2. They use technology that's appropriate to their mission. Again, our General Excellence honorees provide sterling examples. At All-Outdoors Whitewater, it's the virtual mile-by-mile tours and equipment illustrations. At Nova Cruz it's the all-angle views of those hot little scooters. Cadkey Corp. ( www.cadkey.com), a software company based in Marlborough, Mass., our second-place finisher in Customer Service, earned our judges' respect for its judicious use of Flash animation technology. Cadkey's Flash presentation appears on the middle of its home page "but doesn't dominate it," said Bruce D. Weinberg, associate professor of marketing and E-commerce at Bentley College, in Waltham, Mass. "Every other part of the home page is visible and available" -- a blend of dazzle and restraint that customers undoubtedly appreciate.
3. They streamline design. More and more, successful Web sites are demonstrating that when it comes to design, the most important issues are clarity and ease of use. "Too many sites used nonstandard navigation, probably in an attempt to be leading edge. One of the entries even mentioned this as a goal," said Web-design guru Nielsen. "You don't impress people by being difficult to use. You impress them by taking the standard design elements they already know and using them well and by stressing informative and helpful content." Of course, there's no such thing as the one best way to design a Web site. Successful approaches are as varied as the customers they target. What's important is that a site's design reflect an understanding of the needs and desires of its end users. (See " Duh-sign of the Times.")
4. They make sure their sites work. Enough said.
5. They make it easy for customers to learn about and contact them. Often, accomplishing that is as simple as creating two key pages -- "About Us" and "Contact Us" -- and making them highly visible on the home page and easily accessible from anywhere else on the site. The About Us page should tell the company's story, at the very least including a mission statement or explanation of "what we do," a brief history, and short bios of key executives. It might also include customer testimonials, press releases, and links to media coverage. The Contact Us page should give visitors everything they need to reach the company: mailing addresses, E-mail links, phone and fax numbers, and, if appropriate, driving directions and a list of whom to contact for what. In addition, it's a good idea to prominently post the company's privacy policies, explaining what information the business is collecting and how it will be used.
6. They do ROI reality checks. It's important to know just what you're gaining from all that time, money, and expertise you've poured into your Web site. Nobody does it better than our first-place ROI winner, Ipswitch Inc. ( www.ipswitch.com). Because the software developer, based Lexington, Mass., examines ROI from every conceivable angle, its executives know that for every dollar they spent on Web- related salaries and resources last year, they generated $22 in online sales. They also know that had those sales been handled by real live customer-service and sales reps, the company would have spent an additional $2 million on salaries. (See " Many Happy Returns," page 150.)
7. They constantly look for new ways to expand their Web use. Those range from digital newsletters to online forums to contests to relevant activities encouraging customer loyalty and participation. For example, Earth Treks Inc. ( www.earthtreksclimbing.com), a mountaineering company based in Columbia, Md., won second-place Marketing honors for creative features such as climbers' journals and virtual participation in climbing expeditions. (See " Traffic Magnets.") Such interactive efforts are, in fact, a prerequisite for success on the Web, says judge Beerud Sheth, cofounder of eLance Inc., in Sunnyvale, Calif. "Web sites need to facilitate interaction and transaction," he says. "Teasing Web users with content online just to pull them off-line is not the right approach. The businesses that will succeed online are the ones that provide users with as much of that experience online as possible."
Overall, our judges say, this year's competition proves that, despite the setbacks of the past couple of years, Web-based small business is far from finished. "The Web lives!" crowed Richard W. Oliver, professor of management at Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. "Companies with a good plan and reasonable dollars and a sensible approach can still make money on the Web."
Anne Stuart is a senior writer at Inc.
The 2001 Inc Web Awards
The Best Small-Business Sites in America
The 2001 Inc Web Awards: Winners
A Web Strategy Runs Through It
Traffic Magnets
Duh-sign of the Times
Home Groan
Many Happy Returns
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