What do I mean? I mean many businesses don’t pay attention to identity issues. That’s because they don’t understand maintaining a consistent identity is a low-cost way to maximize impact.

Consistency and professionalism are keys. That’s what can help even smallest business over time.

Consistency means repetition, and repetition is what solidifies ideas in our brains. Professionalism is about looking good. It’s “dress for success” on a corporate level. If you want your company taken seriously, present a professional image

Here’s a basic identity checklist for business owners.

How do exceptional websites achieve this status? They do so by deploying what Global Marketing terms -- website discipline. Including on-going analysis of visitor or traffic reports, a maniacal focus on customer needs that infuse only rich, pertinent content and, finally, timely adjustments based on visitor feedback.

Can you make your web site exceptional? And how do you gauge your firm's website to determine if it is adding value to your overall marketing efforts? How can you tell if your e-marketing investment is a solid use of your marketing dollar or just another expense that fits neatly under cost column on your budget sheet?

If you wish to make your e-presence more than just another aspect of your marketing cost, then you must continually analyze your web-site's ability to meet your firm's marketing objectives. Do you routinely analyze who visits your site? Do you know if visitors get information they want. Is it timely and do they do they take action you want them to? Answering these questions is more than tallying up total ‘hits' your web site receives.

Every Website is chalk-full of marketing information, which, if properly ‘mined', provides a true picture of firm's e-marketing endeavors, and can assist development of long-term marketing strategy.

How can you find information that you really need from your website to make it exceptional? How do you know what to look for, and how do you make strategic decisions using answers that you obtain? Technology today makes this easier than ever.

Software exists (provided by your IP server or purchased as a stand-alone package from third party vendors) that will routinely track and trend your web site visitor activity. Don't get overwhelmed by confusing mass of numbers, graphs and URLs. Technology allows you to ‘slice-n-dice' data to formulate various reports so that you can create a real-time picture on use and effectiveness of your web site. Objectively answering questions such as, how ‘user-friendly' or how effectively your message reaches your visitors can be best understood by reviewing these important visitor reports.

But how do you start?

First, identify all different types of visitor to your site, together with reasons that they might be coming to you. Global Marketing suggests that you group visitors into specific categories. Categories may include: current and prospective customers, current and potential vendors, advertisers and sponsors, media visitors, job seekers and last but not least, your competition.

Second, know your "e" objectives. It may sound basic, but too often web pages are posted for little or no reason. Too many pages on Web give great information, and then tail off, with no clear call to action. These ineffective pages force visitors to go back to navigational elements, and decide what to do next - but instead, many of them leave.