The top ten simple things your website does, or can do.
10. Manage Email Lists for Free
A website can collect user email addresses and arrange them into lists that you can email with information or offers. All it takes is adding a small form to a webpage and connecting to a service that handles the rest. If you're running a CMS (Content Management System) like Wordpress or Drupal you likely already have access to pluggable "modules" that will let you collect, sort, and email your lists from the same interface as the rest of your website. If you don't have access to add that type of functionality or don't want the hassle of maintaining it you can use a service like MailChimp that offers email lists for free .
9. Let people Contact You
It's so easy, all you need to do is leave your name and phone number or email address somewhere on your website. You can even get fancy using contact forms that help shield spam. If you're a big agency you can build a directory and search function for all of your employees. If you're running a CMS the functionality is likely already available.
8. Work on a Mobile Phone
It's not difficult for a website to work on a mobile phone. Most mobile browsers open the page much like it would look on a computer screen. From there you can zoom in and out to read the different parts of the website. Where websites usually fail is not having touch friendly navigation where links are too close together. If you're using a CMS and want to take things a step further you can use a mobile theme.
7. HD Images or Video
Everyone's a photographer now. Digital cameras and video have become inexpensive enough that it's not hard to get your hands on the technology. Once you've taken your photos and videos you can either host them on your website your self, or embed them on your website using a service like YouTube or Flickr.
6. Manage Content
Maybe you want to run a sale, or maybe you want to update the company's description. You could even write blog posts on your website. Any type of content, text, video, or sound, you have the ability to put on the web, modify and configure it, or delete it entirely.
5. Modify Its Appearance
Most if not all CMS and website platforms let you swap your website's appearance in and out without having to move or modify the content. These are called themes. They come in all shapes, colors, and qualities. Some themes are free, some cost money. Some themes have additional functionality like working on mobile browsers or having a fancy homepage. It's easy to find themes on the web.
4. Post Updates to Social Media
When you want to reach a slew of people it's as easy as clicking a few buttons. Facebook Likes are shared with your friends, Tweets are shared with your followers and search engines, and a myriad of other social networks function in a similar way. It's simple to add a Share Bar with different social buttons that let you and your visitors share your content quickly and easily all through out the web.
3. Allow User Participation
Information on the Internet isn't one way. Your users can leave comments, participate in discussions, vote in polls, and interact with your website in a variety of ways. Users need to be moderated for spam and profanity, but in exchange you provide your users with a platform to speak their mind either to you or eachother. If you're running a CMS you already have this functionality, if not, or if you don't want the hassle of maintaining it, there are services like Disqus that offer social comments.
2. Integrate With The Cloud
There are a variety of SaaS (Software as a Service) applications available for your website and domain. There's a company called Google that will let you integrate your domain and website with calenders, maps, spreadsheets, even email. It's not just Google either. There are services for preventing spam, collecting surveys, billing customers, and much more.
1. Make People Want to Come Back
Your website can make people want to come back. By providing a well thought out and properly executed website you will add value to its visitor's lives. Whether it's to check a reply to their witty comment, read your latest news, or make a repeat purchase, your website doesn't just help you, it helps people, and it helps make the world a better place.