In my experience, web site design is a part of your business’ marketing department. Too many times, we see web design pawned off on the IT department or other department where the staff do not know anything about marketing. As a business, you need to make sure that all of your marketing materials are consistent, professional looking, and tell a story. Why should your web site be any different? Make sure that your web site is handled by the same people that handle your marketing materials to maintain that consistency.

As far as using your web site as a marketing tool, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

• When someone comes to my site, can they figure out what we do within 2 seconds of viewing the site?
• Does the web site touch on a problem the visitor might have which will result in an action?
• Can the person reach us through the web site easily?
• Are there are a lot of “calls to action” like phone numbers, forms, buy buttons?
• Does the web site match your marketing materials?

If you see that your web site does not answer the questions above adequately, it’s time to look at a redesign.