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Fully Integrated Websites...

Guest post by: Faith Seekings

Article Overview: Web site visitors expect more interaction than traditional 'brochure-ware' sites offer. Fully integrated sites marry that with practical needs. In this article I discuss how to manage your content quickly and easily and keeping your site fresh for both visitors and Google.

Fully Integrated Websites...

... The next step in the evolution of websites. Visitors expect more interaction than traditional 'brochure-ware' sites offer, and 'fully integrated sites' marry that with practical needs. To be relevant to your organization it could mean different things. For the most part it means integrating into your sales cycle, or the internal and external functions and needs of the organization. Integration used to be associated with huge websites and trigger 'cha-ching' in one's head, meaning higher costs. Today, an integrated website is within everyone's reach and can be managed internally with open-source systems.

WordPress and Drupal are content management systems with many open-source modules that can be adapted to your brand and needs without starting from scratch, e.g. shopping carts, content control, contact management, event registration, email centres, membership management, payment processing, forums, private areas and info, polls, etc. Soon you’ll even be able to connect directly into Quickbooks.

How does this effect your sales cycle? Polls are fun, but imagine converting a practical part of your process, like an intake form, online. Giving site visitors something to do keeps them there longer, or draws them back. Visitors are drawn further into your funnel and converted to prospects.

Being able to manage your content quickly and easily is a must to keep it fresh in the eyes of visitors and Google.

What about your organization? What if you could also use your website to centralize and manage specific tasks, like events and applications? Or, integrate the back-end to streamline business processes? The intake form example is simple and means less paperwork.

This type of site can be particularly important for associations and organizations that have public and private sections or need to reach multiple stakeholders. You can also grant varying degrees of access to your site and encourage more contributions and interactions from your various audiences.

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Article Tags: cha ching, contact management, content control, content management systems, different things, drupal, event registration, external functions, font style, font weight, funnel, google, management event, membership management, open source systems, payment processing, private areas, shopping carts, source modules, starting from scratch



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