog is really helpful because many companies want this new experience for their websites but just do not know where to begin. Since you offer examples and links with the examples, these types of website changes seem doable.
I think a lot of businesses think that by adding information that other competitors have on their web site it attracts the clients and this is wrong. Because the title of this article is exactly what customers want an “EXPERIENCE” not just a more high end web site but they want a web site that allows them to access the information that they are looking for. They want that same type of experience that they get when they go shopping at the store so this article gave some good examples on how a company can provide that to the consumer. It’s all about having the information that customer needs at “their finger tips”. Specially now that businesses need to promote on the web they need to be informed of how to give the customer the best experience through the web.
I think that these ideas that you mention to use in order to help your website succeed are a great idea because it can help your company gather more customers, let your customer know that you care about being the best and are willing to let them enjoy the experience. I remember doing a project for my marketing class and one of our goals was to help the company that we were working for to find different ways of helping their company succeed, and one thing we worked on was helping them expand their website in many different ways such as updating it every day and live feeds. The goal is to find different ways to help your company succeed.
this web site is very helpful i would agree because companies who are not technological savvy are struggling with either featuring or developing websites for their company. i also agree with having a live feed and have multiple uploads either daily or weekly because costumers are wanting to stay in tuned with companies they support especially if the live feed is talking about deals the company might be offering (especially with our financial problems we are experiencing in society). i also like how this website has examples and clips to help make the process easier for other companies to follow.
Not only did I agree with all of the website changes undertaken as far as the experience goes, but I also found that aesthetic changes that were made were a huge help to the website as well. In the example pictures given, the before shows negative space that really just confuses the viewer on what to do. The new one however has great complimentary colors with the white backdrop against the text and large lettering in the titles so that you know exactly what you are reading.
Now more then ever it is incredibly important for businesses to understand the huge impact that a web site can have on the success or not of a company. Not only that, but if the web site is a good one, then more often then not the business/ company will see the reward of that through sales. As a young adult living in the midst of the technology buzz, I visit countless web sites a day, and most of the time they are all the same. But on the rare occasion when I come across a web site that catches my attention by being different or more engaging I am very likely to share that web site with friends and family. Meaning that that particular web site is getting much more traffic and that they are in turn more likely to get more business from that internet traffic. With that said, I think that this blog is incredibly helpful in giving a few good ideas that can help people get started on revamping their web sites to make them better and more appealing to internet users.
The “stack exchange” gave me a great idea for our client (a Catering Company) to have the same type of expert-ease section for their website, perhaps a “recipe exchange.”
-Caitlin Jacobson
I agree by redesigning a website and making it more interactive or more professional, your business will increase. I would either have to take some classes in web design or pay someone to set up a website for me.
A well-designed website is a powerful marketing tool. Another good example is the “Uniqlo” website (Japanese based fashion retailer.) You can tell how much effort/money they put into the website. The result is a vibrant, innovative and interactive marketing tool which reflects a professional organization. (That pays attention to the little details)
http://www.uniqlo.com
Webmasters are under appreciated, keep up the great writing.