The Benefits of having a website
What type of business would benefit from having a website?
Almost any type of business can benefit from having a website as a marketing tool. You just need to figure out how you want it to fit into your marketing plan and what you want it to do for your company and the customer.
People sometimes come into the website plan thinking they want to simply make sales, when in fact they find it is a better tool for getting people to come into their store downtown or it’s a place to educate a customer as to why they need to buy a product in the first place. Of course, if built well, it can server several functions. Such as,
- A branding tool
- To enhance your image
- To educate about your business
- To sell products & services
- To be a live communication tool with your customers
Website as a communication tool
It’s this last aspect that is becoming more the norm – the live communication tool. Communication needs to involve two parties, in this case, the company and the visitor.
In this way, the website evolves from both sites – the company is involved with updating and changing it, and visitors are involved with interacting on the site itself. Just a few types of interaction include:
- Secure ordering
- Signing up for events or information
- By listening or viewing streaming audio and video
- Video talking heads
- Live chat
- Blogs
Because it has the potential for so much interaction, it becomes like another associate, a person, who works for your company. It represents you 24/7
How can a website bring you more of your target market?
This depends on two things:
- How the site is developed
- How you market the site itself
Development: If you know well your target market, develop the website with that user in mind:
- Considering how they will use it, navigate it.
- How they will find you
- What they expect to see/do when they get there
- How well they can accomplish those tasks
- How web savvy your market is
Marketing: If no one knows about your site, it won’t reach your market. Offline and online market needs to be considered. As a very basic example, if your business is selling houses, of course you will want to market your website offline by printing it and communicating the URL everywhere, primarily telling people they can see/tour homes on your website. You will also want to be listed in the local directories on Google, MSN and Yahoo and be found for real estate or home keywords and terms in your area. Targeting the online marketing to your area is what is needed in this example.
Trying to be found for “real estate agents” in Google would be pointless, but being found for real estate agents in your vicinity if focused and doable.
How much does a website cost annually?
There are 5 costs to consider in developing and maintaining a site:
- Domain names ($20.00+ every year)
- Upgrade/development costs
- Hosting fees ($120.00+ every year)
- Staffing/training or website designer to maintain it (depends on complexity of site)
- Marketing costs (if you hire a external company, $500+)
How to get started using a website as a marketing tool?
- Define the objective of your website.
- Define your target market.
- Pinpoint a unique concept
- Research similar websites
- Consider site features
- Make a budget for the website
- Consider your Marketing Strategy
- Gather content
- Interview developers (with this info in hand!)
How we can help
We help businesses assess how a website fits into their marketing goals, then develop a website that will accomplish that. We provide design, hosting, ecommerce, YouTube clones and content management packages that let you control as much of the website as you can whether it’s managing an online store, services or educational information. We work on building long-lasting relationships to help you keep your site up to date and working well for your company’s as well as your customer.
WebStop Web Design Australia
