Today, there are few businesses that can avoid being on the net. However, many businesses still don't treat their site like any other marketing tool. The development of your website should be guided by a goal. A focused site helps a small business be successful on the web.
Analyze why you want to be on the web--what’s your goal?
Most successful marketing-oriented websites fit one of three goals: image building, lead generation, or direct sales. A site may incorporate all three, but to keep your costs and effort reasonable, focus on one goal.
IMAGE
Image building is part of any business’s overall marketing effort. An image-building website can reinforce your offline branding efforts; while it's no longer a matter of prestige to be on the Internet, your site should reinforce your company’s other marketing efforts.
LEADS
A lead-generating site is more involved. Beyond image enhancement, it allows you to gather data on potential clients and customers. The data you collect is likely more reliable than from any list you might buy. Those who respond to your site are identifying themselves as interested. They’re self targeting. By their response, you can assume they are likely prospects and send them appropriate information.
SALES
With direct sales, your website becomes a virtual store. Transactions can take place through a secure server, or orders can be filled and payment sent later. If your consultancy has products--public workshops, videotapes, audiotapes, books-you can take orders over the web.
Be prepared to service orders worldwide, or be clear that you have a restricted territory. Don't disappoint your visitors, or waste their time. Depending on the number of goods being offered, this type of site tends to be more complex and more expensive to operate than image-building or lead-generating sites.
TELL THE WORLD (or at least your world)
No matter what your goal, your world must know you’ve arrived on the web. Register your site on Google and Yahoo!, and any vertical market directories or search engines in your industry. Negotiate reciprocal links with friends, associates and other websites that attract similar target audiences. (See "Quick guide to finding reciprocal links" on http://www.capstonecomm.com/articleindex.html on how to do this.)
Your web address (URL) must show up on all your other marketing materials--your business cards, brochures, letterhead, etc. List it in any ads or articles you publish. Even if prospects didn’t initially find you on the Internet, they will use it to check you out, if you’ve provided them with your URL. When your site is consistent with the image you present in other materials, it helps build a credible impression in the prospect’s mind. It also allows prospects to safely check you out at arm’s length.
THEY’RE SEARCHING FOR YOU
Make it easy for people who are searching for services like yours to find you. Figure out the best keywords to use, and incorporate them into your site copy. Don't skimp on the content. Search engines rank sites with lots of relevant copy higher than sites with little copy.
Searches also locate your competition, so make your site worth the time it takes to download. Small files make for quick downloads, and for happier surfers. Your site doesn’t have to be full of the latest Internet gadgetry to be successful--but it must have useful information, presented in an engaging manner. Once prospects have found you, make them glad they did.
SPEND WHAT IT COSTS
The great thing about setting up on the net is you don’t put out the massive capital required to open a store or office. But, don’t be fooled into believing the “$89 is all you need to succeed on the web” sales pitch. Sites produced this way rarely get noticed, and when they do, the impression they produce is unlikely the one their owners desired. At the other end of the scale, you don’t have to invest the money asked for by some of the larger web designers. For example, a large national ad agency recently charged $200,000 to design and build content for a client’s website. (Plus, the $3,500 monthly maintenance fee.) Yeah, right!
Site Lines Why are you on the web - To learn more about this author, visit Keith Thirgood's Website.
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I wrote a list of pickup/opening lines to use on venture capitalists for the Sun Microsystems small business blog. 
