A small business web site can have several functions:
- to advertise your products;
- to promote the company;
- to generate business opportunities;
- to sell product;
- to provide pre-sale customer information;
- to provide after-sales support;
- to provide employee information.
If you have a site which covers all these functions it will become one of your main operating tools. During calls to potential customers, at shows and at meetings you'll refer the propect to your web site for more information. If the site is properly designed, you or the prospect can print out pages for an instant brochure. You'll regularly receive e-mail from the site asking about your products and you'll receive some orders, the number depending on what you're offering and how easy it is to order. Finally, both your customers and your employees will often refer to the site for information on pricing, orders and products.
Ha! you say - we've all read the studies and analyses showing that nobody is making any money from these web sites. They're expensive to set up, time consuming to maintain and don't generate any business.
Try looking at some successful web sites. A number are listed here together with some interesting statistics on business volume and hits. Compare their structure with the above list and see what they are trying to do and how. Then make sure your site also has a clear structure and that it is clear what you are trying to do in each section. Give your prospects, customers and employees a reason to visit and they will come.
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