Corporate Website
A corporate website or corporate site is an informational website operated by a listed business or private enterprise. Listed companies need to have a corporate website. Not only is a site an essential marketing tool, a listed company is also required to post its press releases on its site, to provide corporate governance information, to provide information on AGMs and EGMs etc.
Building a corporate website
There are many companies/consultants to help out in building an effective corporate site, taking into account the investor relations part as well.
The following principles should be considered with respect to a corporate site:
- be aware of the audience of your site: it determines the style and substance of communication;
- the site is a ‘living’ community: the information provided on the site needs to be up to date;
- a corporate site is a source for company information: be aware that it has legal aspects to be taken into account;
- ensure a simple navigational structure: information should be accessible within three (at maximum!) clicks;
- make use of illustrations and graphics: make a site lively - the site gives a company ‘a face’, so be aware of this.
Providing information
Corporate sites provide information to the public about the company, its core activities, strategy, governance, financial results etc. Large companies typically maintain a single umbrella corporate site for all of their various brands and subsidiaries.
Corporate website content
Corporate websites usually include the following:
- A homepage;
- A navigation bar or other means for accessing various site sections, such as the section for Investor Relations;
- A unified look and feel incorporating the company logos, style sheets, and graphic images;
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An "about us" section with some or all of these:
- A summary of company operations, history, and mission statement;
- A list of the company's products and services;
- A "people" section with biographical information on founders, board members, and/or key executives. It sometimes provides an overview of the company's overall workforce;
- A "news" section containing press releases, press kits, and/or links to news articles about the company;
- An "investor" section describing key owners/investors of the company;
- Pages of special interest to specific groups.These may include:
- An employment section where the company lists open positions and/or tells job seekers how to apply;
- Investor pages with the annual report, business plan, current stock price, financial statements, overview of the company structure, SEC filing or other regulatory filings;
- Pages for employees, suppliers, customers, strategic partners, affiliates, etc.;
- Contact information. Sometimes this includes a feedback form by which visitors may submit messages;
- A terms-of-use document and statement of intellectual property ownership and policies as they apply to site content; and
- A privacy policy.
Best practices
As for the best practices on how to build and maintain a site: it is advised to consult a specialist on this to create a site that presents the company as required, is easily accessible through a well thought through navigation grid and presents the most important information in a user-friendly manner.
It is noted that however well-designed a corporate site may be, the quality of the content remains essential.