I have a website - is that enough to generate business?
May 2014
Most modern and forward thinking business owners agree that it makes good commercial sense to create a website in order increase customers and stay ahead of competition. And with millions of web surfers on the web today and with easy access to the internet, there has never been a better (and easier!) opportunity for business owners to bring their businesses online and increase profitability. However, there are some business owners who mistakenly believe that buying a domain name and creating a site will be enough to generate business and new clients. They could not be more wrong!
There is one fundamental question any business owner should ask, even before they decide on creating a website: 'How will people know where to find my website and what will they find when they get there?' There is no simple answer to this question, however. In the World Wide Web, there are so many different techniques, both on and offline to help a business get noticed on the web. These techniques include search engine optimization, pay per click, distributing marketing materials via email and hard copy and many others! No matter what approach is selected, there needs to be a lot of thought and attention given to not only the website itself, but also to the marketing of it.
A simple website for any business should consist of a few standard pages, i.e. a 'home' page to welcome site visitors and provide basics on the company, an 'about us' page to give more details about the company's functions and goals, a 'services' page which will outline what services are being offered to clients and a 'contact us' page allowing visitors to get in touch via email, phone, fax or regular mail. A website where the main goal is to sell certain products is usually more complex to set up with the need to display products, photos, shopping carts, and payment options. With so many different type of businesses out there, there are many goals for a website. But no matter what the goal is, the common denominator in it all is that a website should be clean, have an easy to navigate structure and be backed by a good functionality. With such heavy competition (both online and offline) it is important to remember that usability should be a top priority - after all, each business owner's dream for their site is to have their visitors come back time after time and hopefully tell their friends about it!
To help achieve this, a website should offer for example a newsletter sign up for visitors - this will allow the business to collect email addresses to send out periodic newsletters or emails with coupons, specials or advice on specialized topics.
Another important element of deciding on a website is the actual web design! There are so many choices out there, but when selecting a web designer it is important to select one who will understand the overall business goals. Whether a business needs a simple website or a more complex online application, web Design Company must understand what is needed and have technical expertise to deliver the finished product.
We have worked with IDS for over 3 years now, getting almost all of their services including my website, their search engine ranking, local listings, mobile websites and now we have just started a Facebook campaign. I have always been very impressed with their results on their claims, their follow up and best of all, their open approach to direct communication. I rely on them to provide me what I need to be successful online and they never fail to meet this goal. They guaranteed two keywords on page one, but got 32 keywords on page one! I have often stopped by their office and I am always greeted with warm hospitality from the staff. They are always happy to walk me through what they have been doing. Andy and the team are friendly, highly experienced and get the work done. - S&G Cleaning Services
IDS has been there to support my business throughout the years. My business requires frequent updates and strong marketing as the day camp approaches and the whole team has worked with me to continue to grow my business. They have a strong knowledge and great consulting skills to help continue to grow my website. I would highly recommend this company to anyone who needs help getting found online, they got over 1,000 of my keywords on page 1 over the various different search engines, which I really didn't think could be done! They went far beyond my expectations -- Barry Wasserman, Eagle River Day Camp
Chocolate Lovers’ Club would like to thank you for all your help! You’re all very knowledgeable of what you do, and are always there to answer any questions we may have. The mobile site you made for us looks wonderful! We couldn’t have picked a better company to help us with everything we needed! -- Chocolate Lover's Club
Dora and her firm (IDS) designed the website for our statewide association (www.njava.org) and I must say that I was extremely impressed with how she and her team were able to take my simple idea and make it look so professional. They were efficient, timely, and most importantly easy to work with for someone that had very little web design experience and couldn't really tell them what I wanted. I would recommend Dora to anyone, big company or small non-profit, who is looking for a great firm to handle your web design needs.I will certainly be going back to her in the future -- Mike Ferguson
