Your Web Site is NOT a Billboard

Original Article from IntelliSites, the smart choice for web design (and SEO!)
"The Information Superhighway" used to be a good way to describe the web. You could picture yourself zipping past web site after web site, slowing down just long enough to get a phone number off the interesting ones. With this model, simply having a web site was enough.

It's not like that anymore.

The Web has evolved. We don't call it "The Information Superhighway" as much, and for good reason. It's not really like a highway anymore. It's more like a shopping mall. The good web sites coax you inside, encourage you to browse around, and help to subtly guide you from a state of casual interest to a feeling of genuine engagement. The best web sites are not like billboards, they are like well-designed retail stores.

And that's what yours needs to be.

Think it Through

Is your website taking advantage of the new, community-oriented nature of the web? If not, you're losing valuable presence, and almost certainly missing out on sales opportunities.

Next week I'll help you tackle this with 12 questions to ask yourself about your website. My 12 questions will help you discover how well your web site is serving your business, and how much more it could be doing for you.

Why You Need A Website. Right Now.

Original Article from IntelliSites, the smart choice for web design (and SEO!)
Your Website: What it Is and Is Not
I was talking with a travel agent the other day about building him a new website. In an effort to save himself some money, he had pulled his original website completely off the Internet. In a tough economy, he thought it seemed like a logical place to cut costs. But when sales immediately dropped by 10%, he realized his mistake.

You see, a website is not an advertisement like a TV commercial is. It's not a piece of marketing like a mailer is. A website is the home of your business on the Internet. Having a business without a website is like having a store on a deserted island. It exists, but no one knows about it.

Your website is an absolute necessity, especially when money is tight. It's the one place your customers can go any time of day or night to be sure you're still there to serve them. It's the hub of your online existence, and if you don't have a website, you've already lost sales.

Hard Facts
The best websites are extensions of a company's brand. They are built to reflect who the company is, and provide a forum for a company to express its vision and message. And before you say that's "soft thinking" or that websites don't provide real results, think about my new friend the travel agent. A sudden 10% drop in sales is painfully real, don't you agree?

Think about this, too: A good website saves you time. Post your business hours, your customer service policies and a list of frequently asked questions, and see how much less time you spend answering the same questions over and over on the phone. The answers are right on your website for anyone to find.

On top of that, a good website increases your customers' satisfaction. If you build your website in a way that gives people fast, intuitive access to the information they want, they'll thank you. They might not tell you directly, but they'll sure tell their friends. And suddenly you've got new prospects.

So yes, times are tough. This economy forces all of us to take a long, hard look at our budgets. But don't cut your website from your budget. It's the most powerful tool you have, and a link between you and your customers that you cannot afford to cut.

Talk to you next week.