| QUESTION:
| |
| | required to interest customers in the
|
| Should I build and maintain my business
| |
| | products you sell or services you
|
| Web site myself or pay someone else to do
| |
| | provide.
|
| the work for me? -- Wesley L.
| |
| | Here's are a few questions that, once
|
| ANSWER:
| |
| | answered, will help ensure that your Web
|
| When you say, pay someone else to do the
| |
| | site's message is as appealing as its
|
| work for you, Wesley, I am going to
| |
| | design. Go over these points with the
|
| assume that you are talking about hiring
| |
| | designer before the design process begins
|
| a professional Web site designer to do
| |
| | as the answers will help determine the
|
| the work and not your next-door
| |
| | direction your Web site's design should
|
| neighbor's teenage son. If my assumption
| |
| | take.
|
| is correct, then read on. If not, go
| |
| | What Is The Purpose Of Your Web Site?
|
| ahead and flip over to the comics
| |
| | Most business Web sites have two
|
| section. You will get no good out of the
| |
| | purposes: (1) to educate the consumer
|
| advice I'm about to give, so you might as
| |
| | and, (2) to sell them products or
|
| well consult Dilbert for your hot
| |
| | services. If you sell shoes, for example,
|
| business tips.
| |
| | the purpose of your Web site is to
|
| Should you build and maintain your
| |
| | educate potential customers on the
|
| business Web site yourself or pay someone
| |
| | quality and durability of your shoes and
|
| to do it for you? Let me answer your
| |
| | as a result, to sell them shoes. If you
|
| question with a couple of my own. Number
| |
| | paint houses the purpose of your Web site
|
| one: is building and maintaining Web
| |
| | is to educate home owners on why your
|
| sites the key focus of your business?
| |
| | services are superior to other painters
|
| Number two: could your time be better
| |
| | and sell them on hiring you to paint
|
| spent doing more important things like,
| |
| | their house. By defining the purpose of
|
| oh I don't know, say running your
| |
| | your Web site you will give the designer
|
| business? If your answers were no and
| |
| | the information required to create a Web
|
| yes, respectively, then you have no
| |
| | site that best conveys that purpose to
|
| business building and maintain a Web
| |
| | your target audience.
|
| site.
| |
| | Who Is My Target Audience?
|
| Remember this: every minute you spend on
| |
| | Your target audience consists of those
|
| tasks that are not related to the key
| |
| | folks you want to attract to your Web
|
| focus of your business is time spent to
| |
| | site: potential and current customers,
|
| the detriment of your business. In other
| |
| | future and current employees, possible
|
| words, every minute you spend focusing on
| |
| | investors, etc. Anyone who might be
|
| tasks that do not contribute to the
| |
| | interested in your company and its
|
| growth of your business and thereby
| |
| | products or services is a member of your
|
| increase your bottom line is time wasted.
| |
| | target audience. Correctly identifying
|
| If you want to be a web designer, be a
| |
| | your target audience is vital since your
|
| web designer. However, if the key focus
| |
| | Web site should be designed specifically
|
| of your business is building widgets, it
| |
| | to appeal to your target audience.
|
| doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure
| |
| | Put yourself in their shoes (or in front
|
| out that your time would be better spent
| |
| | of their computers). Imagine your Web
|
| building widgets, not Web sites.
| |
| | site through their eyes. If you were
|
| Case in point: I once had a very wealthy
| |
| | visiting a Web site such as yours what
|
| dentist ask if I could teach him how to
| |
| | would you expect to find and what would
|
| maintain his Web site so he wouldn't have
| |
| | you be disappointed not to find? Identify
|
| to pay me to do it. Now my teeth had
| |
| | your target audience, then have your Web
|
| helped put this guy's kids through
| |
| | site designed to fulfill their needs and
|
| college, but that didn't seem to matter.
| |
| | surpass their expectations.
|
| At that moment he was more concerned
| |
| | What Content Should My Web Site Feature?
|
| about having to pay for changes to his
| |
| | Your Web site content should be driven by
|
| Web site than my personal oral hygiene.
| |
| | the nature of your business. If you're a
|
| Sure, I said, I'll be glad to teach you
| |
| | real estate agent, your site should
|
| how to update your Web site, just as soon
| |
| | feature photographs of homes you have for
|
| as you teach me how to clean my own teeth
| |
| | sale and information on buying and
|
| so I don't have to pay you to do it. He
| |
| | selling a home. If you own an auto body
|
| got the point. And he charged me enough
| |
| | shop, your site might feature before and
|
| for the cleaning to keep his site updated
| |
| | after photographs of cars that you have
|
| for months. Smart man.
| |
| | repaired. Remember to determine the
|
| Many business owners think they can't
| |
| | purpose of your site, then develop the
|
| afford a professionally designed Web site
| |
| | content to serve that purpose.
|
| and that simply is not true. While the
| |
| | What's My Competition Doing?
|
| old adage, "you get what you pay for" is
| |
| | The last question you should ask is one
|
| never more true than when applied to Web
| |
| | of the most important: What is your
|
| site design, having a professional web
| |
| | competition doing on the Web? Do a Google
|
| designer do the work for you is money
| |
| | search for similar businesses and click
|
| well spent. A well-designed Web site can
| |
| | around their Web sites. How are their Web
|
| bring you a many-fold return on your
| |
| | sites designed? What message are they
|
| investment. You can't say that about too
| |
| | trying to convey? Are they doing a good
|
| many other collaterals.
| |
| | job of conveying that message and as a
|
| While it is best to leave Web site design
| |
| | result, selling products? What do you
|
| and maintenance to the experts, it is up
| |
| | like about their Web sites? What don't
|
| to you (or someone considered a subject
| |
| | you like? Make note of the things you
|
| matter expert within your company) to
| |
| | like and the things you hate, then share
|
| provide the designer with the content
| |
| | your findings with your site designer.
|
| (text and photographs) that best conveys
| |
| | Remember, you're not stealing trade
|
| your company's message to your customers.
| |
| | secrets here.
|
| A Web site, no matter how well designed,
| |
| | You're just borrowing ideas.
|
| is meaningless if it lacks the content
| |
| |
|