Websites Are
More Than 'Just
A Pretty Face'
By John Healy, Contributing Editor
ll too often, we head to the
Website of a company that
interests us only to fnd that the
site is nothing more than brochure-
ware. The term "brochureware" was
coined early in the Web era, accord-
ing to Forbes.com, to describe busi-
ness Websites that were little more
than a marketing brochure presented
online in a set of static pages.
Many Websites are still just that,
unfortunately, because they lack
any real interactivity with visitors:
they do not include a Call-to-Action
(CTA) that collects pertinent infor-
mation about visitors, they overlook
keywords and search engine optimi-
zation (SEO), and they are not mobile
friendly. This is perhaps the biggest
problem since more than 50 percent
of all online content today is con-
sumed on mobile devices.
A recent survey conducted by
Automatic Merchandiser among
vending, OCS and micro market
operators revealed that 49 percent
of respondents believe that their
Websites are the most important
element of their company's market-
ing efforts. Yet nearly 60 percent of
respondents also said they do not
have a CTA on their Website that
enables them to collect any informa-
tion about visitors, and 50 percent
said they need more education and
training on CTAs.
A
John Healy is CEO
of Healy Consulting
& Communications
Inc., a traditional,
digital and social
media marketing frm
that strives to ensure
its clients' relevance while fueling their
growth and success. He can be reached
at jhealy@healyco.com.
A strong Website is eye-catching, simple, SEO optimized and includes lead generating CTAs.
36 Automatic Merchandiser VendingMarketWatch.com April 2016
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