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| Q: Does My Business Need a Website? A: Only you can determine if your company needs a web site. While making the determination, you want to consider that a web site is multi-functional, and is a communication tool – not an advertisement. If your business is organized, all of your clientel is local, and you have a back-log of customers waiting to be serviced –and you can handle that service effectively – you may not need a website. If you often wish you could communicate effectively with a broader range of clients / customers, attract new customers, break in to new markets and take the market share from your competitors – then a website is a MUST! A web site is like your giant public bulletin board where people can get information on how to find you, where you are located, what you have to offer, why your service is unique, and what’s new in your company. Q: I don’t sell merchandise on-line. Why would I need a web site? A: You may not sell merchandise on-line, but do you sell something special that people are looking for? Do you ever have a customer say “I came here because you sell ________.” For example, a store that sells a line of products or brands that are highly sought after by a faithful following, (i.e. Dept. 56, Boyd’s Bears, Hallmark Cards, Red Wing Shoes, certain lines of animal products, clothing and accessories, tools) is going to have potential customers that search the Internet to find out who sells those brands in their local area. Will you be on the search results? Will your competitor be? The same applies to restaurants and lodging. People are visiting a certain area. Over 70% of travelers in the United States and Europe use the Internet to set travel itineraries – and those itineraries include restaurants, accommodations, and shopping. Will you be among the choices found when they search the Internet? In a nutshell, if you offer something that people are looking for, a large portion of people (perhaps a market unknown to you thus far) will search the Internet, because it’s fast, it’s easy, it’s global and it’s private. A web site will put you in the running with others on the Internet. Q: We build our customer base through personal relationships. Our customers aren’t computer users. Wouldn’t a web site be a waste considering our clientel? A: Your current customers may not use the computer much – that is possible. A worthy concern should be about the potential customers that do use the computer and CAN’T FIND YOU. Statistics prove that 65% of the population in rural areas uses a computer at least once per week, and 85% in metropolitan areas use a computer. These percentages have NEVER decreased. It is likely that they will continue to increase. A website keeps you in sync with this trend. Another interesting statistic: The fastest growing sector of the American population getting computer literate is between the ages of 50 and 75. This sector also includes those with the highest percentage of disposable income. A website helps you target that using population. Another thing to think about …. 75 years ago, the American population felt that the telephone was an expensive luxury and not crucial to business growth. That sentiment continued for 30 years. As social communication trends changed, and expenses decreased – businesses changed to insure profitability. Use of the Internet will only increase in the next ten years. Q: We have a friend/family member who can make web sites. We have already promised them that they can do ours. Why do we need to pay for it? A: Is this person a qualified web developer? If so, you’re the lucky one. Be sure to impart a sense of urgency in getting the site completed. If he or she makes websites as a hobby, you’ll want to consider the following: 1. A website can be compared to a means of transportation. You could ride a bicycle or drive a Mercedes – either way you can get around town, but one is much faster, more efficient, will take your farther faster, and will be a much more comfortable ride. 2. The flashy graphics and catchy text you see on websites is only about 20% of what goes into developing the site. Behind all those pretty pages are codes and tags, specifically written to attain a higher placement in search engine, making the pages load faster and be more user friendly. Most beginners lack knowledge in the proper usage of codes and scripts, nor are they up to date on search engine optimization. If you have a pretty web site, but no one can find it, you lose an enormous amount of marketing power. A website at its basic level can offer the following benefits, and possibilities for expansion are endless:
When you consider the continual growth in numbers of Internet users and the growth of companies that are on the Internet, some of which may be your competitors, it could cost you NOT to have a web site. |
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