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The Basic Concepts of a Web Site

In this era, it is very difficult for a business to survive without a Web site. It doesn’t matter if you are not selling through a web shopping cart; the internet enables your company to provide information, services, reach people worldwide, and communicate your business value. However, one error people make is using the Web site as an internet brochure. Doing so ignores the opportunity that the Web can give your company to connect… a connection lead to influence and sales.

To start a Web site, you need a domain name (i.e. mycompany.com) and a host (a place to store your content). To select a domain, you first need to find one that identifies with your company name and service. Many one-word names (nouns, adjectives, etc.) are already taken, so if your company or product name is already taken, try combining it with other words such as: mycompanyinc.com, mycompanyonline.com, etc. Once you decide on the name, register it so you can use it and prevent others from taking. 

In regards to the Hosting Service, it is a key decision because it will constrain or empower your Web site by the capabilities of your host. The main function of a hosting service is to store your Web site's files (that is, its pages, documents, images, and so on) and serve them on request. When you open any Web site, you're effectively sending a request to a server to display the Web site's content.

Constructing A Site 

Before working on the content of your Web site, you must do a comprehensive research to discover what it needs to be, how your customer will use it, how it ties to your marketing strategy, and how much time and resources you can afford to spend. In other words, don’t rush just to get something up. When the goals and objectives for the site are clearly defined, it makes the design and deployment steps smoother and more successful, and saves you money on the long run.

Once you have your strategy defined and research completed, the next step is to design the content. This includes the layout, images, contact information, videos, text, and anything else you want on your site, such as links, forms, and interactive features. 

If building a Web site from scratch sounds intimidating, that’s because it is complex and must be done carefully. At the basic level, a Web site requires good, attractive design that communicates your company’s mission, purpose, and style. It requires well-planned navigation and must be updatable. Web sites are written in HTML and frequently include additional coding for enhanced features such as Flash, JavaScript, and other languages.

Defining a budget is very important because it will determine what type of Web site you can build. At an entry level, you could look for pre-made site templates and use simple drag-and-drop tools, obviating the need to know much about programming. These options are usually less expensive, quick to implement and easy to update. On the negative side, it is more rigid when it comes to design and functionality, and may not have the professional appearance other Web sites (such as your competitor) may have.

The 2nd option is hiring a Web designer to build your site. This is usually more expensive and requires time for meetings to review the client’s concept, the website purpose, functionality, etc. However, the web designer can build a unique Web site that represents your business’ style… fitting your marketing goal and attracting potential customers.

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How to Attract People to your Website

OK, so you have nice website with all the bells, whistles and functionality required to run your business. What now? It will be a waste of money and time if no one is looking at it… right? You should start focusing your attention on how to increase the visibility. There are 3 segments that require different approaches:

     · Search Engine Optimization or SEO: in other words, ensure search engines like Google can find your Web site. The SEO must have a strategy and focus on ranking your Web site high when certain keywords are queried. By including the right combination of keywords and phrases on your site, potential customers will quickly find your products and services when researching their options. It is critical to spend time on this, because people don’t use standard vocabulary for the same product or service. Research which terms are most commonly used by your audience and your competitors, then, include a broad range of those terms and phrases in the content you produce for your site.

    · Social networking: leveraging on sites like Twitter or Facebook to expand your marketing reach and easily refresh your communication strategy. Create a Facebook group dedicated to your business and invite your current “Friends” to join. This is a great to get the word out about what you do and what value add your business provides. Describe your services, add pictures, videos and tips. If you keep your content fresh and relevant to your business, you’ll attract potential clients.

  · Online advertising: tools such as Google AdWords enable you to design advertisements and campaigns, while targeting specific locations. It also allows you to define your budget and how much to pay for displaying each add (the more you pay, the higher the chance it will be displayed on the first page of the search engine results). Combined with Google Analytics, it gives you great visibility of how are your campaigns working, what pages are being visited more often, and how many new clients are visiting your site (as opposed to previous viewers or bouncers).

All of these efforts will help you boost site traffic and sales leads. The greatest advantage is the low cost in comparison to other marketing solutions, and the ability to track the results real-time.

Marathon, Not A Sprint 

SEO, social networking, and online advertising all require research, preparation, and follow-through. If ranking highly on a search engine or increasing your visibility and traffic is important, consider getting help from an agency that focuses on online marketing. For an advertising agency to build a Web site for you using an SEO and content marketing strategy, you can expect to pay between $15,000 and $50,000. Otherwise, surround yourself with people who are well-versed in online marketing and know how to implement a successful strategy. The key is getting a plan in place and then dedicating time and resources to keep it relevant and useful to potential customers. 

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