Web Site Strategies

Web Site Strategies
As you likely already know, Internet-based small businesses and websites go hand- in-hand. You truly can't have one without the other, unless you do your business exclusively through e-mail, which in this day and age isn't very practical.

If you own an Internet-based business, your site is your storefront. It's what your customers use to make their first impression of you. It's also where they go to obtain information about your company and order goods or services.

When you walk into a grocery store, for instance, would you prefer the building to be rundown and the employees to be inattentive, or would you rather the building be clean and appealing and the employees courteous?

Web Site Strategies
Of course you want your shopping experience to be as pleasant as possible. That experience begins with a professional place to shop. Your website can either be the equivalent of the rundown store or the appealing one.

Now that we've established how important it is to have a professional looking site, you're probably thinking that you don't have the time to create a website - or maintain it. Or perhaps you've begun designing your site and have found that it takes up so much of your time that your business actually suffers for it.

Or maybe your site is already created and online, but you find yourself having to maintain it constantly. In actuality, there are several ways to make the creation and maintenance of a website easier and less time consuming.

To explain, here are a few of the popular misconceptions about website design and maintenance and the reasons why they are, in fact incorrect.
Web Site Strategies
Myth #1: It takes months to create a professional web site.

It certainly can take months to design a site, yes, but it doesn't have to. All it takes is a little planning and a simple way to design the site and your business can be online in just a couple of days.

Website design doesn't have to mean hiring someone to create it for you, either. There are several online site design systems that let you design your own site for free and even allow you to purchase your own domain name through them.

And you don't even have to speak computer lingo. In other words, no knowledge of programming languages is required. The system will walk you through each step, from choosing a site template to importing pictures.

A simple site design can be completed within hours, maybe even minutes. Because you can use a template, you don't have to have any design skills to create a site. Everything from the colors to the fonts has already been determined. All you have to do is add your own copy and pictures and you've got yourself a web based business!
Web Site Strategies

Myth #2: Website design is complicated.

Most design time is spent in the planning stage, and this is when many business owners get frustrated. They have a ton of information to put on their site and they don't know how to break it all down into a clear, cohesive way for their customers to access and understand it.

The trick is to make the design as simple as possible. The best - and most popular -  websites are those that are visually appealing without being too busy, are informative without having too much unnecessary copy, and are easy to navigate.

So begin by deciding on a simple design (if you don't know much about design, you can use one of the design systems already mentioned, check out other sites for ideas or hire a designer) and then determine what information about your company is absolutely necessary for your customers to know what you are offering them.

Break that information down into four or five categories, such as About Us, Our Services (or Our Products), How to Order, etc. And definitely include a Home Page, which should have a brief introduction to your company, probably just one or two paragraphs explaining who you are and what you do.

Most of the initial information you put on your site will likely never change - or change very seldom, so it will be easy to maintain. The sections where information may change more often should be designed as simply as possible to ensure that time spent editing the information will be minimal. The point is, if you start with a simple site design, it will always be simple to maintain.
Web Site Strategies
Myth #3: Web site content should be changed every couple of weeks.

As mentioned, a well-designed site will only have certain parts that need to change on a regular basis, and it certainly doesn't have to be every couple of weeks. In fact, if your site changes too often, you won't be able to determine what's working for your site and what isn't. Plus, your site won't have the consistency that's so important to customers.

You should, however, change (or add to) your site's content periodically to keep customers interested. For instance, you would not likely change your How to Order section, but you could change your Home Page every few months or so.

Web Site Strategies
As your business grows, you'll want to include additional information about your company, such as big name clients you've worked with, new services you're adding, etc., and you should call this information out briefly on your Home Page, where customers can see it immediately.

Also, copy should always be simple, clear and concise. People are drawn to the Internet because of its convenience and part of that convenience is speed. They're looking for information and they're looking to obtain that information quickly.

Web Site Strategies

Your site should make it as easy as possible for them to do that. If they have to spend more than a few minutes looking for the information they need to make a decision on whether or not to utilize your company, might go elsewhere.

They also don't want to have to read through pages of copy to get the gist of your business. Give them only the most necessary information and a simple way to contact you if they have questions. If they want to know more, they'll ask.

The design and maintenance of a professional website doesn't have to take up too much of your valuable time. Remember that starting simple is the best way to keep maintenance time to a minimum.

Also remember, however, that your website is possibly the single most important aspect of your business and it deserves your time and attention.

Web Site Strategies
So, although you shouldn't spend all of your time on your site and you should never let it interfere with running your business, you should spend enough time on developing and maintaining your site to ensure that it's a quality and efficient product.

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