When do websites become web applications?

Understanding the role of your website and making it do more for you and your business.

The purpose of your website

Websites have become the business card of the modern day. It is now expected for you, as a business or individual, to have a web presence. If you send me and e-mail, a referral, a flyer or even spam, the first thing I will be looking for is your website.

It’s pretty much unheard of for a modern business not to have some kind of web presence. Most companies should strive to update their site content at least once month, but ideally once a week. Then a major refresh every 3 to 5 years. This isn’t just for SEO purposes, but so your consumers can tell you are moving with the times.

But what does your website do for you?

The business card

So, looking back at the ‘business card’ of today, your website should at the very least portray who you are, what you do and how (hopefully) to contact you.

This is a website at its most raw. A minimum if you will.

The magnet

Ideally you can work your website into gathering interest for you. Instead of people looking at your site because you have asked them to, or after a meeting, you want the website to do work for you.

Either through SEO, adwords, social media or just clever marketing your website would ideally be bringing business to you.

If you have something that could be realistically sold online, then this is the eCommerce dream – visitors flocking to your site with an end game of purchasing your product.

The application

But what if you don’t sell items online? What if you are a service based industry, a charity or organisational body?

Well at this point you need to consider what, beyond getting someone to pick up a phone, could your website do for you?

This is where your website could help aid your business, clients or streamline your business processes. A web application should be an extension on your business, either gathering information, providing relevant information to your customers or automatic workflows.

In its simplest form, this could be a contact form that automatically routes correspondence do a particular mailbox based on choices made. More complicated could be a member’s area (collecting marketing data) that allows your customers schedule services.

This is when your website starts to become a web application. It’s a simple leap, but could make your investment in your website give a considerably better return.

What could you do?

Every business is unique, what a web applications could do for you will vary to the next person. That’s why developers should take time to understand your business.

However, take the time to think about the following:

• Could the information I collect about my online visitors be richer?
• Are there common requests that could be done online? Such as bookings, scheduling, Q&A or live chat.
• Would my customers benefit from a members area for account details, special offers or services?
• Are areas in my business that could be automated?
• Would staff benefit from information being available online instead of only on premise?

If you believe you can, then maybe it’s time to make your website work for you.