Musings -
Websites: Build It and They Will Come
One of the very first investments you need to have when you start your new business is a website. The adage goes, "if you're not online you don't exist."
You do exist if you aren't online, but your potential customers will have a hard time finding you. The first place most people look for your goods or services is Google. If you don't have a website they are not very likely to find you; they are likely to find your competition and you lose.
Your first step is to create a plan of what you are trying to do, what image you want to convey, and how interactive you want your site to be. Your plan is your roadmap and is critical, but not carved in stone; you can upgrade it as necessary when necessary.
Building a website does not have to be a big expense. There are a number of places, like GoDaddy that both host websites and have simple templates that you can do on your own. For a slightly lar ger investment you can find lots of budget sources to create a basic site for you. For a little bit more you can have a completely custom site with dynamic graphics, multiple interfaces, and lots of other functions that make it very easy for people to do business with you. It will also offer full SEO optimization so it is easy to find with any search engine. The more you are able to invest, the more successful your site will be.
If you are building your first site on your own to keep it simple. You can add features later as they are needed, but
you want your site to be as uncomplicated as possible for your customers. If your site is not well laid out and easy to use people will lose interest and move on to another site; you lose. If your
site is well planned you will be amazed at how it improves your bottom line, you win.
 |