Web Strategy — Your digital identity on a page
A website today is what the shop window was 30 years ago. But even among websites there is a clear divide between good and bad. Simply having an online presence is no longer enough to deliver return on investment for your business.
We sat down with Jenny Claxton, the co-founder of Red Spark Digital, to discuss her experience specialising in helping small to medium businesses transition to a more effective digital presence without needing full-time IT staff.
Drawing on her experience assisting clients who have "DIY-d" their websites or are simply starting from square one, Jenny shared her insights on the major shift around website expectations, the importance of user experience as a starting point, and how the right platform and expert help can lead to a positive return on your investment.
Hi Jenny, it’s great to sit down and chat! Can you please start by telling us a bit about you, your expertise and how you came to be doing what you’re doing?
I actually got into web design and strategy when I was a teenager. The Internet was still a new thing at the time, and I would just mess around and make little websites for fun. I was dabbling with it while doing a series of jobs that weren’t exciting me until I finally realised that, oh, I’m actually quite good with websites! That led me to starting my own web design and consultancy agency, Red Spark Digital, back in 2013.
In my role I tend to work with small to medium businesses and I specialise in that zone where you've got a website that you did yourself or maybe bought off the shelf and you're looking to move to a more mature digital presence.
A core part of my approach is empowering businesses to manage their own updates after my work is done. I want my clients to feel that if they need to change their contact details or they want to put a new service up that they can do that themselves, they don't need to get someone in every time. However, if they need help with a bigger change or get stuck with something, they also know that I’m on hand to take that problem off their plate.
Have you seen a big change in what it means to be working in the web strategy space in the last 12 years?
Oh definitely! When I started you could put something together that was fairly amateurish, and it would kind of be OK. 12 years ago, you could get away with having something like “mybusiness.freespace.com” or whatever. Whereas now, if I'm like, oh, they're using Hotmail, it just looks a bit shoddy.
People’s expectations are higher than ever and if you don't have a professional presence, it does make you look less trustworthy than your competitors.
Another huge shift is mobile websites. If a website doesn't really work on mobile or it’s not user friendly on mobile, that is a dead giveaway of an older website and, again, just looks really unprofessional for your audience.
According to recent research, laptops and computers are still the most commonly used devices when it comes to accessing the internet in the UK. But at roughly 40% of traffic coming through mobile phones, a website cannot afford to be alienating almost half of its users.
What would you say to someone who told you that they are happy just sticking with their social media page or their barebones website as it’s too much hassle?
Firstly, I’d say fair play if that’s what you want to do and you’re happy with it. But, and this is a big but, sticking with social media or a poorly maintained website carries a lot of risk.
Your social media audience is vulnerable to things you can’t control. X, formerly Twitter, is a great example of this. It used to be great. Lots of diverse traffic, pretty much everyone was on Twitter. But then the owner changed and people who used to go on it every day don't go on it at all now.
On top of that, if the algorithm doesn't like you for some reason or they change the algorithm, suddenly only a fraction of your followers are even seeing your posts.
When it comes to your own website, you’ll always have control over how you present yourself and don’t run the risk of being banned for something silly and losing everything. But that website has to be well maintained!
Old websites are vulnerable to some really obvious security issues when they’re not using up-to-date code and, as I’ve already said, a scruffy website leaves as bad taste in the mouths of your customers.
According to a survey by Forbes Advisor, 78% of small business owners in the UK currently have a website for their business. Of those with a website, 52% either maintain it themselves or have a dedicated web team in-house to update and maintain it. The remaining 48% either use an outsourced team or a website building service like Squarespace or Wix.
What are the common pitfalls that people are falling into with their web strategy?
One of the biggest mistakes I see is when people treat their website as a separate thing, they've got their business over here and the website there. Your website is part of your business, and the overall business strategy should inform what the website does.
If your website looks amazing but doesn't result in people contacting you or buying something, then it's just pretty and it's not really giving you any return on your investment.
The way I like to look at is: what is the purpose of your website? Does it exist as a platform to sell your products? If so, make it as simple as possible for people to find what they want and buy it. Does it exist to inform potential clients about what you do? Then make it clear what you offer and how they can get in touch to learn more.
There’s nothing worse than trying to contact a business and having to fill out an overly complicated web form. Don't make it harder for people to connect with you. At the same time, if you're just giving a phone number, what about the people who would prefer to email?
Whether it’s functionality or design, the biggest pitfall is not considering your customer.
How should people be starting with this process? What tools and platforms are out there to make it easier to get to grips with web strategy?
Start with figuring out how a website can support your wider business goals and then move on to how that will work in terms of user experience for your customers. Getting this bit right makes everything else easier. A professional like myself can help you develop an initial strategy, so don’t be afraid to get support early in the process if you need it.
Then you’ll need to select a platform to build your website on. I usually recommend WordPress or Shopify. WordPress is fantastic for a site where your main aim isn't online sales. It’s incredibly customisable and scalable, but as you only need to pay for hosting, it can also be fantastic value compared to bundled services like Squarespace or Wix.
Shopify is my go-to if your purpose is selling. Though the base price seems a bit expensive, its built-in tools are really strong, so it will pay for itself once sales start coming in.
Those are my favourites, but ultimately you need to find a platform that works for your business and budget. This is another stage where professional guidance can be really valuable; we have the experience and knowledge to help you make the right choice for you and avoid expensive mistakes.
Finally, you’ll need to build the site. Most platforms have templates and design tools that can help you make a presentable site by yourself. However, hiring a professional to design and build your site can save you a lot of time and stress, as well as ensuring that your site works as intended and provides maximum value to both customers and the business.
Ready to get more from your website?
Sign up now to the Tech Adoption for Growth pilot to access the practical guidance, tools and expert support to help you master the technology and skills that will work for your business, not against it.