Developing Your First website The Dilemma: I own a small firm, with a few associates and staff. We are ready to create a website to help market our firm to a wider audience. I guess our site would be a bit like a “billboard,” providing information for and advertising our services to potential customers. Should my company go beyond this stage and develop a more interactive site? What should I expect it to cost? What more could I expect a website to do for my business? 1. Plan before Implement Professionals agree that most businesses cannot afford to ignore the Internet. However, its a good idea that a firm new to the Internet starts with a modest, inexpensive site. At a minimum, the site should showcase the company’s products or services. Contact information – a way for customers and potential customers to reach the company – is also important. An e-mail link and a telephone number are needed, at least. Experts in web marketing say that newcomers to the Internet need to clearly define objectives and to plan for the Internet endeavor. Outsourcing design work is not cheap and failure to think through ahead of time can result in an expensive lesson. Business owners who have been down the Internet road stress that a company's website must be designed to grow. If the company prospers, its website will certainly expand. For example, those in sales eventually will need to tie a database into the website and consider more interactive approaches to customer relations. Again, design work is expensive so try to think about future needs, spend time building the business plan for the information technology and build with growth in mind. 2. Develop Wisely: Success is in the Details: A website must reflect the company’s professionalism. There is a lot of free junk available on the Internet that a designer might want to add to your site. Pay particular attention to "features" that may have a juvenile appearance and might appeal to a novice designer with little business experience. Maintain oversight of the development process and always remember that you are the one who knows your business and your customers the best, so develop a site that fulfills your desires. Bad spelling and poor grammar can also make you look unprofessional. Double check this before you place your pages on the computer server. Don’t use photos and graphics from other websites without permission. They are easy to copy, but taking them may be illegal. Also include copyright disclaimers to protect your own intellectual property. Ensure to consider your customer's technical abilities. Create a site that is easy to navigate and use. Remember that graphics and photo files are larger than text files. Therefore, they take longer to download and can try the patience of your customers. Most companies have broadband connections (DSL, cable or dedicated lines), which move large files relatively quickly. However, consider using small size files and graphics if you have most of your customers accessing the Internet through low speed connections. Make the Site Navigational: Use links to different sections of your site. Keep Navigation bars standardized throughout the site so users will easily recognize them. Concentrate on enabling your customers to quickly find or go to the information they want but still maintaining an attractive design. Too many links in one place may become confusing but general links that lead to more specific information can greatly enhance the navigational ability of your site. If you want to link to another website, get the owner’s permission. Use links to other sites sparingly, if at all. Outbound links can draw people away from your site so if you include links to other sites, program your site to open them in a new browser window to keep your website on the screen. Look for opportunities to add value to you customers and your business by placing links that connect to your partners and request other businesses to place links that direct customers to your website. Prevent Future Headaches: Be sure the website contract establishes ownership of the files that make up your website. Unless you specifically request, you won’t necessarily own the website, even if you paid for it and it has your name on it. Designers often retain ownership of their work, as do programmers. That could complicate future changes in the website or hosting company. Visit other websites to find design ideas. Once you settle on a design, lay it out on a wall and critic it as much as possible before giving it to the web designer. Again, try to be as close as possible to you final vision of a site before paying the high fees of a designer/programmer. The Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers may react differently to your site so be sure that your site works well with both. The same goes for older browsers, whether Netscape or Internet Explorer. Web programming languages are evolving rapidly, and although older-browser problem are gradually going away, its is a good practice to check that your site works properly on at least two different browsers. 3. Plan to Spend wisely The Design: Website design fees vary. Be sure you know your costs going in – especially for design work – and watch your budget. Consult as many organization as possible regarding current market fees. Good sources for local information include web design user groups, technical schools, colleges and universities. The internet presents opportunities for savings by contracting the work with web design companies worldwide. However, before paying for a contract or agreeing with a project through the Internet, make sure you are entirely satisfied with the design, implementation plan, and support made available to you. Always ask for samples of past work and contact previous customers to get a better idea of the designer's performance. Finding a Host: You will need a server, which is a large-scale computer, to put your website up on the Internet. There are numerous hosting companies available nationally and in the Phoenix area that provide reasonable server solutions. Look for a company with backup systems and real time site upgrades capabilities. Some hosting companies even let you use their server space as a files repository as part of the agreement. Consider purchasing your own domain name (such as http://wpcarey.asu.edu/). Many hosting companies offer a custom domain name as part of their package. However, make sure you own the domain and that its not just part of the hosting agreement. You will want to keep your website name if you decide to move to another server provider later on. 4. Further Considerations: - Update content often to keep customers returning.
