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Should a small, local business have a website?

Guest post by: Keith Thirgood

Article Overview: Let’s get to the point right away. It’s money. For any business, the ultimate reason for having a website is to improve their bottom line.

Should a small, local business have a website?

Why should a small, local business have a website? Let's get to the point right away. It's money. For any business, the ultimate reason for having a website is to improve their bottom line.

Unless everyone in your local market knows about you and all your services and products, then a website is a valuable marketing tool. (I don't know any local business that doesn't wish they had more business.) Consumers and businesses are becoming more and more reluctant to approach a potential supplier without first checking them out on the web. If you have no desire or ability to service more than your local area, that's fine. Clearly indicate on your site what you do and don't do, where you service and don't service.

As a local business, if you're not on the web with an effective website, you're leaving money on the table. A website will help you make more money.

However, "making more money" is not a precise enough goal to base a website on. To start with, ask yourself: Beyond the ultimate goal of earning more money, what primary objective do you want to achieve with your website? Is it to gather leads, service customers, enhance your image, produce direct sales, or something else? It's important to choose this right at the conceptual stage. Without a primary objective, you have no way of deciding what should go into your website or how it should be structured, let alone how to evaluate whether it's working or not.

Next big question: "Do I have the time and the inclination to design and manage the website myself?" If yes, there are plenty of inexpensive, user-friendly web creation software packages available, for all platforms, as well as a wealth of ready-made templates you can use. You can also have it professionally designed, but managing it yourself; or hand it all over to a professional.

If you are going to get professional help, take the time to clearly understand what you want the website developer to deliver, and what you must provide to ensure a successful site. Approach designers with your goals and objectives, and a budget in hand. Don't expect, or allow, a designer to tell you what to spend. It's not their money, and not their future. It's yours, take command.

Evaluate these professionals on how clearly they can respond to your budget and goals. Can they explain why you should have the basic elements they're suggesting? Can they clarify why they do not have certain things in their proposal that others might have included? If all they say is "For $$ you get 14 pages," look further. If they're not asking in depth questions, they're providing a cookie cutter approach to web design.

Additionally, don't be misled by a flashy portfolio of the sites they've designed. Try to analyze any sites they show you from the position of the company that needed the site. Ask them what the goal of each site was, and try to determine if the site delivers on the goal. Visit the sites, see how easily they are to navigate and operate.

With your objective in mind (and possibly a professional at your side), it's now time to develop the tactics you'll use to succeed. I'll assume you're developing a website for marketing and selling purposes, not just image.

Keeping your focus on the objective of your website, put your primary emphasis in developing content and the necessary tools to communicate with prospects. Attractive graphics and design are vital to success, but don't bother with animations, streaming video and other bells and whistles. (Unless, of course, these bells and whistles are what you're selling.)

Bells and whistles tend to slow sites down, some are annoying and some (Java, audio, video, etc.) are not supported evenly by all browsers. (Some designers/programmers will tell you that 80% of browsers support X, Y or Z special effect. In theory, yes. However, most regular surfers don't have their browsers configured properly to take advantage of all the features they're capable of using.) Remember, it's about persuasion, not entertainment.

I'm sure you know the importance of keeping in front of your prospects on a regular basis. One of the best ways of doing this is by legitimately obtaining your visitor's e-mail address. It's even better than getting a prospect's address and phone number. With an e-mail address, you can begin a dialogue. What marketers now call "Permission Marketing".

I've found that with most websites, capturing prospect contact information hasn't been a very high priority. Usually, the concentration is on products and services. Keep in mind, however, that research has shown most people don't buy the very first time they hear about, or see, a product or service. The rule of thumb in advertising is, a prospect needs seven exposures before they will take any kind of action. This holds true for the Internet. If prospects visit your website, have look, leave and never come back; you've failed. Your site must be so compelling, that they keep coming back, or you need to gather their contact info, so that you can continue to bring your marketing message to them again and again.

As a small, local business, having an effective web presence is just as important, perhaps even more so, than having a good brochure or a big, bright sign. Don't sell your business short by neglecting this most vital marketing tool.

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Article Tags: bottom line, content, design, money, professional, website



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