Despite the fact that the internet is now the first port of call for more and more consumers, almost forty per cent of businesses in the UK still have no dedicated Company website, with half of those having no on-line presence at all.

 

No matter how big or small your company is, or what product or service you are selling, you need to have a dedicated online presence. Without it you are passing up not only potential sales, but also the opportunity to develop relationships with other companies and with customers.

 

Although we all know that the web exists we don’t all believe that we need to be part of it. 

 

In some cases we think it is too expensive or time consuming. Some think that they are too small and as their product is not sold online they do not need a website.

 

The truth is that today – if you have a business, any business, you need to be online. 

 

It’s also the case that in today’s marketplace there is almost nothing that cannot be sold online. True, you probably can’t sell a skinny latte online – but you can let locals and tourists know where your coffee house is, what it sells and why they would want to visit you instead of the franchise at the end of the road.

I am not suggesting for a second that you should put all your efforts into selling over the internet, but you should at the very least have a presence on the web so that customers, other businesses and even potential employees can quickly and easily find out more about you, and the services or products that you have to offer.

 

There are apparently over 20 million committed online shoppers in the UK. When they can’t buy online they search for local services and businesses on the internet to check location, product range or opening hours.

So when it comes to benefiting from a website, size does not matter. If you have one employee or 1,000; if you don't have a website, you're losing business to other companies that do. I will guarantee it.

 

The web has evolved to such a degree that it now makes it incredibly cheap for a new business or a small business to get online and boost their sales and their credibility.  But if you are going to get your business online there are a few things to bear in mind:

 

 

Picking a web designer:

 

Make sure you know what you are getting.

 

There are lots of people offering cheap websites, templates that they have purchased from E-Bay (or elsewhere) that look, quite simply, like cheap templates.

Make sure that you are getting your site designed from scratch, that you can pick the layout, the colours and most importantly, that you can ask for changes to the design when you see it.

 

Make sure that your designer understands business – not just how to design a site. A good designer should be able to help you to shape your web text to ensure that you catch your customer’s attention as well as the search engines.. 

 

 

Pay For What You Need:

 

Make sure you can speak to the designer to discuss the site.

 

If you are going to have a site, it needs to look professional if you want to be taken seriously. This does not necessarily mean paying over the top prices – it just means that you need to know what you need, or have a designer that you can trust.

Since many consumers now search for information online prior to making a purchase at a brick-and-mortar shop, your site might well be the first chance you have to make a goof impression to a potential customer.

In so many ways the internet makes it possible for the small business to compete with the corporate world. Take the opportunity to get a professional site – but also make sure that you only pay for what you actually need.

 

If you run a small shop you probably don’t need more than a two page site with a contact page. Enough to let people know who you are, where you are and what you sell.  You don’t need a blog, a skype link or video clips.

 

If you run a local service based business, you need a simple site that people can find when they are carrying out local on-line searches.  You probably don’t need a site with news feeds or subscription features.

 

If your objective is to build a professional online presence. A simple, Search engine friendly site is all that you need.

 

Make sure the price you are quoted is the price you will pay – some designers will try to lure you in with cheap base prices and then pile on additional costs.

 

Make sure that if you are buying a domain name that you own that domain name. Some designers will charge you for the domain name, but keep the registration in their name. They can then ask for a substantially increased fee when the web site becomes established and you want to keep hold of the name.   

 

In short, if you have a small business you don’t need to pay £1600.00 to get a professional online presence, you should be able to get a good, professional website for less than £200.00 which will do everything that you need it to do.

 

 

 

 

 

After sales Service:

 

Once the site has been designed and is up and running you don’t want to be left entirely on your own. Make sure that the designer you use provides a reliable after sales service.

 

It’s a bit like joining the AA – hopefully you won’t ever have to call them, but it’s good to know that they are there just in case.

 

Again it’s important that you get to speak to the designer on the telephone – this will give you a good indication of how helpful they are and how likely they will be to help you with a problem.

 

If you run a small business it is also important that you do not have to pay additional designer fees every time you want to change the text or update a picture on your website. This is another easy trap to fall into. Look for a site with comes with its own administration panel which allows you to carry out simple updates yourself.  Most are really easy to use and you will save a small fortune.

 

Having a web presence will make a difference to your business. There is a degree of credibility that comes with having a website, in many ways it has become a modern technological equivalent of the business card. It confirms that you are serious about what you do. Other businesses and suppliers might want to check your website before they agree to do business with you, potential customers might just be looking on line for what you are selling locally.

So if you are not already online - you are missing out.