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Launching Your Business Online
Part 2 of 2
By Robert Kanaat
In Part 1 of this series on creating an online presence for your business, we discussed choosing the right domain name, finding the proper Web hosting package and selecting shopping cart software. In this article, we'll look at designing your Website, adding Website content and optimizing your Website for Search Engines (SEO), among other things.
Designing a Website is not a simple task. Sure, there is some do-it-yourself software out there, such as FrontPage and similar programs, but if you're not a professional at Website design, more likely than not, that's going to be evident in the results.
One alternative is to select shopping cart software that comes pre-built with design templates and allows you to customize the look of your site based on those templates. This is an important point to remember, because the design of your site can make or break your online business.
Think about for a minute; have you ever visited a Website that was poorly designed? We all have, and we all have the same reaction. It's certainly no fun trying to navigate through a site that's poorly designed, and more often than not functionality is subpar as well.
Here are some key points about Website design to keep in mind:
Keep it clean - A design that is too cluttered may confuse the casual Web surfer. Rather than making that person a potential customer, poor design sparks a quick exit from the site.
Keep it functional - Not only is it important to have the site clean and aesthetically appealing, it is also important to keep the site functional. You don't want your Website visitors to get lost while surfing through your site. Make sure that the navigational elements are clear and that the user doesn't get lost while moving from one section of the Website to another.
Keep it informative - No matter what business you're in, a good Website has good content (discussed below). It's important to provide the users with something to keep them coming back. Besides having great product and service offerings on your site, it's important to educate and inform visitors about your area of expertise.
Keep it within your budget - It's an important to reiterate that if you're taking this journey on your own and you've never done this before, you may hit some bumps in the road along the way. So don't try to reinvent the wheel. The path of least resistance in building an e-commerce site to sell your products or services online is choosing a shopping cart package that offers the most help with design, such as "prefab" templates that are built right into the software.
CONTENT IS KING
Content is definitely king in the online world. Great content will not only get you repeat customers who want to come back and see what's new day in and day out, it also helps your site move higher up in the search engine rankings, and that's important.
It's critical that you spend time creating content for your site that really educates the visitor about your specific area of expertise or business. For example, if you're a tax attorney, then great tax tips and a weekly newsletter will do volumes for your business online. Add some prepaid service packages that people can purchase online and link them together, and you've got a winning formula for success.
If writing is not your forte, don't sweat it. You may be surprised by how well you can write when you're passionate about the subject. And if you're in business, then you should be passionate about what you do.
If you still think it's not for you, consider hiring a writer for your Website. You can find several places online where you can get an author to create content for your Website for a relatively modest fee. A good resource is Elance.com (http://www.elance.com), where you can post miscellaneous jobs for authors and other business-related needs.
Here are some tips for writing your Website content:
Stick to what you know - If you try to write about an area in which you are not well versed, it's certainly going to show. Just remember to stick to what you know. You'll be able to write much more fluently about the topic, and your passion for your work will show.
Unless you are a professional Website designer, you'll need some help in this area. |
Don't be too verbose - Remember that this is not a dissertation you're trying to write. Keep in mind that the average visitor won't want to sift through information that is too wordy, complicated or difficult to read. Keep it straightforward and leave out the "fat".
Use "buzzwords" in your articles that pertain to your business - No matter what business you're in, it has certain "buzzwords," which are key words or expressions that pertain specifically to that business.
Those key words and expressions are what people will search for when they're looking for a Website in your line of work. Linking and using those specific key words in your articles will help immensely in your search engine rankings.
Okay, so you've done all the legwork. You've picked your domain name, purchased a shopping cart and hosting account, designed your Website and added content-so now what?
One of the most difficult parts of any online business is the marketing of that business. Either you need to have lots of money or lots of time. If you have both, you're in a great position, but most people don't, and it usually boils down to a time investment.
STAY COMMITTED
Keep in mind that the process is likely to be a lengthy one, but you'll need to stay committed in order to move up in the search engine rankings. These steps can help:
Select key words that fit your business - No matter what business you're in, there are key words that fit it. For example, if you own a bakery called "My Bakery" located in Anytown, CA and specialize in pastries, then some key words might include bakery, pastries, bread, My Bakery and Anytown. If someone is in your area and searching for a business like yours, they will most likely enter the business type as well as the area name, so having your area in your key words is certainly important.
Create an online newsletter - Using a company like
ConstantContact.com (www.constantcontact.com), you can create an easy-to-use online newsletter than you can build yourself through their online interface. Creating a newsletter with unique content that links back to your site is a way to keep people coming back.
Use your Website address everywhere - If you own a business that has a Website, then you need to be constantly marketing that through traditional avenues as well as online. Place your Website name on everything-business cards, to flyers, in-store handouts, and more.
Create discounts with a discount code that links to your online store - By using shopping cart software such as CartWIZ (http://www.cartwiz.com), you can create discount codes that start and expire on any given dates that you provide. The code can provide a percentage discount or a total dollar discount. You can then use these codes to market your site and track a promotion's progress. By using different codes, you can see which marketing strategies work and which ones do not.
Consider using a pay-per-click system - You may want to consider using a pay-per-click system such as Google Ad Words (ads.google.com) or Overture (www.overture.com). While this can get costly, it's certainly a quick and easy way to get quality traffic to your Website.
Creating a successful online presence for your business requires a commitment. |
With billions of Web pages throughout the Internet, it's no wonder that it takes work to make your online business a successful one. It's important, however, to stay on track and persevere. Set goals for yourself on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis, and measure your progress.
Most importantly, do what works for you. Remember, the importance of a goal is not just the goal itself, but the journey toward reaching and what that journey makes of you.
Robert Kanaat, CEO and co-founder of Elemental Software, Inc. (rkanaat@cartwiz.com), has over a decade of experience in the Internet commerce and Web development fields and has worked with some of the nation's leading companies on Web development and Internet strategy.
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