Welcome to the first issue of The Minerva Minute for 2004. My goal is to publish regularly this year, just as I recommend that my clients do! (You've heard about the cobbler's barefoot children...) I start out this month with an article about lazy websites — all fat and no protein. Please feel free to forward this using the link at the bottom. Thanks, -Andrea Harris-

If you missed my unabashed promotion of the Wall St. Journal article that quoted me last month, it must mean you had better things to do on Christmas Eve. Originally in the print edition's Marketplace section, you can now read it at the following link: Did You Boost Your Career At the Office Holiday Party?

Fat, Dumb, and Happy Websites

Almost every business has a website, but many websites are fat, dumb, and happy. They take up space, cost hundreds of dollars in hosting fees, and do nothing to help the business. It’s not enough just to HAVE a website. Businesses should have websites that WORK for them.

You might compare these lazy websites to mere online brochures. But really, they’re more like brochures stashed in a dusty box, stuck between the cartons of copier toner and coffee filters.

Fat, dumb, and happy websites are on the lowest rung of the marketing food chain. Their messaging is inconsistent with the company’s ads, flyers, and other materials. Perhaps they were created with cookie-cutter templates that do nothing to differentiate the business from its competitors. They don’t encourage visitors to do anything, like subscribe to a newsletter, download a white paper, or pick up the phone. No one monitors email received through their contact forms, making them virtual black holes for leads.

How Websites Get Lazy

Some websites are born lazy. Others get that way from neglect. How it happens may depend on a company’s intentions when it had the site built.

Business owners create lazy websites when they feel they have to be on the Web for the sake of being on the Web. They have no specific objectives in mind beyond “We need a website.” They build their sites, pat themselves on the back, and walk away. Meanwhile, their sites languish untended, carrying old news, inaccurate information, and, in extreme cases, even the bios of long-dead employees!

Or they had the perception that the Web is a panacea for a lack of good marketing materials. They posted irrelevant content — as if putting something on the Web magically makes it good. Software developers used to have an acronym for this syndrome: GIGO — Garbage In, Garbage Out.

Part of the problem is lack of accountability — no one in the company has been designated as “owner” of the website. Or, perhaps the entire website effort was outsourced, with no provisions for ongoing maintenance.

In a smaller firm, the problem can simply be due to a lack of time. It takes discipline to focus on marketing when that requires taking time away from your customers — and immediate revenue.

A Kick in the Pants Is Needed

So what do websites need to become productive? First of all, they need someone who cares enough about the business to set higher expectations for its marketing efforts. A website needs to deliver a return on its investment — even if it can’t be measured in exact numbers.

Some thought needs to be put into how the website can enhance and reinforce the company’s other marketing and business activities. In small firms (which benefit the most from the level playing field the Web provides), the website needs to be managed as an active extension of other sales efforts, not an afterthought that can be ignored without consequence. In a larger company, the person who “owns” the site needs to establish and maintain strong relationships with other parts of the business to ensure they all work together to supply the newest, most relevant content from their departments.

Attract Traffic…

Lazy sites do nothing to attract visitors. They’re often so far down in the search engine results pages that you can’t find them unless you are truly determined (and how many prospective customers are?). That’s because these sites were not built with search engines in mind.

If a company cares about being found on the Web (and isn’t that why they built their site in the first place?), they need to invest some energy in optimizing their website for search engines. Ignoring search engines is like hiding your retail store’s front door in an unmarked back alley, while your competitors have brightly lit storefronts on the main thoroughfare. How many pages of links in the search engine results do you think your customers will be willing to wade through before reaching your site?

There are many other online and offline ways to attract traffic, including placing a listing in relevant directories, and contributing articles to other websites and publications.

…And Then Do Something with It

Attracting traffic to a company website is only half the battle. Giving site visitors what they want, or getting them to do what you want, is the other half.

Suppose a prospect sees your URL and decides to take a closer look at your business. Is the home page perfectly clear about what your business does? Are the management team bios comprehensive, instilling the confidence that this is a real company with real people? Are your products and services described in terms the customer can understand, or is your copy a stew of jargon-filled company-speak? If you sell a product right on the site, is it easy to find and buy?

How about those site visitors who aren’t ready to call you now, but might need you in the future? What happens when they leave your site? Chances are they’ll forget all about you. Give them a good reason to sign up for your email list, so you can start building a long-term, nonthreatening relationship with them. After they’ve received several informative, nonpromotional emails from you, they may be ready to buy or to refer your company to an acquaintance.

There’s no excuse for a lazy website. Just like an employee, a website should WORK for the business.