Assessing the effectiveness of websites as an interactive business communications tool

For any business to be able to sell their brands, for example a product or a service or to increase their organization's recognition amongst consumers, some form of communication with an audience must take place. This communication can either be business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C). Generally the objective would involve a business marketing their brands or themselves in the expectancy of performing a business transaction for a profit. The Internet has the capability to bring the relationship between a business and a consumer closer together. For contracting organizations it is an opportunity to increase company and brand awareness by making information available online in a practical and appropriate manner to a global audience. This then becomes a contractor's first act of e-business, the process of doing business using electronic, rather than traditional media. This paper describes the process of assessing the effectiveness of websites as an interactive business communications tool. It will explore issues such as effectiveness criteria, target audiences, good design practice, efficiency of back office systems and content provision.