Diving Into the Web Experience
A lot of time and effort is put in to create a great website experience for visitors to the HTC website. And for the past (nearly) 5 years, it’s been my privilege to serve as the web administrator.
First, let me share with you – I’m a bit of a website nerd. I started creating websites back in 1998 when we got our first home computer. I designed a family site and offered my time to several organizations over the years. Along the way, I even won a few awards.Â
I love the creativity of designing a page. I like to refer to it as digital crafting. The internet has come a long way since the late 90s, and a website is so much more than a digital craft. A website is your brand’s gateway to digital success. Here’s how the HTC site achieves that digital success.
Usability
In the past 5 years, we have seen an increase in mobile traffic – that is, cellphones accessing the website. What was once 38% of total monthly traffic, mobile devices are now nearly 65% of the visits to our site.
To help visitors, we have optimized our site to adapt to the different size needs on different devices, and we will assess the layout before launching new pages. We have created web pages for files that were previously .pdf documents.
We also strive to meet ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliance standards, by adding alt-text to images, color schemes, font size, and closed captioning on all our video content.
Credibility
A website provides a company with the credibility of being an authentic business. A verified online presence offers a trustworthy source of information. And it gives us an opportunity to show how we differ from companies that offer similar services.
Organic Reach
When you search for a specific topic, you’ll see sponsored content at the top. These are ads, driven by the keywords you’ve used in your search. The ultimate goal for digital marketing is to have the keyword search provide information that is not sponsored. That is known as organic marketing and is the ultimate goal for every marketer.
We achieve organic reach in a variety of ways
- Popular keywords and search terms sprinkled in website content
- Blogs that highlight industry-related content
- Using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools that help move website content to page one of a search engine platform. How often do you leave page 1 of Google when searching for anything?
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Information and Resources
Our website is actually 2 sites: one for prospective members and one for the current members. When you visit our home page, you’ll see information on the products and services we offer, and links to information about the company, our projects and the path to our careers page.
Our member-focused pages are different in tone and scope. It is here that we offer a link to the member email (@sccoast.net), updates on current initiatives and contests, the all-important TV listing, sporting schedules and community events. There’s also a communications tab, with links to popular blog feeds, including the HTC blog and member newsletters.
And then there’s HTC support pages. This is an ever-evolving resource, which helps in answering questions our members may have regarding their services.
A Website is Evergreen
Websites are ever-changing. With technology constantly evolving, it’s important to keep up with those changes so that the content is correct and up to date. Links get broken over time, an eagle-eyed reader may spot a spelling error, a comment may need to be addressed. The support site is constantly evolving, to match the changes of our technology and services.
We take the time to make sure everything is working properly and provide our visitors with the best information available. Many times, it’s the feedback of our readers that drives changes and updates. And for that, thank you!
