The First Step to a Great Web Site: Research
The First Step to a Great Web Site: Research
Not everyone who has a Web site necessarily spends a lot of time online. After all, many people work in businesses that don't require much time at a computer. But surfing around, doing searches, and looking at Web sites forces you to find out what else is out there. Unlike many other advertising mediums, with the Internet you can easily look at what your competitors are doing with their marketing.
As you wander around the Web, study Web sites with a critical eye. Write down the Web address (URL) of each site and take notes with your answers to these questions.
* Is the overall layout pleasing? What works and doesn't work?
* Do you like or dislike the photos? Why?
* Do you like or dislike the colors used in the site?
* Does the navigation make sense?
* Can you find information easily on the site?
* Is the written content clear? Does the site do a good job of explaining what it's about?
* Can you read the text easily (is it too small or too large)?
* Do you like the fonts that are used?
Once you have a page of notes on other sites, you'll probably have a good feel for how you want your Web site to look and behave. And how you don't want it to look. What you don't like (and why) can be as important for your developer to know as what you do like.
You may discover that many sites in your business niche look particularly amateurish. In that case, you may need to explore sites in other industries to find sites you actually like. Conversely, you may find that every site in your niche offers high-end (read: expensive) tools. Banks have ended up in this situation, for example. Almost all banks now offer some type of online bill-paying service. Similarly, to remain competitive, many real estate sites now almost always have large database back-end systems for their listings.
Because people use the Internet to find information, think about the information you want to provide. With a new site, you have an opportunity to offer information that your competitors don't. Look for obvious holes in their coverage of your industry. These lapses are opportunities. Many people find Web sites through searches, so if you can write articles on topics that aren't covered by your competitors, people will find your site instead of theirs.
The old saying, nothing happens without a plan is true online too. After doing all this research, you will be able to formulate a good plan of action for your site.
The First Step to a Great Web Site Research - To learn more about this author, visit Susan Daffron's Website.
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Once you decide your business needs a Web site, you should do a little research to determine your own preferences. Online research is a good idea whether you create a Web site yourself or hire a developer because design is subjective. Realistically, you will probably end up looking at your Web site a lot, so it's best to try and figure out what you like and don't like.
Not everyone who has a Web site necessarily spends a lot of time online. After all, many people work in businesses that don't require much time at a computer. But surfing around, doing searches, and looking at Web sites forces you to find out what else is out there. Unlike many other advertising mediums, with the Internet you can easily look at what your competitors are doing with their marketing.
As you wander around the Web, study Web sites with a critical eye. Write down the Web address (URL) of each site and take notes with your answers to these questions.
* Is the overall layout pleasing? What works and doesn't work?
* Do you like or dislike the photos? Why?
* Do you like or dislike the colors used in the site?
* Does the navigation make sense?
* Can you find information easily on the site?
* Is the written content clear? Does the site do a good job of explaining what it's about?
* Can you read the text easily (is it too small or too large)?
* Do you like the fonts that are used?
Once you have a page of notes on other sites, you'll probably have a good feel for how you want your Web site to look and behave. And how you don't want it to look. What you don't like (and why) can be as important for your developer to know as what you do like.
You may discover that many sites in your business niche look particularly amateurish. In that case, you may need to explore sites in other industries to find sites you actually like. Conversely, you may find that every site in your niche offers high-end (read: expensive) tools. Banks have ended up in this situation, for example. Almost all banks now offer some type of online bill-paying service. Similarly, to remain competitive, many real estate sites now almost always have large database back-end systems for their listings.
Because people use the Internet to find information, think about the information you want to provide. With a new site, you have an opportunity to offer information that your competitors don't. Look for obvious holes in their coverage of your industry. These lapses are opportunities. Many people find Web sites through searches, so if you can write articles on topics that aren't covered by your competitors, people will find your site instead of theirs.
The old saying, nothing happens without a plan is true online too. After doing all this research, you will be able to formulate a good plan of action for your site.
The First Step to a Great Web Site Research - To learn more about this author, visit Susan Daffron's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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