What Makes A Great Website, The Saudi Network

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What Makes A Great Website, A Great Internet Presence, A Great E-Commerce Strategy, & Internet/Real World Marketing Package?

Have your own domain – What do I mean? Do not have your website hosted among many other sites – 99% of sites should have their own domain.

Make sure your site is informative. The vast majority of Internet users want information. They say, "Information is Power!" I agree. The more informative you can be about you, your company, what your company does, who your market is, your mission statement, why the consumer wants your product and/or service, and the more enlightened your visitor is, the greater success you will have.

Implement a domain that markets what you are representing. Most companies list their company name. That is okay if you are Microsoft or IBM or Nike. They already have a market presence. If you are a smaller company, like the majorities are, list what it is you are trying to market.

Unless you want less business, do not have any banners that take people away from your site. If you have any way for people to go somewhere else, you are going to lose them. You want people to stay as long as possible at your website. The longer they stay there, the greater chance you have of them ordering something, calling you, or emailing you.

Make sure your site loads fast!

Make sure your colors are inviting and cause people to want to stay – Your site is like your home and/or your business. How it looks, feels, is arranged, etc. portrays you. The same thing applies to your site.

Make sure Internet visitor (possible consumer) does not have to scroll down on each page to read the pertinent information on your website.

Make sure your graphics, bars, outline, and text add and do not take away from what you are trying to accomplish. Your site has to be visually appealing!

Include a place for visitors to register to get your future newsletter and ads. This will allow you to email your site visitors and consumers every 3 to 4 weeks about your product/service and informative information.

Make sure you have a great text writer and editor for your site, newsletter and ads. Pick an ad writer who has been writing ads for the Internet. I would suggest someone who has been doing this for more than 3 years. 4 ½ years ago, there was only 1 ½ million Internet users and now .. more than 150,000,000!

Too many business owners leave the decision of the website layout to the Web Designer/Website Design Company. This is not good. You should be actively involved in the implementation and layout of your business. You started your company (or you are helping to manage the company you are with). Your website will represent your company and you, if you are the owner. Much like your business card and your company brochure.

Your sales and marketing people need to be actively involved in your Internet marketing. They need to be trained on "how to market on the net." They need to know the basics of Internet, Internet marketing and real world marketing and sales that implement your website.

You should have an email campaign that is consistent.

You should have information, specials, community, and participation with your website, so those visitors will want to come back to your site on a consistent basis. E portals are part of the future for the Internet. What is an E portal – It is a place where you can get information about your company, you, be able to communicate with you and others, purchase your products and/or services, get information about the weather, the news, and any other information. It is a community, which makes it possible for you to not have to go to several others websites to get the information that you are looking for.

Your business cards, brochures, and advertising should promote your site.

Your sales and marketing people should have letters written to be able to get business from those who visit your site, those who register, and customers who order items from your site.

Any customers that have purchased your products and/or services in the past. you not only need their name, address, phone number, fax number, but you need their email address.

By emailing your newsletter and specials on a regular basis to your customers, your website visitors, and your past clients, you will be able to create customer loyalty, customer presence, your company presence, and increase your company income, with no cost, but the time to email – If you do not know how to email, it is a simple process.

With Microsoft, Novell, REI, Nike, Nordstrom’s and many many other companies going Internet and E-commerce based, YOU MUST DO THE SAME (just a few exceptions)! With this in mind, you and your staff need training! Training? Like Internet 101, Internet marketing, Ad Writing for the Internet, Internet Community, Real World/Internet Marketing Systems, and .. Like most companies, this does not happen, because of lack of time and lack of money. IF this is so crucial, how do you get around this? You are not like some of the big companies that let employees off for a day or two. You cannot afford to pay the money that most of these classes cost. Well, there is a way for you to get training (in some cases FREE) at Handtech.com. You can subscribe to more than 270 on-line course for "only" $159.99 for the year. You can take these courses anytime, any day, from the Internet. You save money, you save time, and you/your employees get trained to stay abreast and competitive with the global and Internet/High Tech community.

