Web Site 101

Creating a web site for your business doesn't have to be an
overwhelming task. In fact there are thousands of examples of
web sites available with just a few mouse clicks. The problem
is finding a web site "mix" that will professionally portray
your company without you having to take out a business loan to
pay for it.

Market Research
Be sure to do online market research first. A few years ago, it
was a chore to acquire information or brochures on the
competition. Today, you can learn a lot about different
businesses online. Start by looking at least ten web sites of
your competitors or businesses like yours around the country.
This will help you to get a feel for the kind of information
being presented by others and the overall purpose of the web
site.

This exercise is not to see what everyone else is doing and to
copy them, but to see what is working well and what is not. It
will also allow you to do be different from your competition.
You may even want to e-mail the webmaster of the site and ask
questions about the site, especially if you find a web site or
two that has unique features. When reviewing web sites, look at
them critically--look for static, unimaginative, difficult to
use or web sites which have long downloads. These are all
things you will want to avoid in your web site.

When you find a few sites that have that special quality or
combination of features that all seem to work together well,
bookmark the site for a later review and make a hard copy
printout. Also, make some notes on specifically what it is that
makes you really respond well to a web site. You may be
surprised to find that it may not always be great graphics, but
rather unique functions such as a database, great content or
well-organized information.

Primary Web Site Goals
Now that you've done some market research, let's move to the
next step: Define the primary goal of your web site. In the
rush to establish a presence on the web, it's easy to overlook
the obvious--what do you want your web site to do? Is the
purpose of your web site to generate leads? Or is the purpose
of your web site to tell potential customers simply who you are
and what you do? Is the purpose of your web site to distribute
information or offer on-line customer service? Or is the
purpose of your web site to sell products and services? Or a
combination of all of the above?

Write down the goals of your web site. Think of your web site
as having one primary goal or function and perhaps two or three
secondary goals. If you get caught up in trying to make your web
site do too many primary goals, your web site will be all things
to all people, and will probably not be very effective.

Use Your Marketing Plan
Whether you have an established business or you're about to
launch a brand new business, make sure that your web site is
integrated into an overall marketing plan. While there have
been some great web site success stories, there have been many
disappointed people who made their web site their primary or
only marketing vehicle.

Another common mistake made by businesses today is to spend the
entire web site budget on creating the web site and limiting the
marketing of the web site to search engine listings. This is no
different from a new restaurant spending all their startup
capital on the furnishings and having no money to let the
community know they're in business. It's always a good idea to
have a marketing plan that helps you to drive visitors to your
web site.

To Sell or Not to Sell . . .
Soft sell, hard sell or no sell? In many ways creating a web
site is like creating a brochure about your business. In fact,
many business web sites are created to work just like a
brochure.

What does a good brochure accomplish? It tells who the company
is, what the company does and where they are located. Other
brochures actually sell. A web site can be a combination of
these. But do not overlook the fact that your web site can do
something no brochure can do. It can collect information about
what a potential client is interested in. By letting the web
site visitor request information (printed brochure, newsletter
or other information) you can capture his or her e-mail
address, phone number and area of interest and know more about
the prospect when calling them.

Besides just listing your company's capabilities on your web
site, be sure to profile your successes. Be sure to mention
major accounts or names of businesses that a web site visitor
might recognize. The fact that you have helped other companies
large or small to solve a business problem will make them feel
more comfortable with you.

Last, but not least, don't try to do everything at once. Create
your web site in stages. First create a general web presence and
accomplish the primary goal of your web site. Be sure to phase
in additional content or capabilities over several months and
be sure not to neglect marketing your web site to reach your
target market.


About The Author: Vann Baker is the president of Design-First,
a marketing company specializing in corporate identity and
collateral development. Vann has been helping small businesses
and Fortune 500 companies to create brochures, newsletters,
catalogs, websites and more for over 20 years.
http://www.design-first.com