You betcha!
OK, you knew I was going to say
that—I'm hardly going to say no, am I? But
realistically, the fact is that if you're
selling a product or service and you're
committed to providing quality pre- and
post-sales service, then a website is the most
effective way to do business.
Think of a website as a
combination of:
-
a business phone line
-
a yellow pages listing
-
a means of communicating
with your existing customers
-
a means of attracting
new customers
-
a member of your sales
staff
-
a member of your
marketing staff
-
a member of your
administration staff
-
and heaps of other
benefits.
It's the way more and more
people are finding or checking out vendors,
whether they're restaurants, computer
consultants, tree doctors, art galleries,
accountants, whatever. The more affluent someone
is, the more likely they will use the web to
shop for goods or services. And that's
changing, too. In a couple of years, when the
Internet becomes an integral part of most modern
households, shoppers will automatically look to
the web when making purchasing decisions. People
are increasingly thinking that if you don't have
a website, you aren't 'fair dinkum'—you're not
a serious, legitimate business.
Chances are, your competitors
already have, or will soon get, their own
website, and may lure away customers who could
have been yours. And notice how many companies
are putting their URL (Web address) on their
offline advertising, such as their Yellow Pages
entries. Why? Because a website can communicate
so much more information than any ad can.
Advertisements in the Yellow pages, in
magazines, in newspapers, on billboards, or on
the radio or TV, can't display testimonial
letters, color product photos of your complete
catalog, moving images and sound. But your
website can.
A website instantly puts your
business out there with the big players, and you
probably have an advantage in being able to
offer a personalised service. Furthermore, on a
well-designed website, the size, expertise and
success of your small business does not appear
to be any less than that of well-established
competitors. The Web has a great equalising
effect.
Your website is an electronic
brochure—and more. You can direct customers to
it by including your URL on your business card,
on a sign on your vehicle, in your store window,
and in any print, radio or TV advertising you
do. Websites provide more up-to-date and
extensive information than brochures at far less
cost, and phone-in customers can see first-hand
what you're offering if you suggest they log
into your website.
Also, even though you may only
run a locally based service business, a website
may help you increase your income by selling
online to existing or new customers. You can
develop a community of people interested in your
products on your website, and keep them
informed, through targeted emails or chat rooms
or discussion boards, of new offerings or
special deals.
A website is also a great place
to offer after-sales support. For instance, if
you own a landscaping service and a customer
forgets the advice you gave her on planting
hydrangeas or pH testing, you can provide
detailed information on your site, or have a
feedback form so they can send questions in to
you and receive a response by mail. Take our
word for it—they'll see you as the hero and
expert you are: and you don't even have to leave
your office.
So go for it—get your business
online. The Webhouse is here to help you every
step of the way. Get
a Free Quote Now!
Fine. I can hit a car with a
hammer—but that doesn't make me a
panel-beater.
There's an awful lot more to web
design than knowledge of HTML or mastery of a
WYSIWYG Editor.
You have to know and understand
how and why all the bits fit together. You have
to know your product, your customers, the
Internet, search engines, Meta Tags, email, web
hosting, e-commerce, the psychology of visual
perception and communication, web accessibility,
marketing, database design, systems analysis...
oh, it just goes on and on. You have to work on
several levels at once: you must have an eye for
detail, while maintaining a clear grasp of the
big picture.
You're off to a reasonable start
with 'a bit of HTML' and FrontPage 2000, but
that's all it is—a start. If you're prepared
to devote an awful lot of time to learning all
the other aspects of site design and promotion,
then go ahead and build your own site. But who
will look after your business while you're
learning? And are you prepared to put in the
hours needed for online promotion and
maintenance?
Your business is what you do
best: web design and site promotion is what The
Webhouse does best. Why not bring The
Webhouse on board, so you can concentrate on
developing your business while we concentrate on
building your sales online. Get
a free Design Quote now!
Basically, it depends on what
you want your website to achieve, what you want
it to look like, and what extras you want to
include.
A basic website, with your logo,
simple graphics, a feedback form, a site-search
facility, three email accounts and about 6-12
pages of information, will set you back around
$AU600 to $AU1000 (including GST) in design
fees.
Extras will cost more, depending
on their complexity and your design
requirements.
Why not send us a list of
your requirements now. Just
click here. We'll get back to you soon
with a quote.
