Having been asked by our website partners iSmart for some comments on our relationship, I thought I would record how we went about developing this site.
Like many small businesses, at Australasian Leisure Management we had several 'false dawns' with our website.
We had spent money for so-called experts to set sites up for us, only to find that the expertise we had paid for was somewhat limited, or that our chosen developers couldn't deliver on what they had promised. As a result, we had relied on an MS Frontpage designed site that we managed ourselves.
Aware that we had to do more, in the second half of 2007 we set about being serious about our internet presence.
Taking testimonials from a number of leisure businesses, we came across iSmart and the websites that iSmart had developed for major sport and entertainment venues.
So, we made contact with iSmart, who encouraged us to think clearly about what we wanted from our site and its related functions.
This was vital as, from what we now know, you have to be clear about you want from a site for your website developers to be clear in what they will do for you. Such clarity also reduces the potential for wasting time and money.
Fast forwarding a few months, since we relaunched our website at the end of May 2008, in each of the three months since its launch (June, July and August) the website has generated in excess of 150,000 hits and 100,000 page views. (As of March 2009, this has grown to 242,226 page views and 516,769 hits!).
This remarkable traffic (way in excess of what we expected) has been attracted to the websites considerable content (with more to be added), our regularly updated industry news pages and areas such as our Buyers Guide and Opportunities pages (from which we are already deriving income).
Looking back on how we got to this, we can highlight that:
The various modules that iSmart offer means you can 'pick and mix' the iSmart services that you purchase;
iSmart have shown incredible flexibility in helping us develop our site. If we have a particular issue with the functionality of any aspect of iSmart's modules, iSmart have a 'fussfree' approach to sorting the problem;
Unlike many programs which begin with a one-off program of intensive training, much of which is then forgotten, iSmart's regular (monthly/bimonthly) training means that it is possible to learn about the capabilities of iSmart's programs in 'bite-sized' chunks. This learning can then be applied to continually develop and enhance your site.
While we continue to learn about the potential of our site (for which we still haven't used the full capabilities that iSmart's modules offer), I would suggest the following too anyone at the start of this process:
• Buy/register the best (the most appropriate to your business and business name) domain name(s) that you can;
• Be clear about what you want your website to do;
• Be sure to devote appropriate resources to develop your website. Nobody, not even iSmart, knows your business and your needs like you do;
• Be sure to devote appropriate resources to keeping your website up to date and relevant. (There is nothing worse than going to a website that was last updated six months ago!) Here it is important to be sure that you have a 'culture of communication' in your business, that extends to communicating what you are doing via your website.
The staggering level of traffic that we now have visiting our website is helping our business develop in a way that we could not have imagined 12 months ago, and I hope we are able to make the most of this opportunity.
I urge anyone developing a site to be prepared for what may emerge for you from working with iSmart.
Nigel Benton, Publisher, Australasian Leisure Management. September 2008.
http://www.ausleisure.com
http://www.ismartsoftware.com/ismart/
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