In the past week, I’ve come across two though-provoking articles about the future of Web sites.
In AdAge, Pete Blackshaw asks whether we still need Web sites given the growing corporate use of Twitter, Facebook and “cool” applications.
Jay Baer, one of the most thought-provoking people in social media, suggests Facebook is killing Web sites. He declares that:
“Like print newspapers, basketball players under 6 feet tall, and the McRib sandwich, the website as we know it will soon be a thing of the past – a quaint reminder of the original Internet era.”
So, the question is whether Web sites are doing the way of the dinosaur? With social media becoming a way for companies to engage with existing and potential customers, do Web sites have a strong role to play?
While Baer may disagree, I believe Web sites will remain a vibrant corporate tool. But, like Blackshaw, I believe how Web sites are created and used will change to complement social media. Blackshaw talks about how Web sites will need to be agile, flexible and easy for people to leave feedback. He believes Web sites need to become a solid foundation upon which social media, e-commerce and mobile services leverage and support.
From the work I’m doing with clients, the evolution of Web sites is already happening. Rather than simply being places to get information about what a company offers or makes, Web sites need to engage, entertain and educate. A compelling Web site should encourage people to do something – ask for more information, watch a video, subscribe to a blog, “like” a Facebook Page, follow a Twitter account, or even purchase a product or service.
The messaging for Web sites (something I’ll post on later this week) needs to quickly and clearly capture the visitor’s attention, and tell them why they should stick around (aka What’s in it for me?). If a Web site fails to immediately deliver a company’s mission statement and value propositions, time-strapped and multi-tasking visitors will move on without thinking twice.
The reality for many companies is their Web sites will need to be overhauled or built from scratch. Before the global economy swooned, many companies didn’t think twice about their Web sites other than making minor changes. After all, there was little incentive to make changes when sales and profits were booming.
Today, however, the emergence of social media is prompting more companies to re-examine their Web sites, which have become tired, outdated and uninspiring.
It’s not that Web sites are going to disappear; it’s more that Web sites are going to need more than a fresh coat of paint to stay viable. Companies will think to re-think what they want their Web sites to do, and how they are going to be aligned with their social media efforts.
So, long live the Web (Site) 2.0!
For small businesses that initially spent quite a bit of $$$ to have a ‘web designer’ build their site, and are still spending to have updates done, consider moving your site over to something like WordPress or CityMax (the company I work for is just in the process of moving everything over to CityMax). They have easy to use content management systems, are very affordable, and can incorporate almost everything you will ever need – blog, online purchases, etc.
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I believe that every company and person needs a website as a home base, but certainly a lot of activity happens within social media, and more increasingly through apps. The key is to bring people back to the home base, and to get these visitors to take some sort of action.
What’s that whole “continuum of technology”, “early adopter” yadda yadda? I think the website is only extinct for people on the bleeding edge. There are still many businesses and individuals who don’t have websites – many billions for them – and for them, getting a website is the first rung on the ladder. In fact, it shocks me how few communications consultants like me actually don’t have a website – and if they do, there often just one page landing pages with content that’s neither robust nor dynamic (but that’s still better than no website at all).
I’m not convinced in this day and age that any business can be taken seriously without a website – especially in a modern business like communications. It’s your stake in the ground, your flag on the moon that says “I’m here” (especially since storefronts are becoming a think of the past).
I look at my website as a business/calling card or brochure – a one-stop-shop centre for the basics on me and my resume, plus some regularly freshened insights into the kind of things I’m interested in, in my professional life. There will always be a need for that – a place where people can spend a little time getting to know you, rather than struggling to learn about who you are in 140 characters a few times a day.
We at HomeStars deal with hundreds of companies who look at this challenge every day. The issue is whether they can really brand themselves with other sites – like Facebook, Twitter or our site. They have a presence on our site, but we tell them that it’s one piece of a broader puzzle. Their own site is one where they will have the most control of their image. The tools, which you talk about, are to enable the customer to interact, and to share. We build these in to our site for them but nothing beats their own site with the tools to connect their other platforms like. We have widgets which customers can put in their site, similar to Yelp, and Facebook, which helps them integrate their other social media presences into their own site – making their site part of a broader community. In the end you’ll never be able to define yourself through another person’s platform.