Newest Web Site Launch

After working so hard on a web site, usually for weeks or sometimes months, it feels strange to launch a site and actually let it go. But, what a sense of accomplishment.

My newest launch, Kingdom Kids Childcare of Erie, PA, went live on Monday. It's a site I really enjoyed working on. Annie, Valissa and Shawn are the nicest people to work with and really care about kids.

Here's to small businesses working together, especially in these rough times.

How NOT To Gain Trust Through Your Web Site

I came across an interesting web design company web site this morning. I won't give the name or url, but this company has a web site that raises all kinds of red flags, were I looking for a web development company. The home page is attractive, albeit not designed for search engine optimization. There is not a lot of information on the home page so I clicked on a link at the bottom of the page that was entitled "CMS Web Design". That page however, is a form, asking for your name and email. In return you get free information about the "secrets" of web site design. OK, not what I wanted to know, so I go back to the home page and click on the "Professional Web Design" link. And, guess what? It takes you to the same form. I go back to the home page and click on all the links at the bottom. They all go to the same form. Whoa! This is a huge problem. This company has given very little information about itself but asks that you provide them with a name and email address? Not to mention the fact that the home page was obviously designed to trick search engines into listing it higher.

The point is, you have to give information to your web site visitors and potential customers that will make you seem real to them. Be honest. Do not "hard sell" or demand contact information. Trust is something that should be built upon from the first.

A Revamped Web Site is a Wonderful Thing

Just launched the redesign of my web design services web site, TTR Design. Seems like the last web site that gets done is my own.

Have a great weekend!

Ways to Attract Customers

In tough times like these, customers are understandably careful about when, why and how they spend their money. As a small business owner, it pays to offer customers an added bang for their buck.

Free is a very attractive word. It commands attention. By offering a free service or item, along with a purchase, you might be a able to persuade a customer to buy from you rather than your competitor.

For retail stores, one technique that works is to have a drawing for a prize of some sort. Not only can you bring people into your store this way, but you can, if done correctly, attain contact information so you can send out email or mailed newsletters to the entrants. Note: if you are gathering contact information and intend to send either email or mailings, you must state that on the entry form and ask the person to check off a box to give you permission to use the information that way. It is also advisable that you let them know that you will not be selling this information to any third party.

Before offering something for free think hard about what you will be giving away. Money is tight for small business owners, too, so you don't want to spend so much on your freebie that it negates the sales you bring in. For example, with TTR Design, my web design business, I will at various times offer one free additional web page with a package purchase, a free slideshow with package, free contact form or a percentage off the final invoice. If I can get someone to buy a web design package, adding an additional page is not too costly and it helped me get the job in the first place.

Why Use a Web Design Professional?

OK, this is going to sound a bit like a rant. That's because it is!

I have just read yet another article about ways to make money online. Web design is listed as one of those ways. Yes, web design is a way you can make money online. But the part that really ruffles my feathers is where the author goes on to say that, if you don't know anything about web design, just pick up a couple of how-to books and you are good to go. Excuse me?

In part, I blame Microsoft for promoting the idea that anyone can build a business web site. While Frontpage was great for someone who wanted a personal web site to put pictures up of the new baby, it was not a good tool for creating a business web site.

An experienced professional designer will know how to create an attractive, easily navigated web site, will know about how colors look on the web, will know about designing for the different web browsers so the site looks good in all of them, will know how to optimize graphics for the web, will have learned and kept up with the techniques for rankings in Google and other search engines and a good web designer will walk you through the process so it is not a chore. You cannot gain this knowledge through a couple of how-to books.

The fact is that the public expects a business to have a professional looking web site that provides them the information they need. Unless a business owner has the time and knowledge to create such a site, he or she should seriously consider hiring a professional.

OK. Rant over. For now...

Your Web Site IS you!

Being a professional means that you have to project a professional image. You are an expert in your field and you should look like one.

So, you have a web site. You decided you didn't have the money to get a professional design, so your 13 year old nephew put it together for you. It has your business name and contact info, so you don't need anything else, right?

Well...

A professionally done web site can be a powerful marketing tool. Even a small, three page site can bring in more customers. But, it will not bring customers in if they cannot find your site or, if they do find it, do not stay on your site long enough to find out what you are about.

An experienced web professional does a lot of work to develop your site in a way that is easily navigated, downloads quickly, has all contact information visible immediately and is attractive to the eye. In addition, there are behind the scenes procedures that help your site rank well in search engines.

So maybe that site your nephew did for you; you know - the one with the frames, music and flashing text - is not the best web site for your business.

Yes, your web site IS you!

Creative & Cheap Ways of Advertising Your Business

Keeping a business afloat in early 2009 is certainly a challenge. It takes me back to when I first began my web design business and needed to advertise on a $50 advertising budget!

One thing I did then and am getting ready to do again now, is send out a few targeted mailings. I ordered some nice postcards from Vista Print, bought some postcard stamps from the post office, went through the phone book yellow pages looking for companies who might need my services and mailed a few cards out. I actually made a couple of contacts through those mailings that became long-term customers. It was well worth the initial cost. This time, I am searching online for local businesses who might need my services and will be sending out a few postcards at a time. I am also going to keep some postcards with me at all times to hand out or stick on public bulletin boards around town.

Since I am reestablishing myself in a new area, I am also handing a few business cards out to friends, relatives and business owners I have worked with, so they can pass them out to others. Believe me, my husband's wallet is full of my business cards!

Another thing I did recently was to post my services on one of the local television station's free online classified sections. I got lots of web site hits the first few days, when my ad was on the landing page. It dropped off after awhile because new ads were being posted and so did my hits, but it was free and is still up for someone who finds it.

In a business climate like this, we need to keep thinking of creative and economical ways to advertise our businesses. If we do, we may just be able to hang on.