Small Business And The Internet: Building Your Web Presence

The World Wide Web offers a new and effective way to reach prospective customers without geographic limitation. For community-based businesses, the web offers a great way to provide product information, location maps and directions, and answers to frequently asked questions that can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Yet it is estimated that over half of U.S. small businesses still do not have a web site. What keeps entrepreneurs from adding a web presence to their marketing arsenal? Many believe:

• The process is too complicated, or time consuming
• Developing a web site is too expensive, or will not offer a considerable ROI
• A web site will require full-time care from an on-site I/T professional
• That due to the nature of a specific market, their business would not benefit from having a web site at all

Individually and as a group, these are common misconceptions about the development and ownership of a successful web presence. Today more than ever, a web site can effectively:

• Introduce your business to a much broader, yet defined marketplace
• Provide information about your company, products and/or services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Offer a rapid ROI, based on integration of your web site into existing marketing efforts
• Improve customer loyalty and retention by offering special on-site sales or industry articles

Regardless your industry, budget or staff, developing a web site that produces results will empower your business and increase sales, enabling you to expand your business.

Developing a Small Business Web Site

There are a number of options for entrepreneurs seeking to develop their first web site, ranging from do-it-yourself services such as Yahoo! GeoCities (http://www.geocities.com) to sophisticated design outfits charging more than $100 per hour.

With such a broad spectrum of options, what is the best choice for the average small business? Hiring a professional design firm to develop your site is the fastest, most cost-effective means to achieving tangible results. Give yourself permission to delegate certain processes of your business that will free you up for more important tasks. Remember, you are a specialist in your trade; look to partner with other specialists.

Developing a great web site doesn’t have cost a fortune, however ineffective or incorrect web development might. Select a competent web design firm that will serve as a business partner, long-term. At the least, your web partner should be able to:

• Identify and present suggestions and goals for improving on-line sales revenue
• Offer an analysis of your existing web site, if available, as well as three top competitors’ sites
• Develop a unique, custom-built web site effectively presenting your business
• Provide affordable options for web site development, hosting, and content maintenance

In addition to basic qualifications such as attention to detail and quick development time, a quality web design firm will offer features such as multiple technical support options, rates based on small business services, and 24-hour customer service. Major search engines, the yellow pages, and the Better Business Bureau can provide contact information for a number of qualified web design firms that offer affordable services tailored to the needs of small business owners.

Effective Content Development

Effective web site content begins with a thorough understanding of how your market perceives itself. What key terms do your customers use to search for your products or services? What are the advantages of purchasing the product or service on-line? How many solutions can your product or service provide, and how do you quickly relay those solutions to your prospect?

It is important to develop content that will pique the interest of your web site visitors. Unlike print media, prospective customers tend to skim over web site content very quickly, looking for key terms and images relative to their needs.

It may be helpful to think of developing your web site as a brochure, using bulleted lists and concise text descriptions to promote a next action step. As you prepare to develop your company’s web presence, consider broad, yet specific goals you hope to achieve through your web site. Increased lead generation, information requests, and sales revenue are all very realistic goals for your company’s site.

Your web site will help you to achieve your goals by encouraging visitors to take an action step, such as:

• Requesting additional information to be sent by telephone, fax, e-mail, or U.S. mail
• Schedule service appointments (if required)
• Fill out an on-line estimate or quote form
• Make an on-line purchase decision

Promoting your visitors to take action is the only way to benefit from your web site. The consistency of action taken by prospective customers will directly relate to the effectivity of your web site’s content.

Beyond Development: Hosting and Maintenance

Once your web site is finished, you’ll need to “publish” the site to a permanent hosting account. Web site hosting refers to the permanent storage of a web site on the World Wide Web by uploading it to a high-speed computer, called a server, that is permanently connected to the Internet. All web sites must be hosted on a server.

Some web design firms may offer independent web site hosting packages, for an additional monthly fee ranging anywhere from $10 to $30. Other companies may include hosting for your web site along with development. Again, be sure to research a number of web design firms to find the best partner for your business.

Occasionally you may want to update content on your web site. In addition to keeping your site current, updating your site also helps to maintain top-level search results and provides your visitors the most accurate information about your business, products and services.

Your web partner should provide structured maintenance options for your web site once development is complete. You should also have full access to your web site, in the event you want to make changes to the site on your own.

Integrating a Web Site Into Your Business

The ultimate success of a web presence depends heavily on the entrepreneur’s ability to integrate the web site into existing marketing efforts, and vice versa. The company’s web address (http://www.yourcompany.com) should be added to all advertising media, including business cards, brochures, flyers, promotional items, spot advertising and press releases.

If your company has a retail or office location, consider hosting a business after hours function to announce the launch of your company’s web site. This is an effective way to meet new clients and build new referral partnerships.
Your web site is much like a brochure: once developed, it must be appropriately positioned in front of your prospective customers. For web sites, this process is known as Search Engine Marketing (SEM). Your web site must be actively positioned in major search engines to reach your maximum potential target market, locally or nationally.

As your web site develops a daily traffic pattern, consider on-line coupons or special discounts to promote visitor retention. It is important not only to reach, but retain the customers your web site generates. Repeat on-line business can be a tremendous source of revenue for your business, long-term.

Once your web site is thoroughly integrated into your current marketing strategy, consider a SEM package to expand and focus your site’s exposure to potential customers. Even if your company offers services to a single community, a custom SEM package can amplify your site’s exposure to your target market through a process known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEM makes use of SEO to reach a maximum number of potential customers based on search engine ranking. A competent web partner will be able to answer basic and advanced questions about SEM and SEO processes.

As consumers surf the Internet to identify potential service providers, entrepreneurs can profit by providing an effective web presence for prospective customers. The result is an increase in lead generation, qualified prospects, and ultimately, sales.

Developing an effective web presence for your company will help you to work smarter – not harder – while simultaneously improving the overall quality of your sales.