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vangogh
06-10-2009, 07:18 PM
I know some people here don't feel like the web can really work for them. Perhaps you have a local business and so don't think you need to appeal to a larger audience or you don't think you have anything to sell online.

I found this article, How to Make the Web Work for Your Business in 5 Steps (http://www.freelanceswitch.com/finding/how-to-make-the-web-work-for-your-business-in-5-steps/), and I thought it might convince some of you why the web can work.

Here are the 5 steps.

1. Get a Decent Website
2. Stick to the Message
3. Embrace Keyword Advertising
4. Learn About Social Networking
5. Track Your Results

The article also gives an example of a chiropractor (local with no way to sell online) who uses the above strategy to gain 20 new patients a month.

One quote I want to pull from the article about what you should expect to pay for a website


a good website should cost at least what you’re paying for one to two years of yellow pages advertising. Find a decent web designer. Get a good copywriter. It makes a huge difference (or do you want a website that 1998 wants back?). And expect to spend at least what you’re spending on the yellow pages for your marketing, every month.

I know for many new business the thought is to save money on your site. That's also the reason why many people never see any results from their site and convince themselves the web can't work for them. The web can work for pretty much any business if you do it right.

How are you making the web work for you? How are you using the web to market your business?

Patrysha
06-10-2009, 10:15 PM
Most of my current client list is offline business owners. They are local retailers and services who only serve a small target area...none of them sell anything online at all...

The problem with the web design advice they've given is that price is no way to evaluate the effectiveness of a designer. Designers like you are rare Van Gogh (though the ranks are growing) - those that understand marketing, SEO & navigation are essential to success in the local marketplace. There are still too many designers who come out of school who know how to code and make things pretty but have no clue how to entice someone to call or buy (or whatever action makes the most sense to that business).

In many cases the highest priced web designer in the area is not the best choice. When even someone with rudimentary skills like mine can rank for keywords when none of the others offering web design services do...there's a problem for the people who hire them.

Most of the small business owners I work with really have no idea what the heck we do or how to ask for what they need or what answers they should be getting...all they know in most cases is that they want to have a website...and when it doesn't perform they say websites don't work...

vangogh
06-11-2009, 12:22 AM
The problem with the web design advice they've given is that price is no way to evaluate the effectiveness of a designer.


In many cases the highest priced web designer in the area is not the best choice.

I completely agree on both counts. The reason I pulled that specific quote from the article was more because I've seen too many people start out trying to design a site on their own or hiring based solely on the lowest price. I thought the comparison to what you would spend on phone book advertising was an interesting one.

Spending more doesn't automatically mean you'll be getting more. The point I was trying to make is you should be willing to put something into your site and not see it as something you should only budget a couple hundred dollars for. You do need to invest in it if you expect any return from it.


Most of the small business owners I work with really have no idea what the heck we do or how to ask for what they need or what answers they should be getting...all they know in most cases is that they want to have a website...and when it doesn't perform they say websites don't work.

I can understand that. I wouldn't expect the typical business owner to know about some of the complexities of design and development. I know most people could care less what the code of their site looks like as long as it works. I do think the typical business owner should put some time into learning what questions to ask though. I understand them not knowing, but it is their business and they should be willing to learn a little. I know next to nothing about accounting and taxes, but I know they're important so I do spend some time learning how to do both better.

What I see with many people looking for websites is they shop 100% on price. I can understand them not knowing the difference between using a table or css to layout a website, and I can understand not wanting to spend tens of thousands of dollars, but I think common sense should be enough to say you need to invest more than $50 in something if you want it to be a success.

Patrysha
06-11-2009, 01:03 AM
What I see with many people looking for websites is they shop 100% on price. I can understand them not knowing the difference between using a table or css to layout a website, and I can understand not wanting to spend tens of thousands of dollars, but I think common sense should be enough to say you need to invest more than $50 in something if you want it to be a success.

In my experience that has been more common with the online business world than the offline one. For the most part the business owners I've dealt with - they're fine with spending a reasonable amount (with the exception of my local Chamber of Commerce who not only jumped the bidding process by choosing someone who did not submit a bid by the deadline they provided, but went with the low-ball contractor who is an IT for one of the members...grrr...oh well it only took them six months from when they voted to have the site transferred over to a new server with no content changes -it's in flash and needed an overhaul, imo not just content changes, but all I can do is roll my eyes and bite my tongue)

vangogh
06-11-2009, 03:01 AM
It really does depend on the individual. You can find people anywhere who always shop on price and others who shop on value. I think many business owners are willing to spend on certain things, but often when it comes to their website they don't want to invest. Again I'm not suggesting people go out and spend tens of thousands of dollars on a website. That's ridiculous for most small businesses. But I do think you should be willing to invest in your site if you want it to be successful.

It seems to me your website has more potential than an ad placed in the phone book. So why wouldn't you be willing to at least invest the amount you'd spend on an ad on building a decent website.

Of course I wasn't thinking this thread would solely be about the price of a website. I wanted to present some ideas for how any business can succeed online, particularly those businesses who don't think the web applies to their business.

Patrysha
06-11-2009, 09:51 AM
You know for some clients it's not always a matter of having a website, but of creating & maintaining some element of an online presence.

Making sure the Google Maps listing is there and accurate, Email distribution lists, relevant social networking profiles and monitoring for reviews and mentions may be all a small business in a small town needs to stay ahead of the competition at this point.

I think many of those who don't see the value of a website simply haven't seen an effective website in action. Or they believe (without researching) that their target market isn't engaged online, so it would be "a waste of time and money". That is not the case now, and it will become increasingly less true in the future. In fact, the silver population is the online demographic that has been growing the fastest over the past two years...so those that target seniors who have been saying "Oh they don't use computers" are less and less accurate with each passing day.

vangogh
06-11-2009, 12:14 PM
Very true. I think many still look at websites as online brochures and that's not enough anymore. I think of a website as a living breathing thing that needs to continue to grow from the moment of its inception.


they believe (without researching) that their target market isn't engaged online

I agree. Let's face it. Most everyone is online now in some way. Your market is online, your competition is online, and you should be online. There are also many who still see their business as local and think of the web as international. The web is both local and international.

Keith - StocPress
06-24-2009, 01:41 PM
Hey Van-Gogh, im new here and I think that business owners who have website don't take the time to make their website sell their product. When i customers comes onto their website, they don't care what your business is about (per say), that want to know what you offer and what goods or services can help them. I businesses website should be like a landing page. It should SELL the business. Another thing, is alot of these site need lead capturing mechanisms.