NCET Biz Tips: Website Updates and University of Nevada, Reno Workforce Training
Have a business or technology question? Send it to ask@NCET.org and if selected, NCET’s panel of business and technology experts will answer it in our monthly column.
Cinammon Davies
Should I Re-Do My Website?
My instinctive reaction is that if you are asking yourself this question the answer is probably YES! But let’s review the top considerations to keep in mind as to “why” it could be time to update your website.
It’s Not Mobile Friendly: When I consult business owners, I like to have them pull up their business website on their mobile phone. We analyze the user experience together and we count the seconds it takes for pages to load their content. The majority of traffic to websites that is tracked from digital sources happens on mobile devices. TIP: When considering a redesign, your mantra should be: Mobile 1st! Meaning you design with mobile first in mind, and then translate that design into a desktop version. (Not the other way around.)
It’s Not Effective: Can your website close the “deal”? If the answer is “no”’ it’s time for a new website. Conversion could be generating a lead (phone call, email, chat) or it could be a sale if you have e-commerce. TIP: Ask for the business! Often, I see websites where I have navigated 5-7 pages deep without seeing a single call to action to the consumer.
It’s Outdated: COVID has changed businesses and the way we do business. It might have caused your business to change its core focus or inspired you to go back to basics. Does your website reflect who you are as a company now? I have heard companies tell me “x” products are the most important to them - yet no content exists about “x” on their website. Your website is your opportunity to tell consumers how you can best help them.
Cinammon Davies is a Territory Sales Manager for Cox Automotive (www.autotrader.com) and is NCET’s VP of Social Media and Newsletters.
Jodi Herzik
Does the University of Nevada, Reno offer workforce training and other skills training?
Historically, we have viewed a university academic education and workforce training as a binary choice. Today’s rapidly changing environment demands we effectively merge the two. This means redefining a student as anyone who desires to gain knowledge and skills at any point of their life.
At the University, colleges have fostered partnerships with government agencies and the corporate world to provide courses, certificates, certifications and degrees in modalities and formats that best meet the needs of ANY student. Programs such as CABNR’s Rangeland & Fire Ecology Professional Development Program designed for BLM employees and many of the new programs being designed by the College of Business are a direct result of collaborative partnerships with government agencies or local industries.
Additionally, the division of Extended Studies continues to design and offer a growing number of in-demand, microcredentials, certifications and stackable credentials offered online or face-to-face.
Microcredentials and short courses give busy working professionals the flexibility they want and need. A 25-to-30-hour course split into five hours a week over five to six weeks is manageable and provides enough time to deliver meaningful content. Stackable programs build upon previous courses and allow pathways to deepen or broaden knowledge in a particular discipline.
These training programs are absolutely critical. At Extended Studies, we hear this every day from industry — whether it be through industry associations, business leaders or our alumni. It’s important to keep their people relevant and to keep employee skills in line with an evolving workforce.
Jodi M. Herzik is the interim vice provost for Extended Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno (www.extendedstudies.unr.edu) and NCET’s VP for Biz Café (www.NCET.org)
NCET is Northern Nevada’s largest member-supported nonprofit that produces educational and networking events to help people explore businesses and technology. (www.NCET.org)