First impressions are extremely important if you hope to do business on Web. After you refine your ads, and if you make your pitch to a targeted group, you will start to get visitors to your web site. Here is where many would be entrepreneurs drop ball.

Putting up a web site is not a difficult task, but designing a good one is, and if you don't pay attention, it might be working against you. Think about it, web site is not only first impression of you and your business, it is crucial to your success or failure.

People don't waste a whole lot of time when visiting a site. If it isn't professional looking, they may just "click away". While looks are important, you must spend time on developing good copy. Copy written by affiliate programs has been seen over and over, and while it may have been effective at one time, it is so overused that people immediately recognize it for what it is.

In addition to good copy, which of course has no spelling, grammatical or punctuation errors, it clearly states what you are offering. Many web sites offer a real challenge to try to figure out what they are trying to sell. The offer should be first thing they see. The information must also flow logically, and not leave a lot of questions unanswered.

In addition to complete information on your offer, it must have a call to action, which entices visitor to purchase from you. It must also have an order form, or instructions that are easy to follow. It is also a real plus to let prospect know a little bit about you. Your picture on site can go a long way to help instill confidence.

There is some confusion on value of links. Some advocate that a good web site should be divided into separate sections connected by links. Others feel that a single long web page will score higher in search engine rankings.

PR: Room at Bottom?

When special events and communications tactics rule PR roost instead of a workable plan designed to manage external audience behaviors that impact your organization most, that’s where public relations results can wind up.

You know, bad results like key target audiences showing little confidence in your organization, or seldom taking actions that help you succeed and, in end, failing to help you achieve your unit objectives.

If that sounds all too familiar, you’ve got to change a few things. So let’s start with what your public relations should be about, perhaps something like this: People act on their own perception of facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action very people whose behaviors affect organization most, public relations mission is accomplished.

Building on this kind of base means you’ll be working with a blueprint that helps persuade those important stakeholders to your way of thinking. Hopefully, that will move them to take actions that lead to your success as a business, non-profit or association manager.

If this sounds like an approach to public relations you want to consider, here’s way to get started.

First big question to be answered? How DO those outside audiences whose behaviors hurt or hinder your operation most, actually perceive your organization? Everything flows from answers to that question, and that means you and PR team assigned to your unit must interact with members of your target audience. Questions should include “What do you know about us? Have you had any dealings with our organization? Were you satisfied? Do you have any problems with us?” And while asking your questions, be especially alert to false assumptions, inaccuracies, misconceptions or rumors. Negative attitudes as well as hesitant or evasive replies should also be recorded.