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EngNet Newsletter #2

4. Website Structure

The website structure needs to be carefully designed and determined in order to provide the customer with the most efficient and effective navigation able site, while supplying the correct information. It is vital that they locate their required information quickly and efficiently without having to sort through irrelevant information that could possibly cause him to waste valuable time.

4.1.  Home Page - Website Reception

The homepage of a website can be considered the reception area of a company.  The function of the reception is to assist the visitor by providing an overview of the company and then directing the user to the specific department they require efficiently and with a smile.

From the homepage the visitor should be able to establish who the company is and what the company’s functions are. After the visitor has determined who or what the company does, he must be able to select the relevant department for further information. Therefore, we need to direct the visitor in the best possible way from your reception (Homepage).

  • Make suggestions on what information should be supplied on the homepage in order to direct the customer to the relevant ‘department’ or individual company.

4.2. Company Profile

For visitors who require a complete picture of who your company is, what you do, the duration of its existence, brief history, location, facilities, operations, etc. Provide brief to the point information with pictures.  Remember, don't bore your customers with waffle, provide only relevant information.

4.3. Products/Services

When dealing with visitors or customers, our aim is to be as helpful and hospitable as possible to ensure a mutually beneficial working relationship. This should apply to the website as well by ensuring that we fulfill the needs of each individual visitor. By providing the user with an efficient, useful and easily navigable structure we are facilitating the information search process by making their task a lot simpler, and are simultaneously catering for their individual needs by providing the correct product/service information. Therefore, the visitor has a clear understanding of the services and products offered.

Here is a template that has proven effective, upon selecting the appropriate product they are then presented with the following:

  • Keep target markets in mind

4.3.1. Pictures

The visitor is presented with a general product catalogue where pictures of the products appear as thumbnails (small images) to ensure quick download time. The thumbnails can then be clicked on for larger, more detailed, full screen images.

As the saying goes, “One good picture is worth a thousand words.” This is obvious especially when one is illustrating the individuality of each product as it provides visual identification.

4.3.2. Overview

Beneath the thumbnail pictures a product synopsis is added in order to provide an introduction and general information regarding the product and its applications or uses. This is useful for the visitor who is attempting to determine whether a product is correct without having to read through all the detailed information, as well as that is provides sufficient information for the executive market who requires information quickly and simply at a glance.

Once the visitor has selected the correct product or service, they are able to read further detailed information by clicking on the relevant hyper-linked sections.

4.3.3. Product Range

Listing a wide product range proves effective when it’s linked from the main product page where the visitor can drill down to information on the relevant specific product within the range.

4.3.4. Applications

Providing examples of applications where the products have been successfully used has proved very effective in proving their competency, as well as ensuring their success rate. Again, a brief synopsis of each example is provided, and the visitor can view more detailed information of the services performed on the particular projects through hyper-links to the Projects section.

4.3.5. Specifications & Datasheets

Visitors, and especially engineers, need to know the boundaries of the products listed for design work. For instance, they may visit the site purely to obtain the load capabilities of structural steel for calculation purposes, which should be displayed generally in table format for easy reference.

4.3.6. Price List

Not all companies are suited to providing standard price lists, however should a company have a standard price list it is worthwhile listing it as it meets the needs of visitors requiring up-to-date pricing.

4.3.7. Detail

The benefit of the Internet is that it isn’t costly to provide detail. Previously, companies were limited by the amount of detail they were able to provide their customers in the form of brochures due to expensive printing costs and the updating thereof. We believe in providing a well structured website with all the detail on the relevant products, so that if the information needs to be updated, it can be within a short few hours at a minimal expense.

It is important to provide details on the type of services offered, such as project planning, quality procedures, efficient management, motivated work force, and quality work.

4.4. Online Calculators and Designers

Online calculators and designers is one area that can be tapped to provide the best possible customer service. By providing the tools to your users to easily calculate the product required based on your products range, this will save them time and hassles and keep them returning to use your online tools regularly.

4.5. New Technologies & Innovations

Describe how the company is moving forward with new innovations, as well as how the company is doing things differently to its competitors. Provide quick details of Research and Development projects that are conducted by the company and where possible the results of applications.

4.6. New & Current Projects

In discussions with customers we usually provide information about the latest project we have acquired and how we are proceeding with it. This section informs the customer of the new and current projects, how it was obtained, the project overview, project scope, what products/services are involved, project planning, and current status or progress.

4.7. Completed Projects

In a projects/service related company, previous projects effectively form the portfolio or show case of a company. By providing the visitor to the website with a list of completed projects, they are able to determine exactly what the company’s capabilities are by the size and location of projects completed.

Providing a list of projects with pictures and a brief write up of the project is simply not sufficient. One needs to supply detail of each individual project such as:

  • Why it was awarded,

  • What new innovations/technologies were used,

  • What the company did differently to the competition,

  • What awards/achievements were obtained,

  • What the value and size of the project was,

  • What design solutions were provided to overcome limitations.

  • Provide two or three clear and informative pictures of completed projects that can be clicked on to enlarge detailed images.

4.8. News

When providing a news section, you need to make sure that you are providing News and not outdated articles about the company that are never updated. We also recommend building up a Email list so that you can inform your users about the latest news and direct them to your website.

4.9. Contact Details, Branches & List of Directors

Provide details and a list of contact persons, it is always nice to know that you can direct your Email to a specific person. It is also recommended to provide details of branches so that users can save time by contacting the relevant branch, as well as to illustrate where your company is represented in the world.

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