ECommerce: Get more than just "a presence" on the Internet

Get more than just "a presence" on the Internet

Written by David Leonhardt

Get more than just "a presence" on repparttar

Internet By David Leonhardt

The water purification salesman had been talking to us for what seemed like hours. During a lull in his monologue, I asked if he had a website.

"Yes. In fact, we are repparttar 108670 only independent distributors of this product who does," he proudly beamed.

"So you get a lot of leads from repparttar 108671 website, then?" I asked.

"No, actually I don't think we've gotten a single lead from it," he replied.

"Then why do you have a website?" I wanted to know.

"To have a presence on repparttar 108672 Internet."

A few days later, our home inspector was giving us an update on repparttar 108673 state of our house. We had bought it a few years earlier in winter, when snow was on repparttar 108674 ground and on repparttar 108675 roof, and we thought an update would be a worthwhile investment.

"Do you have a website?" I asked.

"Yes, I do. But, I don't think a single customer found me that way."

"Then why do you have a website?" I asked.

"To have a presence on repparttar 108676 Internet."

A lot of entrepreneurs and small businesses are sold on paying for a website because it is important to have a presence on repparttar 108677 Internet. For many businesses, that is true. But what does "a presence" mean?

Would you open up a store in repparttar 108678 corner office of repparttar 108679 fifth floor of an office building, or would you open it up in repparttar 108680 mall?

Would you leave repparttar 108681 windows bare, or would you fill repparttar 108682 windows with merchandise and open repparttar 108683 door to make your store inviting?

Would you ignore customers when they enter repparttar 108684 store, or would you carefully place merchandise and staff to maximize repparttar 108685 revenue from each visit?

"A presence" is only valuable if repparttar 108686 website serves a purpose, if it fulfills its goals. Just sitting there, somewhere in cyberspace, is not a sound business strategy. An experienced website marketing consultant can help you determine what goals, if any, are viable for your business website.

Here are a few of repparttar 108687 goals you might want for your website:

Online pamphlet.

If you connect with customers by telephone, this is an ideal way to instantly deliver a pamphlet to them. No mailing, no delays, they can even call up your information while you are on repparttar 108688 phone with them. This website has to look credible and be choc full of information.

Credibility booster.

If you are selling a big ticket item, particularly one that requires a good reputation, a website can help. This website should look upscale and focus on credibility-boosting content. It is ideal for speakers, consultants and other business-to-business service providers.

Lead generator.

What YOU should know before starting a web site!

Everyday thousands of new businesses make repparttar leap and take their business on line, what about yours? If you haven’t already, I’ll bet you have thought about it and wondered how much more business you could be doing if you just went on line…and right about then, you wonder what it would take to get your business on line?

Here are some things to consider:

1.What do I expect my web site to do? The question you must ask yourself first and foremost is, “What do I want my website to do?”. There are many types of web sites out there from purely selling products, to purely informational and everything in between. Are you looking to start an online community with people who have similar interests? Do you need a one page online resume, portfolio, bio, or online brochure to really get your company’s information in front of repparttar 108669 public? No two sites are exactly alike, and because of that, repparttar 108670 prices for your web design can fluctuate. This question is one you must ask yourself before you hire a web designer! 2.How much will a web site cost me? What is your budget for your web site? Be realistic when you set your amount. Though a good deal is great, rock bottom prices are not what you are looking for here! Remember, this is your virtual store front. You want your site to be professional, efficient, and look repparttar 108671 very best it can-you want your dreams to come true, and they will with repparttar 108672 right designer. Honestly, you can find web site design from $35 (if you get this for a quote, and you have any hopes of ending up with a professional site…WALK AWAY!) to $10,000 (good for huge companies that can afford it, but not repparttar 108673 best bet for a new business). Realistically, expect to spend from $85-$200 for a one page resume, bio or brochure site and from $300-$1,800 for larger full featured sites, and expect to pay either half or all of it upfront depending on your designer. Aside from that there are monthly hosting fees that range from $10-$40 per month for a descent sized site. Ask your designer if they offer hosting in addition to designing your site? You will usually get a much better deal, and you already trust them to design your site (I’ll go more into hosting plans and options another time). Do you have your domain name yet? (example: www.thebestmoms.com) If not, ask your designer if they can get you one? A lot repparttar 108674 time, if you are buying a decent sized design job and hosting from them, they will throw in your domain name for free-although, you will have to pay repparttar 108675 renewal fee each year which can range from $19-$35 (ask your designer). 3.What’s my web address going to be? This is a question you want to really spend some time on before choosing. I suggest you pick a name that is A-easy to remember, B-as short as possible, C-as uncomplicated as possible; try to stay away from more than 1 or 2 hyphens, if any. People easily forget repparttar 108676 hyphens when they remember repparttar 108677 address, and you don’t want to be sending business somewhere else. D-using correct spelling; it is fun to play with repparttar 108678 spelling of a word, but take in to consideration your audience’s ability to remember repparttar 108679 way YOU spelled it as opposed to their natural urge to spell it correctly. It’s your job to get them to your site, not their job to find you, so make it easy. E-pick something that has to do with your business (optional); I know some sites have gone against this rule and been successful but they also started from a different place than you are starting. Come up with a list of your top 5 or 10 choices, because there is a good chance that your first choice is already gone! When deciding, ask yourself if you want your address to be a .com, .net, .org, .edu, .biz, .tv, etc. I suggest .com, or .net for selling (ecommerce) sites, but it’s up to you!

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