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WORK SMART by matthew michael A Great Website Can Be An Extension of Your Staff My first memory of the online world was the AOL disc, delivered in a tin case, and the awful sound it made while connecting. My next memory of the Internet was Napster. And then, for some reason, my memories go blank until my first job. I'm sure I spent time online during college, but other than the incredibly frustrating task of registering for classes online, I just don't remember that much. It's amazing how accessibility has changed. I asked some of my younger coworkers about their first memory, and they were online in middle school. That seemed crazy until I reminded myself that my 2-year-old son watches Saturday morning cartoons on Youtube instead of the television. Times have changed, drastically. My 80-year-old grandmother emails me weekly and surfs the web. But what does that mean for your business? The Role of Your Website In a world where people stay online most of the day, a run-of-the-mill website just doesn't cut it. Depending on the product, up to 83 percent of consumers visit a company's or service provider's website 28 l MACON MAGAZINE before making a purchase. And as more and more consumers make decisions based on their online experience, the appearance, usability and accessibility of your website is more important than ever, especially if you are in a competitive market. Understanding your website's role can greatly benefit your business. Think of it as an extension of your sales staff. You wouldn't send out an unkempt salesperson to represent your company, and you shouldn't send out an unremarkable website to the consumer who is specifically searching for your product or service. Working on a website is the ideal time to consider the rest of your branding as well – message, color palette and logo. The worst thing you can do is invest in a well-built, mobile-friendly website and not have the proper design elements to make it stand out visually. Evaluating Your Website Because your website is an extension of your staff, you should evaluate it yearly in the same way you formally evaluate your team each year. Recommendations vary, but the general rule of thumb is that every two or three years you should consider updating its design. You should also be making tweaks to the website throughout the year – offer new information, update pictures and add any new products, services or staff members – this is simple, routine maintenance. Here are a few things to look at when evaluating your website: Have you added any services or products? Has your target market changed – expanded or tightened? Has your competition created a new website or branding that is stronger than yours? How do you rank on search engines for the services or products you provide? Is your website mobile and tablet compatible? Is the overall design up to date, fresh and current? Is it easy for you to make small changes to your website? New Technology About a year ago a major shift in website design occurred – Responsive Website Design arrived. RWD allows your website to automatically resize and reconfigure its layout based on the device on which AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013