business start-up

You need a web site. With any luck, you agree with that sentiment. It is the 21st century, after all! Unfortunately, a lot of businesspeople who start a web site don't really know what to put on it. We're going to remedy that in this article.

Before we get started, I have to tell you that you need to start with the basics. With a good foundation, you can grow your web site intelligently. Remember, your web site is just another piece of your business. Too many business owners focus on what makes a web site pretty when they should be focusing on what makes a web site effective. Anyone can make a web site pretty, but only you can make it effective. Let's get started with some general thoughts to organize our efforts:

Continue the Experience

In most cases, people are coming to your web site because they've heard about you in another context. They've met you at a networking event, seen one of your ads, or received a referral from a friend or colleague. Think about how you can continue the experience they've had.

a) On your home page, describe the problem you solve. Resist the urge to tell people you're the leading provider of blah. Tell them how you solve their problem, in plain English.

b) Tell visitors who the hero is. What does your product or service do for them? Does it help them slash energy bills? Does it help them identify problem employees through testing? Dramatize who the hero is. People love a good story. A good story will stop them dead in their tracks.

c) Get them to subscribe to your free newsletter. Fully 40% to 60% of web site visitors will land on your home page and never return. So give them a little signup widget that lets them subscribe, even if you don't have a newsletter now. Capture those email addresses so you can continue the conversation into the future.

Provide Contact Information

In many other cases, people are coming to your web site to find out how to contact you. Every page should include basic contact information like your email and phone number. Also include a Contact Us page that provides phone, fax, email, maps, directions, and a contact form.

Prove Your Good Standing

Most visitors want to know that you are legitimate, and they're looking for proof of your good standing. Unfortunately, most companies take this opportunity to talk about themselves. This is like the guy on the blind date who can't stop talking about his glory days as a college football hero. This kind of thing is incredibly boring. Here's a better approach:

a) Sprinkle your site with customer testimonials. Make sure that you provide full names and links to their web sites. Most people won't contact your customers, but if you hide information, it looks suspicious.

b) Create one- and two-page customer success stories. Success stories are like case studies, but are less formal. In each piece, tell how you solved a problem for a customer in a certain industry. If you work in many industries, try to cover as many as you can. If you're tightly focused on one industry, try to hit as many aspects of your work as you can.

c) Link to bigger trends. Share statistics and news stories about the problem you're trying to solve. If you're mentioned in local, regional, and national news media, so much the better, link to them with gusto. If you have enough media mentions, create a Media Room page and link to those items there.

One final thought. Many folks want to know how to raise their search engine rankings. The easiest way to score high on Google is to get other web sites to link to you. The easiest way to do that is to publish information on your web site that is worth linking to. Furthermore, if you publish a piece like "10 Tips for XYZ" that everyone links to, it will raise your credibility. It's even better if you can link the piece to your product or service. HBM

Thomas Myer is the Top Dog of Triple Dog Dare Media, a firm that specializes in making your digital marketing dreams come true. If you can dream it up, Triple Dog Dare Media can build it for you. Visit their site at http://www.tripledogs.com for more information.