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12 Reasons to have a web site
If you run any kind of business, there are
many very good reasons for having a web site:-
1. Above all, to catch the
ever-increasing number of customers who look first on the
Internet when they want a product or service.
These customers usually use a search
engine, such as Google (www.google.co.uk),
to get a list of the web sites of suppliers,
in their locality, of the product or service
they want. Such searches find items of two
kinds:-
- web sites of companies selling the product
or service
- entries in local and national web directories
that classify each business by type and locality
The directories rarely contain much detail
about the businesses - sometimes none at
all - but most DO link through to the web
sites of the companies concerned.
So, you need a web site, and need to have
it registered with the search engines and
the directories to catch customers.
Your web site is your unpaid 24 hour salesman!
2. Potential customers who
have already heard your name - from
your own advertising or from recommendations
- often want to see your web site to
find out more about you. It enables them
to get a feel for your business and your
products or services in a less pressurised
environment before buying from you. You need
a convincing and informative web site to
show them what you do, and to persuade them
to contact you rather than your competitor.
If do not have a web site, many customers
these days will move on to some other company
that does.
3. Your existing customers will
often also refer to your web site for
information, perhaps to check if you offer
a particular service, or just to confirm
your opening times or postal address.
And they can contact you 24 hours a day even
when you are closed, just by sending you
a message from your site (much easier than
leaving an answer-phone message).
4. Instant News Updates A very
effective way to draw customers to
your web site, and ultimately to your business,
is to show regular updates about current
special offers, new products available, or
other news of interest to the customer. Show
different special offers each week, or even
daily, to get interested consumers returning
regularly. Or list current products - for
instance a second hand car dealer, a flat
rental agent, or an antiques dealer, can
list their current stock for the customer
to browse through. (Be sure to delete items
as soon as they are sold, so customers know
the list is always up to date).
5. Market perception: rightly
or wrongly, people increasingly
expect all companies to have web sites. And
probably rightly so at that - after all,
if a company is not sufficiently up to date
to have an Internet presence, is it equally
behind the times in some or all aspects of
the products and services it supplies? Having
a good web site gives you credibility
and enhances your reputation
6. It's cheap! Web sites are
about the cheapest form of
advertising there is. After the initial design
and creation, youir site sits there forever,
drawing customers, with minimal further cost.
True, it will likely be seen by fewer people
than say, a newspaper ad. However, your web
site visitors are likely to be highly targeted,
very relevant to your business, because they
mostly come from the search engines as a
result of looking for your particular kind
of product or service.
7. Global Presence: If your
product or service is sold, or is
suitable for sale, internationally, web sites
are an excellent means to attract sales from
all over the world.
8. Online trading: Many
companies are able to provide their
services directly across the Internet or
sell their products on-line usually by means
of an e-commerce shop. Other functionality
can also be added to a site. Such services
can often be very expensive, not just in
terms of creating the site, but also in the
massive marketing effort required to publicise
it sufficiently - it's no good having an
expensive e-commerce site if no-one knows
about it. So we do not supply these advanced
facilities in our starter sites, but
we give you a site to which a shopping cart
or other facility can be added later
- at which time you only have to pay a web
designer for the new addition, not for a
whole site. A designer can add such extra
facilities once you are sure you have built
up enough visitors to warrant the expense.
9. Testimonials etc: Your
web site gives you the space to include
all sorts of information about your business
that you wouldn't have room for in advertisements.
It can have all the information of a full
brochure. Testimonials and letters of reference.
Directions for locating your premises. Payment
methods and hire purchase conditions. If
your service requires lengthy descriptions
and explanations to the customer, putting
it all on the site may save you time later
at the moment of sale because the customer
may have already read it. If they must make
an appointment to come and see you, you can
give them your web site address for them
to look at the information meanwhile (but
they've probably already looked!)
10. Attract customers: Another
way to attract customers to your
business is to turn your web site into a
source of information. For instance, news
about your industry. Or tips and instructions
for your customers. An accountant can describe
tax changes and list important
dates for his clients. A paint & wallpaper
shop can list hints and tips from the decorating
trade to DIY enthusiasts - especially tips
that might not usually find their way into
the DIY books and magazines. It is especially
good if (like the accountant just mentioned)
it is information that must be updated on
a frequent basis, as it means the customer
keeps coming back. This particular procedure
does require a lot of attention but, if employed,
your site could become a first point of call
for your customers, which keeps that bond
with them without you raising a finger other
than to be sure you keep the information
up to date.
11. Compete with the Big Boys: The
Internet is the one place where you
can compete on nearly equal terms with the
largest companies. Certainly, your web site
may only have 3 or 4 pages while theirs has
50 pages and all sorts of fancy facilities
and graphics. But at the end of the day the
customer sees both sites through the same
17 inch computer screen. The message from
your site can catch him just as easily as
the big company's site.
12. Tax deductible: And, oh
yes, your business' web site is
an advertising expense, and the set-up and renewal
costs will normally be fully tax deductible
(in the UK and USA and many other countries).
And what should I say on the site?
Give potential customers the information
about your products and business that will
capture their interest and persuade them
to come to you.
Tell them what you do, how you do it, what
distinguishes you from your competitors,
anything that makes you a convenient and
suitable choice for your target market. (We
give suggestions when you reach that part
of the site creation process). This is the
part of your web site that really matters
- the graphic design is just the window dressing!
And when their interest is caught, your location
and contact details are right there on your
web site in front of them! |
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