By briefly charting the history of the corporate website it’s possible to gain an insight in to where we might be heading. Alex Aspinall reports
Such is the speed of digital progress that regardless of when you first logged on – before the dotcom boom of the 90s or even as recently as last year – it’s a guarantee the online experiences you’re encountering will have changed measurably. ‘Game changing’ developments seem 10-a-penny these days and our desire for ever slicker web experiences knows no bounds.
But where are we heading? What is the purpose of the corporate website in this rapidly approaching future? And what tactics should we employ to ensure continued web success? These were the questions dominating a thought-provoking seminar hosted by digital agency Purestone last month.
From past to present
In order to address these issues it’s useful to look backwards, initially at least. When corporate websites first started joining the ranks of early web pioneers such as CERN, IMDB, Pizza Hut and MTV they were obviously pretty ropey affairs by today’s standards. Simple, text-heavy pages offered the visitor key information about what the organisation did, and maybe bits and pieces regarding where they were based and how to get in touch. You might even have found a press release or two there.
You could possibly argue the core objectives of the corporate website aren’t hugely changed. What has changed though is the degree to which a company is likely to be judged by the quality of its web presence. The website has transformed from being an almost amusing brand add-on to becoming the central communication vehicle and major brand identifier for the vast majority of companies. It is no longer an option for serious companies to try and hide behind substandard websites. The significance of this change cannot be overstated.
James Smee, co-founder of Purestone, says: “The corporate website is critical. It forms the backbone to the B2B digital conversation. It has a part to play in new business, retention, staff recruitment, internal education, the list goes on. It is no longer a closed book destination, but an essential conversation facilitator that works with social and other channels to help B2B audiences understand every aspect of a business’ DNA.”
Of course, the digital landscape is notoriously unforgiving terrain. And making sure your house is in order requires more than just ensuring you’ve got an SEO-friendly, efficiently functioning website. In fact, even if your website optimises based on the device accessing it, boasts the latest HTML5 experiences and features images that would put the hippest Instagram user to shame, you’re still not even close. That’s because the digital world is so much more than just websites these days. Customers, prospects and strangers experience your brand without ever labouring over entering your URL. The world is social, mobile, local, instant and, not to mention, personalised. And those things don’t really mesh too neatly with the traditional idea of corporate websites.
More than a website
The upshot of all this change is twofold. And, as usual, we’re presented with a heady combination of challenges and opportunities. Our digital experiences are no longer limited to leapfrogging from one website to the next. People don’t type in URLs like they used to, and (unless you’re either very lucky or very interesting) they aren’t likely to cruise by your site on the off-chance you’ve published something relevant. So, the negative is: people are largely ambivalent about your website. They’ll take it or leave it, happy to experience your brand (or not) in any number of other digital locations. This means you have to be in several places all at once to stand a fighting chance of persuading people to look at your website.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Because if you’re navigating the social and content minefield correctly, the website you spent so much time and effort on should once again resume its place front and centre. And this is good news because, after all, it’s the only place on the web you are truly in control of the brand experience you deliver. Indeed, it’s the vehicle through which you should be striving to deliver those personalised brand experiences we’ve all been hearing so much about. If the personalisation of marketing messages is the future of the web, and there’s a fair few throwing their weight behind such predictions, your corporate website is going to become more important than ever before.
Indeed, Chris Vezey, sales director at customer experience management platform provider Sitecore, believes the fragmentation of the digital landscape has already reinforced the website’s importance. He says: “For B2B organisations the corporate website is the most important outlet for digital assets.
“[In the future] the corporate website will have to adapt to the visitor and their needs. In essence, we need to do online what we do offline; have a conversation that adapts to the visitor with relevant information appropriate to their current needs. And it needs to be an integrated part of all the organisation’s touchpoints enabling the visitor to conduct a coherent and consistent conversation across all channels.”