What is good
small business web site design?

Today, everyone seems to be an expert on small business web site design.

I've included this topic here because so many small businesses get led astray, winding up with excessive "over the top" expenditures on needless "bells and whistles".

Yes, the internet has even more influence today than it did even a short six months ago. It is so tempting to imitate the online pages of big businesses, but don't fall for the bait of building an extensive (and expensive) revenue generating site.

And yes, you and your web site should to be listed in free online directories, including Google and MSN. Furthermore, you should be listed in as many off line directories as you can.

But don't get carried away: your web page should be a part of your marketing mix. Depending on your market, you'll need publication advertising, yellow pages, direct mail, and others working together with your web site.

Make sure you've examined your basic marketing strategy to figure out where your web site fits into your business advertising.

You'll find people want information about what you have to offer. Not the fancy animations, introductions or landing pages that used to be the "in" thing to do.

Each visitor wants to know directly and quickly what you can do for them. If this sounds like a different interpretation of a potential customer coming into your store or an inquiring phone call, it is!

But the underlying principle remains the same. Visitors want help finding something out or taking some sort of action. And simple creative design speeds their journey of clicks. Make your small business web site designs help them find what they want.

Stick to the essentials.

How you design your site depends on the way your customers come to you.

The simpler, the faster, the better.

They are seeking information.

Give it to them quickly. Your initial chance to attract only lasts a few seconds.

And strive for a specific response: make them want to call you or make them want to visit you.

Avoid using "the latest" technology, especially at first.

Physically creating your site is getting easier and easier these days. You don't have to know html programming, but...

... Just like creating an ad, the hard part for most small business owners is in the thinking, the analysis and the final presentation.

And to complete that process, your own interests are best served by engaging the services of a professional or someone else who brings an outside, independent perspective.

There are a number of web services where building simple, informative pages for a small business web site design is a fairly easy operation. It's making an electronic on-line brochure.

And having the site pay off in visitors and added profits is the next chapter.

For more informed guidance, please feel free to contact us.

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