Follow these guidelines to make your corporate website more effective:

Identify your brand. Clearly present what the company offers, your corporate philosophy, key employees and what makes your business stand out.

Know your audience. Who is visiting your site? What are they looking for? Communicate how your product or service can benefit them or offer them value.

Engage with content. Work with professional writers to develop text that reflects your company’s style. If your business is more casual, your site should echo that culture.

Keep text concise. Most users do not have hours to spend on your website. Make it simple for them to identify the key components that support your positioning. Using bulleted text and downloadable PDF files will help to keep text simple.

Make it easy to navigate. Make site navigation easy to find, and keep it consistent. Name the main level buttons clearly so they are easily spotted on each page.

Be interactive. Give users a place to comment on your site. This will help you improve and customize it specifically for them.

Respond quickly. Users want swift results. Automate replies which tell the visitor when someone will respond personally to their question or need. Better yet, respond immediately.

Collect data. Ask users how they heard of the company, what their specific needs are and if they would like a follow up call or mailing. Link their email address to your database for future marketing.

Be proud. Allot a budget worthy of your company’s needs. A good web boutique will help you decide how best to allocate your dollars to meet your goals.