How to Develop the Web Next.0

Can your website hold an intelligent conversation with consumers each time they return to visit? Can it analyze their behavior individually and respond with appropriate navigation? Can its follow-up emails best meet their needs and objectives, and in a time frame short enough to keep their attention?

Meet web next.0. While the reporting, analytics and technology are in place to optimize web next.0, in most cases the current level of website/consumer conversation isn't close to optimal. More importantly, the conversation (if there's one at all) typically comes to an abrupt halt once visitors leave your website. This creates a less-than-satisfactory experience both for you and your subscribers each time they come back to your website.

There are two components to building a web next.0 conversational website. The first involves optimizing navigation and collecting data at key navigation points. The second involves using the data collected to continue the conversation once the person has left the website. Do you remember playing a game where the object was to identify a person or item someone was thinking about by asking questions? The person who got the correct answer asking the fewest possible questions won. It's worth playing that game with your website. Ask others to play the game while you observe their behavior, too.

The importance of this exercise is twofold: One, you're improving the customer experience on your website, making it easier for visitors to find what they're looking for. The other equally important objective is to remove noise from the data you collect about your site visitors. Doing so will allow you to continue your conversation based on information that reveals the true purpose for their visit to your website.

With this data in hand, how well do you identify relevant content and offers based on visitors’ behaviors while on your website? Are the offers likely to meet the visitor's needs and goals? Can the content and offers be sent via email shortly after the visitor leaves your website? Will it confirm the relevancy of the conversation and add value to the consumer experience?

Web next.0 is all about developing satisfactory, fulfilling conversations with consumers each time they visit your website — conversations that over time generate more sales and higher customer lifetime value. You've found a better way to provide consumers with exactly what they're looking for, and in a format that makes your site an interactive resource and destination they look forward to using over and over again.

Always keep in mind that consumers come to your website for a reason. Helping them succeed in meeting their needs and goals is never intrusive or interruptive.

Neil Rosen is founder and CEO of eWayDirect, a provider of strategic e-marketing solutions and services. Neil can be reached at neil@ewaydirect.com.