Because of the attractive potential of web technology and its worldwide reach capability to interact with users and the apparent ease of building sites, many organizations are rushing headlong to establish a presence. Many are taking a haphazard approach, resulting in wasted money and, more significantly, lost opportunity.
Forrester Research found that one of the most common mistakes companies make when implementing Websites is not having a clear vision or purpose for the sites. Websites can represent a significant investment in time and resources. That's why, whether you are considering a Web site for the public Internet or your corporate Intranet, it's important that you pursue a well thought-out process in planning, implementing and monitoring your site.
A business-oriented approach to planning, deploying and refining your Web site. By addressing the factors identified in this process, you can take full advantage of the power of Websites to maintain a competitive edge.
Web technology makes possible exciting new business models for marketing, communications, commerce, publishing, advertising, client/server applications, telephony, business process optimization, entertainment and eventually broadcasting. With a Web site, an organization can reach a worldwide audience of literally millions of people, quickly and effectively. Because the Web is interactive, it can custom-tailor the information it delivers to each person for maximum impact. That's why organizations and individuals are implementing Websites at an astonishing rate.
A Website can revolutionize the way you do business. It can help you increase revenues, decrease costs and build tighter relationships with customers, employees and business partners. As you gain experience with your Website, you can continue to integrate it with your business, taking advantage of its unparalleled reach and high level of interaction to increase your competitive edge.
Establishing and maintaining a Website can represent a significant investment. To realize maximum return on that investment, you'll need to plan your site carefully, design it to take full advantage of the Web's unique capabilities, market it effectively and refine it continually. This requires expertise in a variety of areas, many of which are new to your organization.