Welcome to Easy Web Publisher (EWP)
Updating the club website just got a lot simpler. If you can use a word processor you can use EWP.
To celebrate the launch of EWP we would like to offer you some simple advice. Ten top tips that you might like to apply to your existing website. EWP fit’s seamlessly with Club Messenger offering all the advantages of improved club member communication while making updating your website a snap.
EWP is a website you can update yourself 24/7 for less than £250 pa plus £50:00 installation, if required. EWP is a simple solution to a problem that can waste thousands of pounds in time and effort.
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Q1 How does your website look today compared to other clubs websites?
- Is it easy to update?
- How often is it updated?
- Have you looked at it using different browsers?
- The most important question who is it for?
Q2 What are the goals for the club website?
Is it for sales or marketing? Is it a tool for communication or an online brochure? Do you want to sell products through the site, attract new members and visitors or update members with news. Do you want visitors to contact you and how easy is that for them to do? Is there a stunning offer there right now? Knowing your goals will help focus your marketing efforts. For example should your club website really be all things for all people?
Q3 What am I trying to sell or promote?
Don't be afraid of sales and marketing. Finding the answer to this question will determine what are the most important themes of the site, what to name the buttons, and the tone to use when writing the content.
Q4. What are the components to getting a website up and running?
An appropriate look and feel must be designed. The copy needs to be written, content is king. Any additional tools such as online forms, shopping carts and video or audio clips need to be added.
Hosting: Just as you might rent office space, your website needs to be hosted somewhere. Hosting services have changed considerably over the years it might be time for a fresh look.
Upkeep: Once live, a good site must continue to show material, giving people a reason to return. This is why having a simple means to update your site is so important.
Q5. What content do I need to build the site?
First, create an outline around the themes you want to promote. Second, remember that each line of the outline is a page that needs content--text and images that will help educate your visitors. The images may include a logo or photos of people and the course. Poor quality photos or bad clip art can make the most attractive site look amateurish; sometimes no photos can be better than poor ones. Thinks about multimedia, show and tell visitors how good your club is and make it personal.
Q6. Do I hire a professional or do it myself?
If you have the skills, the time, the talent and most importantly the desire to design and develop the site, then by all means, do so. However, keep in mind that when you hire a professional--whether it's to create a website, change your oil, or give you financial advice--you immediately acquire thousands of hours of experience, access to the latest tools of the trade and insider knowledge of the industry. Since an unprofessional website can be worse than no site at all, I strongly suggest to do what you do best and outsource the rest.
Q7. What are my responsibilities to create an effective site?
Even if you hire a professional web developer your input is essential since no one knows your club as well as you do. Once your site is live you should also budget time to add content on a regular basis. You should reply to emails and inquiries in a timely fashion to show you haven't abandoned your site. Do not believe those that tell get a website and people will come to it.
Q8. What will this cost?
The main reason that I wrote this article is the cost. I was called this week by a company offering to produce a website for me. Rather than tell them that we are soon to offer Easy Web Publisher, an online solution for golf clubs that allows anyone to update their website, add unlimited pages and more I listened to the pitch.
In short they started with a basic site (6 pages) for £899.00 plus hosting at £8.00 per month. I asked if I could have something designed for me, which they said could be as much as £2000. I asked about functionality, what could it do if I wanted to contact people by email send full colour online newsletters run surveys and send text messages. It went very quite the other end. Then a figure of as much as £6000 was mentioned for a "bespoke development".
When we launch Easy Web Publisher in a couple of weeks it will give a golf club total control of their website for around £200 when used with Club Messenger that has all the functionality a golf club could need. Sound too good to be true? Wait until you see Easy Web Publisher.
Q9. How do we attract more traffic to the club website?
Search engines, links, advertising and more. Is your site search engine friendly do you or someone at the club submit your site to search engines and directories?. You should create reciprocal links with complementary sites. Consider advertising on specific search engines, email newsletters, and traditional media. Put your url (website address) on your business cards, stationery, voice mail, and so on. Send out free email newsletters. Add a Recommend This Site to a Friend form on your website. Continually update and improve your site. Do you review your site's traffic reports to see what visitors are finding interesting and what they're ignoring.
10. How will I know that my site is successful?
Look at your goals every 3 to 6 months. Have you met them? If so, is it time to create new, more challenging goals?
Final thought
Einstein's famous saying: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different outcome." The way to improve is to try new things -- hopefully things prompted by questions raised from this article and studying your club site and talking to members and visitors at your club.
