5 Deadly Misconceptions Small Business Owners Have About Their Web Site
Would you ever buy a car that doesnt run? How about a lamp that wont illuminate? Silly questions, arent they? But youd be surprised at what people will buy even though they know it wont work.
Every year small business owners pour thousands of dollars hastily into web sites projects that dont bring in more customers, dont get people to act and do nothing for their bottom line. Like the aforementioned car and lamp, the web site doesnt do much of anything it just sits there. I want to make sure that doesnt happen to you.
In creating and maintaining a web site that actually provides a good return for the company, small business owners find themselves often at a disadvantage. They dont have time to research what makes an effective site, so they look on the Internet to see what everyone is doing and almost everyone is doing it wrong. Not knowing where else to turn, owners haphazardly ask colleagues if they might know someoneanyone who does web design or calls himself or herself a web designer.
Your best bet in getting a solid return on your web design investment is to hire a professional (see my recommendation at the end of this article), but even if that isnt in your current budget, I have 5 insightful suggestions below that if you read them, understand them and practice them, your web site will be more effective than millions of the other sites that are already out there!
Realty Visitors only care about what you can do for them, how you can help them. Your web site isnt about you; its about your customers and their needs. Remember, your customers dont care about you yes, you read that right, and your customers only care that you can provide a solution or eliminate a problem. Customers are all tuned into the same radio frequency, WIIFM whats in it for me?
Realty Unless you sell information, nothing could be further from the truth. If youre in business to make money, the purpose of your web site is to carry on a conversion with visitors, make a connection with them and move them along the buying process so they become a sale. This isnt to say that information is bad, just understand that you want to provide prospects with enough information for them to conclude, I should contact this person and see if they are a good fit for me.
Reality This never works. There are millions of web sites on the Internet; even within your industry there are probably a number of competitors that already have web sites so there are lots of alternatives. Busy customers arent going to invest time visiting a poorly designed web site. Purchasing a cheap, half-fast web site will not only cause your company to lose some credibility, it isnt going to bring in sales. If conceptualizing and designing a web site that truly brought in a more customers and more revenue, do you think the people designing them would charge more than a few hundred dollars? Remember what your parents taught you, You get what you pay for, and If its true good to be true (really cheap), it probably is.
Reality Getting your visitors to take action isnt mere luck. This requires a clear understanding what your clients want, why they buy and what will motivate them to take action. Remember that people buy with emotion and justify their purchase with logic. If youre not a marketing expert, youll want to ensure the firm designing your site is.
Reality Anyone can design a web site, but a web site that gets visitors to take action and brings in revenue and customers is only accomplished though hiring marketing and design professionals. Within 3 years over of small business owners that invested money in an option other than a marketing/design professional: A) Took their web site down, B) Paid a professional to redesign their web site, C) Abandoned their web site, D) The company is now longer in business.
Bottom-Line Advice for Smart Business Owners
I like what Michael Port says in, Book Yourself Solid, I learned pretty quickly to look for a web designer who is proficient in all three of the critical skills of web design: design, marketing and programming. I encourage you to do the same
Michaels got it right if you want your web site to give you credibility, to make you look like the leading professional in your space, if you want it to get visitors to take action and fill your sales pipeline then hire the professional hes talking about.
There are thousands of web designers in the US, and probably thousands within your own state, but few of them are adept at design, marketing and programming; these professionals are always in demand and they arent cheap. Make sure your expectations and budget are realistic
A final personal note: Ive been designing web sites for years and I cant tell you the number of times small business owners have told me that their web designer flaked out on them, didnt return their calls, disappeared, ripped the off, or created something that looks bad or just doesnt work. I've heard discouraging stories of small business owners who felt disappointed and remorseful in the web designer they hired. Now there are a lot of good web designers out there, but PLEASE be careful whom you invest in. If someone is cheap, theres a reason for that. If they dont have a guarantee, if they dont have testimonials and if they dont have a good track record of designing successful projects, do yourself a favor and work with someone else.
Jeremy runs Can-Do Graphics, a 5-person firm that provides the consulting and creation of all of the marketing, adverting and design collateral for small to mid sized businesses. By become the business marketing team; Jeremy helps clients on both coasts of the US to build in more customers, more credibility and confidence to take their company to the next level of success.
If you're considering hiring a graphic designer to help you with your marketing, advertising and design, don't waste thousands of dollars hiring the wrong company. Before you hire anyone get the facts, type in http://www.candographics.com now and request Jeremys eye-opening insiders report AND his 5-day audio eCourse, All for FREE!
Are you a small business owner dissatisfied with your companys advertising results, perhaps youre not even sure if your ads are costing you money or making you money. Be sure to visit Jeremys http://www.advertisingthatmakesmoney.com and request the special report and 5-day audio eCourse that tell you the dirty secrets ad sales reps dont want you to know. These are also FREE!
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