Customers are able to refer to the site to gain access to vital information such as the businesses contact details, location, and the services provided by the business.
These days it is not difficult to convince business people that they need a website to maximise the potential of their business.
The problem is that if you haven't set up a website before, you probably find the whole idea rather daunting. You have plenty of questions, but don't know how to find out the answers.
How could a website benefit my business?
A web site gives your company world-wide exposure, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, your site is available world-wide, and can be so for a very modest cost of less than £1.00 per day!
It promotes your company as a vibrant, forward looking business that is conscious of your customers' needs, and one prepared to meet those needs by utilizing today's technology.
Already there are more e-mail addresses world-wide than fax numbers. People can view web pages on their televisions, and even on their mobile telephones.
E-commerce has already revolutionised home shopping. People are using the Internet for banking, leisure activities, keeping in touch with distant friends, and increasingly as an information resource.
With our children being exposed to the internet at schools, future generations will increasingly view the web as the prime resource for business and retail purchases.
Depending on the nature of your business ultimately has an impact on how beneficial a website would be.
But simply, just as some people would reach for the yellow pages or phone directory, the majority would now use the world-wide-web as a resource.
A website can be a great way to position your business in the best possible light and convince people that your goods and services meet their needs.
But, whilst a web site will expose your "Shop Window" to a much wider population, it won't work miracles.
If you have a site where visitors can order your product and pay by credit card, you still need exactly the same distribution and returns strategy that you would for a conventional mail-order business.
Think of it as a very economical way of producing a mail-order catalogue and one you can update as often as you wish without generating the cost of a whole new catalogue.
You can also think of your web site as a very economical addition to your Yellow Pages advertising. An advert available internationally, in full colour, unrestricted in size and with an ability to include sound and animations if required.
What do I want the website to do?
The internet is used for a million and one things, so when designing your website it is essential to keep your potential audience in mind and ask yourself, ‘what will people use my site for?’
• To inform?
• To build a community?
• To gain valuable market research?
• To reduce support and customer service costs?
• To reach a broad audience with a message?
• To find sales leads?
• To conduct e-commerce?
• To gain advertising revenue?
• To brand your company?
• To build trust?
• To reduce printing and mailing costs?
These are just some of the things a website can provide, but you must remember that the web is not just a marketing tool, it’s a business tool as well.
The most important aspect of your site, is to make it easy to navigate. So by outlining the sites main aims, you can go on to organise the content and give your users all the information they need with a click of the mouse.
