E-Biz Watch

1. Be clear about who you are seeking to attract to your site. Many sites we view have started with a domestic brochure which has been extended in the hope that it also suits a prime international visitor. Who is the dream visitor to your site? What would grab their attention? It might be a 20 chain store buyer in a country you are not represented in. Put ‘For International Buyers’ or similar in your global navigation and create an area that caters to their special interests, especially including indicative pricing and where you want new distributors, agents or importers from.
2. Do not be afraid to have sections of your site aimed at your different markets. This might mean you have areas for NZ consumers, NZ trade customers, international consumers, international trade customers and so on. Some areas of your site can be for registered access only (but make it worthwhile to register if possible). If you don’t want to have separate areas for audiences then at least include pricing information for volume buyers.
3. If people are expected to ring you and get a reply ensure they know when your office is open relative to other countries. Put time zones on your contact us page including a link to a free time zone converter like timezoneconverter.com. You can even get a live NZ clock graphic at worldtimeserver.com to insert in your contacts page. Stating languages available could also be useful.
4. Thought about having an international toll free number on your site? Most telcos offer them. The rates are pretty good and it makes you easier to contact than the next company.
5. Ensure that your primary contact details are at the bottom of every page. You would be surprised at how many pages are printed out and then handed to someone. No contact details mean no contact can be made.
6. Have you considered having stock levels on your site for your international and national trade buyers? While it could be a significant maintenance issue this means they will be saved from disappointment of getting the “Sorry out of stock – on back order” email from you. Nothing is more annoying when you order internationally making up an economical freight size only to find that half of what you ordered is not available.
7. Consider including an option to send samples easily. An online form with the postal details is a good way to also collect interested contacts. The NZ Trade Centre offer a sample sending service delivered door-to-door with DHL arranging for the sample to be sent and for the cost to be recovered from the person requesting the samples. The buyer pays and you therefore ensure that the request is serious. You can always offer to deduct this cost off the first order. The program allows NZTC to charge the credit card of the requesting party, forwards the request to you, notifies DHL with payment made to you monthly by NZTC.
8. Put your Dun & Bradstreet number on your site. At no extra cost you show that Dun & Bradstreet have recognised that you are a company. It means that a potential buyer or supplier can quickly and easily get verified information on your company. Credibility is a big issue for most NZ companies so links to any other credential-building affiliates or partner links like the NZ Trade Centre are useful. In or around the bottom navigation is a clear and subtle place to place them. Any logos should be sized big enough for recognition but not over the top.
9. Searching and browsing is usually key to provide access to products and support content. A search tool is needed unless your site has very few pages. Browsable navigation should provide multiple paths to desired content, and ideally offers the user trust-building options at every step of their journey in getting to know you and your offering. A right-column panel or sidebar on all your web pages is invaluable in featuring links to complementary information or interactive utilities that may engage the user further. Some sites offer configuration or needs matching to products tools, useful external links, if-then simulators, calculators, customisation simulators, or games but only choose ones to complement progress toward the end game rather than distract users.
10. Register the most likely versions of international style domain names for your company. Obviously a .com address is still the gold standard but there is the .biz also and sector specific ones. Your ISP or web host can point each address to the same website so you can get broader catchment and greater credibility for little cost. Use the best international address you have when promoting your site internationally.
11. Have you had your site recently optimised for search engines? The SEO field moves quickly and is worth getting good advice from the growing number of specialists around. They will tune your site to include likely search phrases in the right places and can help suggest good Google AdWords for you to try.
12. Have you tried to print the key pages from your site? The printed version can put breaks in appropriate places and include a lot of undesired navigation so product or other important information may need a printable version.
13. If your site is primarily for exporting products then quote all your products in US dollars (USD$). If your site caters for NZ and export then offer at least both.
14. Watch your date formats. Short form dates, e.g. 5/11/09 can be interpreted as either 5th of November or 11th of May depending on country.

When you are ready we can review your site to ensure it is fully tuned for the global marketplace with one of the assessment options available.