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How to Build a Great Website (Even If You Don't Think You Need One)
Using a few free tools can help lure customers to your website -- and keep them coming back.
Posted 9/ 7 10 at 7:45 PM | Technology, Advertising & Marketing, Sales, Management, Starting a Business, Online Business, Ask the Expert
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Q: I really don't think that I need the "Greatest Website in the World." I own a one-person business and use my site mostly for promotion. A few pages and I'm good. Why would I need anything more?-- Sam
A: I hear variations of this question quite often and my answer is always the same: Any small business that is not maximizing its Web presence is wasting an incredible opportunity and, moreover, likely losing valuable business in the process.
Usually, small-business owners avoid adopting new technology because they don't see the value, think it will be too expensive or worry that it will cost too much. In the case of your website, all three are incorrect assumptions. Let me dismiss the last two first, and then explain why you simply must put up a crackerjack site -- no ifs, ands, or buts.
Today, there is no shortage of inexpensive ways to create powerful, elegant, Web 2.0 websites. Whether it is Microsoft's OfficeLive. Google Websites, Intuit Websites, or pre-made templates like those offered by WordPress, there are plenty of tools for creating a great looking website today, and most are free, or practically so.
So that is no excuse.
As for whether it is necessary, whether it is valuable, just think about how your own habits have changed in the past decade or so. Is it not true that when you learn about a new business, you often look the business up online first and make a judgment based on its site?
Well, don't you think your customers and potential customers are doing the same thing?
People today spend as much time online as they do watching TV. That is a remarkable shift in habits. But even more significantly, when people go online, what they expect, what impresses them, is to be able to do more than read some boring content when they hit a website. They expect to watch a video, comment on a blog, vote in a poll, take a quiz or participate in a webinar.
That is called Web 2.0. Web 2.0 means that websites today are far more interactive than they were before.
By using some of these Web 2.0 tools on your site, you give potential customers more of a reason to stick around (hence the term "sticky site") and forge more of a connection with your business. Indeed, having some nice Web 2.0 tools on your site gives you
- Enhanced credibility. Today, people judge you by your site. Make a good first impression.
- Marketing opportunities. Posting a video on your site for instance is a far more powerful marketing tool than simply having two paragraphs about your business.
- Additional profit centers. Learning how to sell some of your stuff online is not hard and affords you the chance to have your business open 24/7/365. Why would you not do that?
OK, so if this makes sense to you (and it should), then what sort of Web 2.0 tools should you add to your site? Here are some easy ones with which to start:
- Blogs. Blogs are great because they give your business a more personal feeling. Don't worry if you are not a writer - just share what you know (but it must be grammatically correct, of course). Offer some insights. Tell people about a new product you just got in. Share a good story.
- Comments. Similarly, offering readers the chance to comment on your blog and/or article is another good way to make your site more interactive. Try offering polls or even a forum. Google those terms and you will find tons of resources to add these things to your cool new site.
- Video. Video is all the rage online, and the good news is that yours need not be super professional -- YouTube is proof of that. Make a video introducing your staff, or have your daughters interview you. Make it personal and post it on your site. Do you see what a great opportunity that is to make a more personal connection with your customers?
- E-newsletters. E-newsletters allow you to stay in Constant Contact with your audience. How great is that?
Adding just a few of these tools to your site will make it friendlier, more sticky, and more appealing. The time is now.
Steven D. Strauss is one of the nation's leading small-business experts. A USA Today columnist, author and speaker, his latest book is The Small Business Bible. If you would like Steve to speak to your group, or if you would like to sign up for his free newsletter, Small Business Success Secrets! please visit his website at MrAllBiz.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/SteveStrauss.
Want to be part of this column? Ask Steve a question at AOL@MrAllBiz.com.
Want to be part of this column? Ask Steve a question at AOL@MrAllBiz.com.
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
I had someone build my web site for me 4 years ago as a barter agreement. Since then I've sold over 500,000 minature fishing rods & reels. The site needs some updating, but it still brings in the sales.
M.D., President & CEO
http://penfishingrods.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcvXbbUxoWk
I knew nothing about building websites until I found www.Citymax.com.
It's inexpensive and easy to use.
I now have customers in all 50 states and seven countries.
Since my website works so well, others have noticed, and I've asked me to build their websites, so now I have another revenue stream building websites.
I didn't see that coming.
Check out my website at http://www.TonyDees.com
the best shipper i have found is http://www.usps.com
I have a e-commerce web site. On it I sell products retail to on line consumers. I have been at it for 10 years. I have had a few websites designed/built for me.
I can tell you this.......Any decent, knowledgeable, professional web designer out there DOES NOT promote or advertise him or her self in forums, or "comments" pages like the one you are reading now. You should beware of anybody selling their services in forums, chat rooms, and on "comments" pages.
I would like to join in the small business web site to help promote more business.
Great blog post. Some sites referenced above are ok, but agree with Larry above. I build wordpress web sites in Atlanta, GA and do SEO, but am not trying to sell my wares :-) You can check in occasionally at a "work site" demo, www.joyfulmarketing.info ,to see the different phases of web sites being built in a wordpress system called Headway. The current one is for a ministry called Soaring with Eagles.
Hello I have also had someone build me a website for my E-Commerce site that I sell Pool and Spa Products like cleaners pumps filters heaters blowers and and thing to do with a pool and spa. I have been in the pool and spa service for over 20yrs and now have found a new and great way to bring my customers what they want at a great price. If you want to spend a lot or a little you can make it happen.
www.swimscape.com
I just had a website built. It is www.thislineofmine.com. Stop by and look through the catalogs. There is something there for everyone. Thanks!
"they don't see the value, think it will be too expensive or worry that it will cost too much."
What's the difference between "too expensive" and "costs too much"?
We use CityMax.com for our http://www.RothsteinJewelers.com (of Beverly Hills) main Website, and MerchantCircle for our additional pages of reviews, blogs, coupons, and networking. Both sites encourage videos and interaction. I may do an video of my ear piercing. ~Janet
What kind of a website do I need, IF I want other people to upload videos to it??? Something like You Tube??
ANy help would be appreciated. Thanks