| 1.Your younger cousin's free design isn't a big help. | | | | Literature should be typo-free, staff should be |
| Let's face it- we don't want to spend a wad of | | | | friendly, and the business should be well organized. |
| cash on website design. Getting a cousin, brother, | | | | If a customer visits a website and it looks poorly |
| relative, or friend to design a website is a great | | | | made, rarely updated, and generally bad- this |
| way to save cash. But the downfall is having a | | | | reflects poorly on the owners. It's also likely that |
| website that (unless they are a professional) has | | | | they'll search Google for a similar company with a |
| errors, looks unprofessional, and drives away | | | | better website. |
| clients and potential buyers. In the end, you aren't | | | | 5. Professional sites make money. |
| capitalizing on viewers, and your potential for | | | | You need a website that has these three |
| increasing business online is lost. | | | | characteristics: |
| 2. The 90's are out. So is that website | | | | - Visually appealing |
| We've all seen websites that are remnants of the | | | | - Easy to navigate |
| past. Single columns, a billion words per page, | | | | - Search engine optimized |
| animated icons, poor colors, and a host of other | | | | Why? The average time someone spends on a |
| repelling features. What was once cutting-edge, is | | | | website is 15 seconds. If the site looks bad, |
| now stone-age. It used to be the norm for people | | | | people will leave. If something is hard to find, |
| to learn how to make their own website and put | | | | they'll leave. If your site isn't search engine |
| it up. But now that we've settled in, these "old | | | | optimized, they won't find it in the first place. |
| school" sites are avoided like the plague. | | | | Homemade or outdated sites often have no |
| 3. If you don't have a website, you might as well | | | | search engine optimization, show up incorrectly, |
| not have a phone. | | | | and are difficult to navigate. Sites like this are a |
| This sounds harsh, but the fact of the matter is | | | | disaster for companies. It makes the business |
| this- the younger generations search the internet | | | | look bad, and it discourages viewers from buying |
| for business and services, not the phone-book. If | | | | your products. |
| you don't have a website, then I can guarantee | | | | Getting a professional website designer eliminates |
| that your business is missing out on a lot of | | | | these problems and increases the chances of |
| exposure. Even if you simply list a phone number, | | | | making sales to your online viewers. It inspires |
| directions, and some basic company information, | | | | buyer confidence. As stated earlier, your website |
| this greatly aids customers in finding you. Google | | | | is the face of your business. A great looking site |
| is quicker and easier than flipping through | | | | with quality material makes the customer feel |
| classifieds, YellowPages (which are online now), or | | | | secure, and that they are dealing with the best in |
| any older media. With iPhones and wireless | | | | the business. This is extremely important when it |
| internet devices, people are now Googling while | | | | comes to online sales. People are still very |
| in-transit. Looking for restaurants? Looking for a | | | | cautious to give out their credit-cards online, and |
| specific store? If you're not online, you won't get | | | | rightly so. If your site is old or doesn't look |
| found. | | | | modern enough, you simply won't be selling |
| 4. Your website is the face of your business | | | | products online. Customers must believe that your |
| Think about websites that are really outdated. Do | | | | site is legitimate, that they will receive their |
| you trust them? Do you think they are | | | | product, and that their information is secure. |
| professionally run? Is the information accurate? | | | | Thank you for taking the time to read my article. |
| Businesses put a lot of time and effort into | | | | Have a wonderful day. |
| generating a professional image for their clients. | | | | |