Stay in touch with your consumers and prospective consumers with a survey. Email a survey every 6 to 12 months. Know what your consumer wants in the way of information, service, and products. Get feedback.

The Internet, your website, and e-commerce is not just for your IT Manager, your computer manager, or your high tech person. Everyone must become familar with the Internet, how it works, and how the Internet can make your company more profitable.

Depending on what type of product and/or service you represent, some e-commerce systems will make you money 24 hours per day!

You can provide better customer service, more information, and have the customer sold without a lot of time (or no time) on the phone. With more time, you will be able to be more profitable and provide better customer service.

Make sure you have someone whom has the experience. This is hard to find, being that e-commerce is so new. Many people have paid too much for very little. You want someone who understands the Net, has experience with Real World Marketing and Internet Marketing is able to manage many differenet types of people from programmers to sales people, and will work with you on an on going basis. You can follow each of these steps and more, but you still need the person who can make it happen. It does not matter how many medical books a person reads, you still do not want that person to operate on you. You want the Doctor!

Make sure you look at some of the Website design work that the company you are hiring has done. Too many companies are blind in this area. They go with someone they know or go with a company without looking at their work.

When you ask for a proposal, a lot of website design companies are hesitant about prices and outline. The most effective design companies will do what I call "The Interview." This consists of some questions about your company, why you want a website, what you are going to try and do (sell your products/services, provide better customer service, inform people, build an on-line community, etc.) with your website, whether you want Internet marketing, whether you need your text written for you, whether you need a logo designed, and several other pertinent questions. This allows for the right proposal at a specific price. Some companies charge for this.

What you invest in your e-commerce strategy, your website, your e-community, your "Real World Marketing and Internet Marketing", your text, your design, and your overall strategy is what you will get back in most cases. Some companies do not deliver a valid package, and that is why I say "most cases."

Where a lot of companies fail with their strategy .. they forget about the "HUMAN FACTOR!" Most website design companies only create websites, which is fine. If you want to integrate your website with your business, create more awareness for your company, create customer loyalty, implement better customer service, increase your profit over time, generate more team spirit with your different departments (what I call "Internet and E-commerce wholeness"), and have a package that makes sense, you will need a company that bridges the Internet and real world gap.

Do you want to maintain your website or do you want the website Design Company to maintain your website? There are several factors to take into account. I will only state a few. Do you want to learn how the website software package, so that you can update your own text (not hard to learn)? Do you want to pay the website Design Company to maintain your site? This will cost some money – many website design companies make some good money with this. Will you have any changes to your site? If you do not have any changes, you will not need any maintenance, except for your monthly hosting fee of about $30 per month.

We have a "Real World and Internet Marketing System" that works for many companies. This system generates new prospects, new customers, and other sales and marketing people that will help grow your business/service.

There are many other things you can do to make your company the Internet E-commerce Company you want and should be. Should is a strong word, but I do know, that with the global market, the Internet, the fact that technology has become affordable by most, and that your company might not have credibility without a website, develop your website, e-commerce, and Internet marketing strategy and go with it!

If you have any questions, need help, want a website and e-commerce strategy, and/or need help with your lacking strategy now, please give us a call. We have been providing solutions for more than 4 years!

There will be two types of people: The Yankee Group’s Howard Anderson foresees businesses and business people in two camps: the "quick and the dead".

There is hope for all, but it means change. Change is a difficult thing for most, especially those of us who have done things a certain way for awhile that has worked. Well, many of these models (not speaking about values and/or morals) are being shattered at an astounding rate. I just read an article about a Russian businessman. He contracted out his computer and software programming to other programmers in Russia and did it for 1/10^th the US cost and he got the same quality. What would you do as a business owner? Businesses are being forced to compete like never before, whether you and I like it or not. This will increase more and more.