I’ve been on a bit of a de-cluttering spree recently. One of the areas I de-cluttered was my skincare and make-up. I then did some research and went and bought a whole lot of new items suitable for my (more mature) skin. Pretty much everything was ordered online and in one of the parcels I was given a gift of an eye shadow. During the checkout I was able to select from 3 colours so I picked as best I could.

All my products have arrived and I really love them all. Yes I know I’m a trite anal but I do appreciate good packaging and lovely products. In fact my husband laughs at me because I often keep product boxes. Anyway the eye shadow arrived and it’s a good brand and a nice product. But I don’t wear that colour. Ever. So it sits there. And I constantly move it as it’s in my way and I can see it’s becoming clutter. Sure it was nice of the company to give me a free gift but truly I don’t value it. It’s become a weight around my neck (ok perhaps that’s a bit dramatic but you get what I mean).

So I’ve made the decision to turf it. And it’s made me wonder how much we really do value free. After the initial excitement has worn off do we still perceive the product or service the same way? I suspect not.

I am often asked what it takes to build a successful website. Of course web design, usability, search marketing and the like are vital but the most important element is teamwork. Teamwork between the web designer and the client. If this teamwork is not there it doesn’t matter how good the site looks, or how usable it is, it probably won’t be successful.

So how do you acheive this teamwork? Start by understanding that as the client you will need to spend time on the project. Yes you are hiring a web designer to build your website but you need to be able to educate them on your business, your products and services and your site goals.

It is also important to define who has what role from the beginning. For most parts of the site it should be pretty clear but one area that crops up again and again is the website copy or text. It is vital that you and your web designer clarify this at the beginning. If it is you, the client, who will be providing this, talk to your web designer about what they expect and the format it should be in. If the web designer will be writing your copy understand that you will still need to provide them with information and some of your time so they have a foundation to work with.

I guess what I am trying to say is the more you are able to work with your web designer the more successful the outcome of your project will be. If you lack time or resources talk to them in the beginning so you can come up with a plan that will work for you both.

I’ve blogged before about how important it is to use professional photographs on your website. In fact I can’t emphasise enough how strongly I feel about this. That said the photographs must accurately reflect what you are selling. If your products are crappy then perhaps you should do something about them instead of just putting gorgeous photos online.

Unfortunately I’m talking about this from experience. I recently bought something for my son online. The product photographs looked great so I ordered with confidence only to be bitterly disappointed when the package arrived. They had obviously used a professional photographer, which was great, but the product was nothing like the photographs.

Having your products or service photographed professionally is the best way to ensure you’re putting your best foot forward but whatever you do take a step back and make sure what you’re selling is as good as what we’re seeing.

I clicked on an AdWord this morning only to be taken to a 404 error page. I wonder how much the business paid for that click?? One of the beauties of Google AdWords is the fact that you can control your campaign so minutely. Got enough business for the day? Pause your campaigns. Need more enquiries or sales? Increase your budget. So if your website is being re-designed or is coming soon for heavens sake pause your AdWords campaign so you’re not paying for nothing.

Here are some more common AdWords mistakes that really shouldn’t happen:

• The landing page has nothing to do with the ad I clicked on.
• The item being advertised is out of stock.
• The business doesn’t deliver to my location.
• There’s no reference to the special promoted in the ad.

As I often say the key to your online success is to test, test and test again. Don’t just put it up there and forget about it. Monitor and track your campaigns and make adjustments as circumstances require.

A lot gets discussed about having clear information about your shipping destinations and prices. I also often touch on making sure you communicate throughout the ordering and shipping process so your customer knows what’s happening and how their order is progressing. But I’ve not talked much about what happens to the goods once leave your business. Until now.

We recently purchased some printer inks online. They took a little longer than we expected to arrive but we can live with that. But the actual goods arrived in a crumpled, homemade box that used to be a box carrying wines. It looked cheap and amateurish and we had to wonder if the inks we paid for were the brands we thought they were or cheap copies. Keep in mind this was not a cheap order - we spend over $200.

The moral of the story. The user experience with your business does not end when the goods leave your warehouse. How they are packaged and presented have an impact on how your business and goods are perceived. Take time to package things professionally. It’s not hard.