Many companies that come to us for website development consultations haven’t actually thought through one key question: Why are they building a website in the first place? Some do it simply because their competitors have one; others think it looks good to have a website address printed on their business cards; and still others view a website as a standard feature that can be left to a specialist to manage, without ever considering its purpose themselves. If even the business owner isn’t clear on the purpose of the website, it’s highly unlikely that the site will achieve significant growth. Based on the cases we’ve encountered, the value of a corporate website is primarily reflected in the following eight aspects.
- Enhancing Corporate Image: A corporate website is unlikely to immediately attract new customers or generate new business, nor is it likely to boost sales right away. Its role is more akin to a long-term corporate promotional campaign—only on a much larger scale. Companies can include virtually any content they want customers and the public to know, and the cost is significantly lower than that of traditional advertising.
- Equipping Companies with Online Communication Capabilities Many domestic companies have misconceptions about the Internet; we’ve seen some companies print their email addresses—as if they were website URLs—on their business cards. In reality, email is just one of the Internet’s most basic functions. What truly demonstrates a company’s online communication capabilities is having its own independent website, not just an email address.
- Comprehensively Showcase the Company and Its Products This is the most basic function of a corporate website: systematically publishing company profiles, product information, case studies, and other content online so that customers can access this information at any time when they want to learn more about you.
- Implementing E-Commerce Features: Through their websites, businesses can directly conduct online operations—such as publishing news and updates, offering downloadable materials, and launching online stores. They can also add features like customer feedback forms, online surveys, and job postings to bring their offline operations online.
- Staying in Close Contact with Customers Overseas, people are accustomed to visiting a company’s official website directly to learn about new products, service changes, or the latest updates. Domestic customers are not yet accustomed to this method of communication, and many corporate websites are updated only infrequently. However, as more and more companies publish product information online, this situation is changing.
- Establishing business connections with potential clients is one of the most important benefits of a corporate website. Today, the Internet is the primary channel through which domestic and international buyers search for new products and suppliers—it is the most cost-effective and efficient method, and has become standard practice in international trade.
- Reducing Communication Costs: For many businesses—especially those engaged in foreign trade and exports—annual international communication costs represent a significant expense. Using the corporate email service provided with a website to send and receive emails can, to a considerable extent, replace the costs of international phone calls and faxes, which is a very practical benefit of having a website.
- Gathering Customer Feedback in a Timely Manner: Customers rarely take the initiative to provide feedback to a company, but if the website features a convenient contact form and email address that are easy to use, most customers will be willing to provide feedback. This allows businesses to collect a large amount of genuine customer feedback and suggestions.
A website isn’t just a facade for others to see; it’s the foundation for a company to conduct business online. Think carefully about why you’re building the site before you get started, so you don’t lose sight of your goals.
