There is an increasing usage of online communications in the oil & gas sector. As well as providing an information centre for investors, the website is beneficial in terms of being real-time and easy to update, and therefore should transcend the annual report and take on an identity of its own with frequently refreshed content.

With emerging new technologies and functionalities for companies to take advantage of, websites in this sector have become increasingly interactive. Operational maps and license areas can be clearly and appealingly presented using Flash, or Google Earth capabilities and podcasts allow investors to download audio and video to listen to in their own time.

So, how do Oil & Gas companies reap the benefits of the Internet? The best websites stick to two rules of thumb:

• Keep it simple – we know that investors are pushed for time, research shows that they don’t want to drill down more than 2 levels, so keep the homepage and key landing pages uncluttered, with key features clearly promoted and clearly linked to more detailed information. An intuitive navigation is critical.
  
• Make sure it’s relevant – it can be easy to get carried away and include lots of bells and whistles, but this will just make the site confusing. Talk to your audiences and find out what they want, monitor your site statistics to find out how content is being used on the site. By testing different types of content and functionality, it will soon be clear what is adding the most value to your audience.

Some of our recent clients in this sector