Internet product searches are so common these days that most companies realize that a major portion of their business now comes from visitors to their web sites. And, in understanding this, most high-frequency-electronics companies have invested intelligently in their sites, keeping them up to date with new product information, white papers, application notes, data sheets, and other supporting documentation for their products.
Yet the number of "looks and feels" of RF/microwave web sites is as many as the number of RF/microwave companies. Some are better than others; some are simply horrible (no names, please!). The Internet is now mature enough that some RF/microwave companies have already lived through at least three generations of their web sites, with some even working on the fifth or sixth version of their site. But what makes a "perfect" web site?
Perfection, of course, is a goal that can not be attained, but is nonetheless always worth striving for. In a web site, it is important to remember why a visitor came to the site: generally, to get information about the company, a product, or a contact at the company. Sadly, a good number of sites provide little information about their company, often with no headquarters location information where it should be (on the home page). Many sites do not provide sales contacts, only general contact information or a selected number of officers. And the product search mechanisms on many sites are limited.
Visitors should be able to enter a model number, a description, or search through applications to find a product. When a visitor's search is made easier, the chance skyrockets that the visitor will make a purchase. Make it fast, and keep it simple!