The underperformance of many organisational websites has its origins in low expectations. More often than not, such websites look sadly like a print brochure pasted on the web only because the 'owners' of the site erroneously expect visitors to read the content off their computer screens in just the same way as they would a hardcopy of the brochure. And the real irony in the midst of all this confusion is the fact that, if leveraged properly, the Web can deliver so much more... far more than many of us expect it to.

The truth is, if you crack the whip and demand higher performance levels from your website, it can deliver on multiple fronts... and also beat conventional media hands down by virtue of its interactivity and cost-effectiveness. Here are some of the things that you can - and should - expect your site to do:

The Ultimate Information Source

For starters, the Web is currently the best way to disseminate every relevant bit of information about your company, its products/services, manufacturing facilities, distribution network, advertising campaigns, press coverage, etc. Since the medium is interactive, a well-designed site enables your prospective customers to access and browse the information at a pace and in a manner that's in line with their needs.

Another key advantage is that you can obtain and analyse detailed reports on server statistics that reveal the underlying browsing patterns of those visiting your site - this gives you valuable insights into how they are using your site and what they are looking for.

A Powerful Marketing Tool

The logical next step is to make your site a dynamic marketing tool. You can do this by putting online all the information that a typical prospect would require for formulating his/her purchase decision.

Thus, you can build a well-optimised site that prospective customers can locate through search engines; you can create interactive product pages that allow prospects to browse your portfolio by application, industry, price, etc; you can upload product demos using Flash movies; you can put your product presentations online; you can offer your product brochures and spec sheets as PDF downloads; you can create an FAQ section to address standard queries; you can establish online communication channels for product/business inquiries; and you can leverage multiple touch-points like e-newsletters, e-mailers, product update notifications and knowledge-sharing initiatives to build customer relationships.

The marketing power implicit in your website can further be reinforced through online marketing initiatives like advertising on relevant portals and sites, listings in online directories, etc.

A 24x7 Sales Force

When you enable your site to handle e-commerce transactions, it becomes a round-the-clock sales force for your products, selling to customers all over the world if required. It's like placing your products in a store that's open day and night - all the year around.

A Communication Channel

Increasingly, the Web is becoming the preferred channel for communicating with an organisation. Research conducted by Forrester in September 2004, has indicated that for all categories of queries (business, trade, product, careers, investor, etc) the majority of customers/stakeholders preferred to use the channels offered by the websites of the organisations.

You can empower the communication features on your website by demarcating separate channels for various kinds of communication (product inquiries, dealership inquiries, complaints, general feedback, career queries, etc) and displaying the links throughout the site so that it becomes easy for a user to get in touch with you.

A Highly Effective Training Tool

All over the world, organisations are replacing conventional training with Web Based Training (WBT). The interactivity offered by the medium coupled with its anytime-anywhere access facility makes it a very effective and extremely convenient training tool for employees, dealers, customers, etc. It is also significantly cheaper than conventional training.

So this is the real power of the Web. And it isn't just a figment of cyber imagination... the world over, organisations are expanding the capabilities of their websites and discovering new ways to leverage the medium. What are you waiting for? Crack that whip... make it happen.