January 27, 2010

What’s the most important piece of your business’s web presence? Your website, of course.

Creating a website requires a good deal of thought; it’s important to plan what information you want on the site, what the layout will look like, and how you’ll connect each piece together.

Think of your website as your hub; it’s what people will see when they look for you. Here are four elements of a successful business web presence that can help ensure that your first impression is a good one.

Before we begin

Your very first step should be to define the goals of your website. Most businesses should have at least three: to create an online presence, to differentiate your business, and to capture leads.

The website

With our goals in mind, we can begin to explore specific elements of a strong website.

The homepage will generally be the initial point of contact with your consumers. A good homepage will answer the questions “What do you do?” and “Why should I trust you?” Consumers will make a split-second decision on whether they’ll stay to learn more or go to a competitor. Don’t lose them at the start.

An “About” page can further reinforce the trust factor. Explain exactly what your company does, in-depth. I want to know who you are, why you do what you do, and what makes you special. This page should make an impact and impress your consumers.

Finally, create a “Contact” page. This page should clearly explain to your customers how to get in contact with you. Make sure it outlines your address, phone number, email address, and any other way someone can reach you. You might even want to include a Google Map with directions to your store or office.

These three pages create a basic online presence, but not much more. If you want to set your business apart from everyone else, the best way to do that is to create a company blog.

The Blog

For some reason, many business owners shy away from blogs. What they don’t realize is that most business “News” sections are blogs. “Blog” simply defines any continually updated news or content section of a site. In fact, this is technically a post on a blog.

So why is a blog important? For one, it shows that you know what you’re talking about. It helps you identify yourself as an expert or unique. Secondly, a blog is constantly updated. It gives readers a reason to come back to your site. The more contact you have with your consumers, the more likely they are to buy from you.

Also, consumers have become savvier and will search out information. They want more than a simple explanation of what your product does. They want to know how to use your product, examples of interesting things people are doing, and how you can make their life easier.

After you have a site with information and a blog that is ever-growing, you’ll begin to experience a growth in site traffic. It would be a shame to ignore these potential customers. Which leads us to our next step; lead capture.

The Newsletter

It’s here that we begin building leads from your website’s visitors.

The first and most important element is a newsletter form. I use Aweber to handle my own personal newsletter sign ups and delivery. I just write the actual newsletter and format it.

There are a number of other services you can use too such as MailChimp and ConstantContact; it simply depends on what you want. Do your research and choose a program you like. The newsletter cost quickly pays for itself. Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to generate sales.

Getting consumers to sign up for your email list means you no longer have to wait for them to come to you, you can go to them. You can offer your core consumers specials and keep them up to date on new products or changes.

Social Media Accounts

Another option for capturing leads is social media. Microblogs and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter can help you connect with and contact those within your core community. For this strategy to work, your blog should serve as a central hub. The hub sends consumers to your respective social media profiles to build the connection.

Businesses with a Facebook Fan page can include a Fan box on the site to make it an easy process to fan the business page. If you have an active Twitter account, consider adding the “Follow Me on Twitter” button. These two elements can help turn a one-time reader into a connected consumer.

When you’re building an online presence, the most important aspect is your website. It’s your hub and your first impression. Are you using the right elements to maximize your website’s effectiveness?

Image courtesy of iStockPhoto, GeoPaul

Join the conversation ( 4 )

• Trent Blizzard 2 years 0 months and 10 days ago

  

  Good article Samir. I agree, even if you run a business from your garage, you must have a website and a physical address that Google can connect to you. Getting a Google business listing verified is the first step in creating search engine/web presence. The About Us page is consistently in the top 10 viewed pages of our website, so make sure that it’s the best “about you” as it can be. If your website is well designed, the Contact info should be easily found at the bottom of every page as well as on Contact Us page.
  
  While Social Media is a great way to create presence, make sure that you first have the rest of your ducks in order. If you aren’t optimizing your website, using paid advertising, participating in link marketing, than I wouldn’t recommend putting time into social media.
  

• Courtney Colwell 2 years 0 months and 13 days ago

  

  Jan- Yes. For articles where the author isn't a frequent contributor (with a profile) - a bio is often included at the end of the article with a link to the author's Web site. That should have been the case here, as well.

• JAN KASAL 2 years 0 months and 13 days ago

  

  Interesting. After I finished reading the article, I wanted to find more info about the author. I clicked the byline. Nothing. I clicked the tag. Nothing more than the article. I copied the author's name to the search box. And got… Nothing more than the article. No other info available on openforum.com
  After researching outside of the network, I got plenty of the requested info. How many minutes wasted? Moderators, in case the author doesn't do business with Amex, would it be possible to make a direct link to some other location?
  
  Jan

• Jim Canto 2 years 0 months and 15 days ago

  

  I agree with the basic points made above by Samir. I would offer one additional key piece of advice; Be absolutely certain to consider organic Search Engine Optimization before you take action. Building a web presence is one thing. Building a web presence which will actually be found by your target market is another. And, the more effective your organic SEO strategy is, the less you'll have to pay for your site to be found.
  
  The most effective organic SEO strategy starts right at the domain level. So, if you're just starting out and only beginning to contemplate your web presence, you have an opportunity to build your web presence on a solid foundation. Read up on the concepts. There's a ton of information out there. That's how I learned (and continue to learn.)
  
  The only other point I'd like to make is... and this may sound negative... do not underestimate the time required to facilitate, and more importantly, maintain what the author has suggested above. It's not a web presence if you're not present.
  
  The big advantage of all this is: You can get the kind of exposure only "big money" could afford a decade ago (or less.) So, take a little extra time and learn the key concepts. Or, hire a professional strategist who knows how to build it out properly and tie it all together.
  
  Here's to your success!