All Grown Up: Why Your Small Business Needs a Web Solutions Not a Website
By Ilene Rosoff | On June 26, 2007 | In Web Development Articles | Rated 
Raise your hand if you have a website for your
small business. Now keep it raised if it is
generating a significant volume of prospects or
sales. Not holding your hand up anymore? You
are not alone.
Just a few years ago, small companies flocked to
the web in droves, rushing to post their first
website, anxious at the prospect of low-cost
instant exposure. The web was going to be the
great equalizer, putting small business on par
with the big brand names, dangling the promise of
visitors flocking to a company's site to purchase
its wares or partake in its services. Sound
familiar? Unfortunately, for most small
businesses and organizations, the promise fell
short and company sales did not skyrocket from an
unending march of site visitors.
So, what happened? For one, the web quickly
became ultra competitive. Millions of sites
sprang up in every business category making it
virtually impossible to be found in the search
engines. What little bit of traffic the
businesses may have enjoyed when the site was
first launched began to dry up. Also, as the web
evolved to become a more interactive user
experience, it became more technologically
complex and many small business websites did not
keep up. The other part of the problem was in
the approach; not understanding that just putting
together a website, even a pretty one, and
finding some faceless company offering cheap web
hosting services is not likely to make you the
next great success story.
A large hurdle that many small business owners and managers face is the tendency to compartmentalize the web into a few oversimplified tasks: grab a cheap domain
name, find a budget small business website design
and development person, look for some impossibly
low-priced website hosting, and then expect their
website to magically appear on page one of Google.
Unfortunately, this ends up being a waste of
time and money.
A Solutions-Based Approach with Professional
Guidance
To create an effective web presence requires a
solutions-based approach with clear ideas about
what you want to accomplish and who the audience
is you are targeting. The right elements have
to be present; a well orchestrated website design
with cohesive branding, solid technical acumen,
clearly defined objectives for the organization,
reliable small business web hosting services and
some method of marketing your site and tracking
the results. The web is constantly evolving and
search engine competition is fierce. Being
successful on the web requires consistently
evaluating the site's effectiveness based on your
objectives, understanding the latest technologies
and trends, having a dynamic website marketing
plan and constantly fine tuning.
While you don't have to spend a fortune to create
real value on the web, you should also be
realistic. Understand that being successful will
require an investment that you should plan for
and a clear vision of how your website fits into
the goals and objectives of the organization. If
you don't have the experience and technical
resources in-house, working with a professional
web solutions provider, preferably one
specializing in small business web design and
development can provide great benefits. A good
starting point in the process is to have an
understanding of the core elements that are part
of a successful website strategy and how they fit
together.
The Elements of a Web Solution
1) Domain names - Choosing the right domain
name is an important branding decision which
impacts how your organization is perceived and
also how it is found in the search engines.
Purchasing from a cheap bulk registrar or
choosing can spell trouble.
2) Website Design & Development Services> -
Find a provider that specializes in small
business web design and development. An
organization that offers a solutions-based
approach can assist your company in doing
thorough needs analysis and in designing all of
the elements to work well together. First
impressions count!
3) E-mail Management - E-mail is a key
communication tool for your business. The right
system will help you maximize communications
within the company, on the road and with your
customers.
4) Social Media - Social media such as blogging,
Podcasting and other web 2.0 tools can greatly
enhance customer communications. Your web
services company should be able to help you
evaluate how social media tools can best benefit
your web presence and business objects.
5) Small Business Website Hosting Services -
All web hosting is NOT created equal. There are
many nuances and technical consideration involved
with hosting solutions. It is best to stay away
from budget hosting companies. Look for a
managed hosting provider who can help you select
the right plan for your web solution goals, get
your website up and running and support you as it
grows and evolves.
6) Website Maintenance - How will your site be
maintained and updated? Having both small
business web development and managed web site
hosting as a package is immensely helpful for
maximizing web server resources, identifying
problems and keeping the site maintained and
updated.
7) E-Commerce - Will you be actually selling on
your site or using it for lead generation or
information dissemination? If you are selling
products, who will create and maintain your
product database. How will transactions be
handled? What about web server requirements?
Working with a professional can help ensure you
make the right choices for your e-commerce site.
8) Business Process Interaction (database
development, customer relationship management,
integration with your business management systems)
- A website needs to be more than just an ad on
the Internet to be effective as a business tool.
There are many ways the web can be used to
improve your business processes and integrate
with your existing systems such as accounting or
contact management.
