Listen To The Web Site Gurus

Listen To The Web Site Gurus

There are numerous resources that can help you maximize your investment in your site and improve your online presence. Why is that important, you ask? Because there are prospects on your site right now, comparing you to your competitors—both the ones you know about and the ones you don't. Your site is where buyers, specifiers and customers go to learn more about you. Therefore, what your site says is as important as what your sales staff or employees know.

Look to these human resources to give you a leg up as to how your site and your company are found and seen online.

• Gerry McGovern (www.gerrymc govern.com)—In all likelihood, Gerry wouldn't know a PCD insert from CAD/CAM. But there's one thing Gerry has down cold, and that's Web sites, their content, what works and what doesn't. Gerry primarily serves medium to large corporations, but you would do well to subscribe to his newsletter and check out his site. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more reasoned, useful resource for your site's content.
• Steve Krug (www.sensible.com)—Author of a definitive Web site guide ("Don't Make Me Think"), Steve's site provides some valuable information, the ability to register for an e-mail newsletter and even a chapter of his book that is good for manufacturers to read.
• Jakob Nielsen (www.useit.com)—Regular readers of this column will recognize Jakob and his minimalist (and extraordinarily valuable) Web site. You'll find a large repository of useful Web site info here, along with another high-quality newsletter.

This trio of Web site resources should be used often by machining business professionals who see the value in their sites and want to increase sales as well as their company's online profile.

Job Shop Site Of The Month

This month, Michigan-based Gentz Industries (www.gentzindustries.com), a primarily aerospace-focused machining business, gets our nod for Web site of the month. There isn't one element that stands out on this site; the overall portrayal of Gentz' capabilities throughout the site is what sets it apart. Look at the "Select An Engine" and "Components Processed" sections; Gentz has categorized its capabilities in contexts its customers understand. Each page also has examples of Gentz' work to help instill confidence in its abilities as a potential supplier and partner.

OTW Infoletter

Want to get the online metalworking scoop via e-mail from metalworking's preferred information source? Subscribe to MMS' OTW (On The Web) Infoletter at www.mmsonline.com/newsletter/.