Updated: 7 Tips For Creating A Manufacturing Website

In the past year, we have seen an industry shift with regard to manufacturing companies; more of an emphasis has been placed on their websites in order to disseminate information. However, the one thing that still hasn’t changed is that the majority are still underestimating the power of an online marketing tool that can be their website. In other words, they create websites that don’t do their quality of work justice, and fail to provide users with the best experience possible so that they can capitalize on a potential revenue stream from website traffic. With that said, if it’s time for you to rehab or create your manufacturing website, there are 7 key aspects that you need to remember:

Design — First and foremost is the visual design of your website. With the web evolving every day, your visitors are looking for the most eye catching and visually stimulating designs, and will choose to bookmark or shop from your site if you have a professional layout that is customized to your industry. For example, if you are in the construction you can have your web designer utilize a wood grain background.
Usability — How easily users are able to navigate through your website as well as find the information they are truly searching for is the second most important aspect of your manufacturing website. A great suggestion to aid in the ease of use is through the use of a thorough sidebar or a drop-down navigational menu that allows the user to quickly and easily access a majority of your site’s content.
Interactivity — As you are in a manufacturing field, your clientele and/or visitors want to be able to explore your products and services through their site movements and actions. So, in the construction field, they want to be able to navigate through a house that you have constructed or rehabilitated by the pointing and movement of their mouse instead of just flipping through the photos of your portfolio.
Uniqueness — Every manufacturing website has testimonials, but what if your site has video testimonials to add some flare to your recommendations? You would be a cut above your competition, right? Right! That is what uniqueness is all about…the personal flare that you can add to your site from video testimonials to a support forum with replies within 24 hours. The key to using unique features to your site is solely to take it to the next level and raise the bar for your competition.
Consistency — With any website, but especially for the manufacturing industry it is extremely important for the information to be consistent with the overall message you are trying to deliver to your audience. In other words, your pages need to cover the subject information. This means that your page about rehab homes should not discuss new construction homes or bathroom remodels, etc.
Content — This is a combination of number 4 and number 5 as your content that you include on your pages and overall site must be unique and grab the attention of your audience. Your site’s content should be a menu of action verbage as well as calls to action from your audience while maintaining a perfect balance of keywords to maximize search engine optimization. This is never an easy task, but is something that is the be all and end all of every website out there.
Contact Information — I cannot stress this enough for all of you, but you need to be readily accessible for each and every single one of your visitors. Include as much information and information as possible (Skype, Meebo, AIM, Phone, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). You want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to reach you (especially if you are a one-man shop).

As you start your site construction for your manufacturing company, make sure that you remember those seven quick tips. They will significantly help you gain the edge over your competition, and (as always) make sure you contact IMPACT as you begin your search for a web designer.

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If website design is something that you are interested in but don’t know how to get started, contact us today to schedule your free marketing analysis.

Sources:
“The Essential Step-by-Step Guide to Internet Marketing”-E-Book
SlideShare.net
Image Source: HubSpot, “The 2011 State of Inbound Marketing”, E-Marketer.com

About Andy Scherer

Professionally blogging and designing top search engine ranked web logs and websites for the past 5 years, Andy has published thousands of articles throughout a broad scope of topics. With a degree in both Psychology and English, he consistently ties his work into the behavioral and emotional responses of his audience through specific writing techniques and formulas. Along with his writing ability, Andy also specializes in Search Engine Optimization, social media marketing, and brand marketing. He is technically sound with XHTML, CSS, WordPress, and all social networking platforms. Through his experience, Andy innovatively creates blog articles that keep audiences coming back for more..

Categories: Website Design