- Test the acceptance of credit cards.
- Put your web address on all literature. People will not look at your site if they are not aware of it.
- Put a guest book on the site, but make its use optional. Some people don’t like signing in.
- Do not require log-in unless absolutely necessary.
- Register, and regularly re-register, with search engines.
- Be sure the site is customer-oriented, not company-oriented.
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Investing on the Right Technology
The Dilemma: As a small business owner, there is so much I do not know and that I must quickly learn. How do I know that what I choose today will not be obsolete in one year? Should I go ahead and invest anyway? I am afraid that my company will become a slave to technology. Most professionals approached by the Center agreed that technology slavery is probably inescapable, at least early in the learning curve. They urged business owners to learn enough about their systems so that the slave-master roles can be reversed soon. Some recommended appointing an interested employee as the technology guru. But others warned that if the guru leaves, the owner could be in trouble. The bottom line is this: identify the business process you want to improve and than look for the tool that fulfills your needs. An alternative to the in-house technology expert is outsourcing. Outsourcing your IT needs with good technology people will allow you to concentrate on your business. Consultants can also guide you away from overly expensive equipment. However, a bit of curiosity is always important to avoid unnecessary recommendations and charges from the consultants. Remember that software or hardware implementation and updates are somewhat cyclical, which do not require around the clock dedicated personnel. Watch for the danger of analysis paralysis. This occurs when business owners’ fear of obsolescence keeps them from buying. The fact is, there are always new technologies coming down the road. The consensus is to buy good equipment that fits the business requirements and do not worry about the faster toy that is coming out next month. In general, there is always a mid level technology that provides the solution you need for a reasonable price. In regards to software costs, off-the-shelf or bundled software is much cheaper than customized ones. Specialists recommend that businesses take the less expensive route whenever possible. Search for the tool that most efficiently and effectively fulfills your business needs. Other recommendations: - Train your staff in computer technology, hire staff that are curious about learning it
- Prioritize (needs vs. wishes, and tools vs. toys).
- Be sure you really need the stuff you buy. There is a difference between perceived obsolescence and functional obsolescence.
- Avoid bugs or "features". Buy/upgrade a little behind the curve.
- A good marketing plan will tell you how much technology you need.
- Expensive equipement may be better to lease.
- Gee-whiz technology will not bring you more business. Put your money into marketing.
- Do enough research to buy or lease intelligently.
- Pay cash when possible.
- Look for resources, such as chambers of commerce, and information systems students at local universities.
- Install a firewall software if you’re using the Internet. Otherwise, hackers can get into your computer.
- Regularly run virus protection. The anti-virus program should be updated regularly (follow the manufacturer’s recommendations) by downloading new files from the manufacturer’s website.
- Create a plan to cyclically upgrade your technology according to the business need.
- Get recommendations for technology consultants from people you trust. Bad consultants can kill you.
- Do not get too comfortable with technology you understand. Changes happen quickly so try to keep up with trends.
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Marketing Successfully Over the Internet The Dilemma: Our business has many employees and solid gross sales, most of which come through our catalog. How is marketing over the Internet any different than what I am doing now? I am trying to reach my customers through targeted ads, direct mail, promotions, and well-trained sales people. How is this going to be better? Do I really need to be part of online retailing? The group consulted by the Center feels that a business might find a new clientele if it put its catalog online. They expressed the belief that customers should be offered as many marketing channels as possible. But they warned that if a company does find a new clientele, current inventory and staff might be insufficient. A website can quickly provide current information, since it can be updated at will. By contrast, paper catalogs are much more difficult and costly to update. But the web’s advantage can also be a problem: Companies must remember to update things. Otherwise, they can leave a bad impression with customers. Customers understand that a catalog can get out of date, but they expect a website to be updated. Participants noted that security remains a concern with the public. Businesses that want to sell on the web must invest in security software. They must assure their customers that they are protected especially when dealing with credit card information. The good news is that the major credit card companies provide assistance in guiding business through a secured transactional environment. Online customers expect to be informed of their purchase status. It is good policy to immediately acknowledge orders receipt via e-mail. Another e-mail should be sent when the order is shipped. Automated emails can be implemented confirming the receipt and shipment of orders, thus minimizing labor costs. Other points: - Set up a storefront under or advertise in online services, such as Google, Yahoo! or Amazon.com.
- Beware of dumping too much information on your customers.
- Studies show people buy more, more often, and are loyal on line.
- Avoid asking for personal information.
- Be prepared to deal with a higher rate of returns.
- Same elements of marketing apply.
- The fastest growing group of Internet users are people over 60 years of age.
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