9) Website Marketing - How will people find you
on the web? Will you optimize your site for
organic search or employ paid marketing
techniques or a combination? What directories
should you list your site in? Search engine
marketing has evolved to be a complex specialty.
It's critical that you understand the tools
available for driving traffic to your site and if
needed, know how to evaluate and engage a web
marketing specialist.
10) Website Analytics and Conversion - Having a
great site isn't enough if your visitors aren't
doing what you intended; buying something,
contacting your company or using your site for an
information source. Does your site have
usability issues? What kind of reporting will
you use to track site visitors? What do you need
to know and do to convert your visitors into
action-takers?
It's a Process and a Work in Progress
While there is certainly a lot to think about,
creating the best possible website solution for
your business doesn't have to be overwhelming.
Your website can and should be a work in progress,
evolving as your business grows.Because most
small businesses do not have an internal IT staff
to handle the technical elements of web
development and planning, working with a web
solutions provider that specializes in small
business website hosting services and small
business web design and development is a good
start. Such an organization can help you
identify your goals, manage the technical aspects
of your site and guide you in your marketing
efforts. They can also help you work within your
budget to develop a plan that combines all the
elements into a cohesive whole for creating and
maintaining a successful web presence.
Conclusion
The web has grown up to be a terrific marketing
medium for small businesses and organizations.
Done right, it can be the most cost effective and
powerful marketing and communication tool in your
arsenal. The promise is still there. However,
to truly leverage the power of the web, it is
important to take a good, hard look at the
website you currently have or the one you are
thinking about creating. The elements of a
successful web presence: small business web
hosting, website design and development and web
marketing are only the framework for a well
thought-out web solution designed to reach your
customers and truly benefit your business.
About the Author
Ilene Rosoff is the president and founder of The
Launch Pad, a 15-year-old Florida-based
technology services company specializing in small
business web hosting services, small business web
design and development, and business information
technology solutions for local and national
clients with zero to sixty employees. Recently
named in "Breaking Entrepreneurial News" by Inc.
com, Ilene has contributed to many publication
including CEO Refresher, WebProNews, Lockergnome
and Work.com and speaks throughout Florida to
small businesses, schools and non-profits on best
practices on using information technology
solutions in their organizations. The Launch Pad
helps small businesses grow and succeed with
technology and on the web. Visit www.
launchpadonline.com to request a technology or
web assessment for your organization or for a
custom proposal for web or information technology
services.
small business. Now keep it raised if it is
generating a significant volume of prospects or
sales. Not holding your hand up anymore? You
are not alone.
Just a few years ago, small companies flocked to
the web in droves, rushing to post their first
website, anxious at the prospect of low-cost
instant exposure. The web was going to be the
great equalizer, putting small business on par
with the big brand names, dangling the promise of
visitors flocking to a company's site to purchase
its wares or partake in its services. Sound
familiar? Unfortunately, for most small
businesses and organizations, the promise fell
short and company sales did not skyrocket from an
unending march of site visitors.
So, what happened? For one, the web quickly
became ultra competitive. Millions of sites
sprang up in every business category making it
virtually impossible to be found in the search
engines. What little bit of traffic the
businesses may have enjoyed when the site was
first launched began to dry up. Also, as the web
evolved to become a more interactive user
experience, it became more technologically
complex and many small business websites did not
keep up. The other part of the problem was in
the approach; not understanding that just putting
together a website, even a pretty one, and
finding some faceless company offering cheap web
hosting services is not likely to make you the
next great success story.
A large hurdle that many small business owners and managers face is the tendency to compartmentalize the web into a few oversimplified tasks: grab a cheap domain
name, find a budget small business website design
and development person, look for some impossibly
low-priced website hosting, and then expect their
website to magically appear on page one of Google.
Unfortunately, this ends up being a waste of
time and money.
A Solutions-Based Approach with Professional
Guidance
To create an effective web presence requires a
solutions-based approach with clear ideas about
what you want to accomplish and who the audience
is you are targeting. The right elements have
to be present; a well orchestrated website design
with cohesive branding, solid technical acumen,
clearly defined objectives for the organization,
reliable small business web hosting services and
some method of marketing your site and tracking
the results. The web is constantly evolving and
search engine competition is fierce. Being
successful on the web requires consistently
evaluating the site's effectiveness based on your
objectives, understanding the latest technologies
and trends, having a dynamic website marketing
plan and constantly fine tuning.
