Not All Sites Sell Products Online
There are many other forms of sites online besides E-commerce ones that are still used to "sell". Businesses that choose to have informational sites "sell" themselves. These websites are content providers. They answer all the questions of who, what, where, how, etc. and bridge the gap between the business/individual and the customer/user.
These informational sites aren't just the Wikipedias of the world. Some informational sites are just giving context to a subject or topic, but for those who are later interested in selling a product or service, this "subject" is them. They introduce the company to customers and generate a relationship with this online audience. These websites allow for greater customer reach while giving an in-depth introduction that can tell users why they should contact the website owner.
Important Considerations
These sites are all about the content. Therefore, it is vital that you think through how you are going to lay everything out. If possible, it is beneficial to have different types of content on your site. Photographs, videos, and words. This will give a deeper dimension to your website but also to your digital version of "you".
These kinds of websites also need the most updating. As they are content-focused, a continual need to update this is important. At least monthly maintenance and review to be sure that the information is current. It is a good idea to have some form of updates, like a news section, that can intrigue users and increase your retention rates.
Additionally, you need to be sure that your contacts are highly regulated so you aren't missing any important messages--response time is important as well. If you have certain hours you will be checking, make sure to make these consistent and let customers know in a generated follow-up. Also be sure to have them visible and easy to find, such as in the footer so it appears on each page.
Just because it is an informational site doesn't mean it needs to be dry like a scholarly essay (although there is nothing wrong with those either if that is the audience you are after). There is a lot of creativity that can be imbued into these sites still. Contact us to see how we can up your informational site, whether it is still in the ideation step or already completed and in need of a re-vamp.
Connect with us on LinkedIn!