While you don't have to spend a fortune to create
real value on the web, you should also be
realistic. Understand that being successful will
require an investment that you should plan for
and a clear vision of how your website fits into
the goals and objectives of the organization. If
you don't have the experience and technical
resources in-house, working with a professional
web solutions provider, preferably one
specializing in small business web design and
development can provide great benefits. A good
starting point in the process is to have an
understanding of the core elements that are part
of a successful website strategy and how they fit
together.
The Elements of a Web Solution
1) Domain names - Choosing the right domain
name is an important branding decision which
impacts how your organization is perceived and
also how it is found in the search engines.
Purchasing from a cheap bulk registrar or
choosing can spell trouble.
2) Website Design & Development Services> -
Find a provider that specializes in small
business web design and development. An
organization that offers a solutions-based
approach can assist your company in doing
thorough needs analysis and in designing all of
the elements to work well together. First
impressions count!
3) E-mail Management - E-mail is a key
communication tool for your business. The right
system will help you maximize communications
within the company, on the road and with your
customers.
4) Social Media - Social media such as blogging,
Podcasting and other web 2.0 tools can greatly
enhance customer communications. Your web
services company should be able to help you
evaluate how social media tools can best benefit
your web presence and business objects.
5) Small Business Website Hosting Services -
All web hosting is NOT created equal. There are
many nuances and technical consideration involved
with hosting solutions. It is best to stay away
from budget hosting companies. Look for a
managed hosting provider who can help you select
the right plan for your web solution goals, get
your website up and running and support you as it
grows and evolves.
6) Website Maintenance - How will your site be
maintained and updated? Having both small
business web development and managed web site
hosting as a package is immensely helpful for
maximizing web server resources, identifying
problems and keeping the site maintained and
updated.
7) E-Commerce - Will you be actually selling on
your site or using it for lead generation or
information dissemination? If you are selling
products, who will create and maintain your
product database. How will transactions be
handled? What about web server requirements?
Working with a professional can help ensure you
make the right choices for your e-commerce site.
8) Business Process Interaction (database
development, customer relationship management,
integration with your business management systems)
- A website needs to be more than just an ad on
the Internet to be effective as a business tool.
There are many ways the web can be used to
improve your business processes and integrate
with your existing systems such as accounting or
contact management.
9) Website Marketing - How will people find you
on the web? Will you optimize your site for
organic search or employ paid marketing
techniques or a combination? What directories
should you list your site in? Search engine
marketing has evolved to be a complex specialty.
It's critical that you understand the tools
available for driving traffic to your site and if
needed, know how to evaluate and engage a web
marketing specialist.
10) Website Analytics and Conversion - Having a
great site isn't enough if your visitors aren't
doing what you intended; buying something,
contacting your company or using your site for an
information source. Does your site have
usability issues? What kind of reporting will
you use to track site visitors? What do you need
to know and do to convert your visitors into
action-takers?
It's a Process and a Work in Progress
While there is certainly a lot to think about,
creating the best possible website solution for
your business doesn't have to be overwhelming.
Your website can and should be a work in progress,
evolving as your business grows.Because most
small businesses do not have an internal IT staff
to handle the technical elements of web
development and planning, working with a web
solutions provider that specializes in small
business website hosting services and small
business web design and development is a good
start. Such an organization can help you
identify your goals, manage the technical aspects
of your site and guide you in your marketing
efforts. They can also help you work within your
budget to develop a plan that combines all the
elements into a cohesive whole for creating and
maintaining a successful web presence.
Conclusion
The web has grown up to be a terrific marketing
medium for small businesses and organizations.
Done right, it can be the most cost effective and
powerful marketing and communication tool in your
arsenal. The promise is still there. However,
to truly leverage the power of the web, it is
important to take a good, hard look at the
website you currently have or the one you are
thinking about creating. The elements of a
successful web presence: small business web
hosting, website design and development and web
marketing are only the framework for a well
thought-out web solution designed to reach your
customers and truly benefit your business.
About the Author
Ilene Rosoff is the president and founder of The
Launch Pad, a 15-year-old Florida-based
technology services company specializing in small
business web hosting services, small business web
design and development, and business information
technology solutions for local and national
clients with zero to sixty employees. Recently
named in "Breaking Entrepreneurial News" by Inc.
com, Ilene has contributed to many publication
including CEO Refresher, WebProNews, Lockergnome
and Work.com and speaks throughout Florida to
small businesses, schools and non-profits on best
practices on using information technology
solutions in their organizations. The Launch Pad
helps small businesses grow and succeed with
technology and on the web. Visit www.
launchpadonline.com to request a technology or
web assessment for your organization or for a
custom proposal for web or information technology
services.