Most web sites don’t look particularly complicated when you’re looking at them through your browser. You see a lot of text, some pictures, occasionally some video, and loads of links. That’s as it should be. But prospective clients are often daunted at the prospect of having their own web site, especially if they haven’t had occasion to be involved in getting one launched before. They have a lot of questions, and those most commonly asked are listed here. Feel free to send me an e-mail if you have any others.

DO I REALLY NEED A WEB SITE?

Web sites aren’t a matter of life or death. But just as people eventually began expecting everyone to have an answer machine and now a cell phone, they’re beginning to view businesses without a web site as behind the times. It’s all about fast and thorough communication—and that’s an advantage for you, too. With a web site, you can steer customers to a wide source of information that goes well beyond what you could ever tuck in a brochure or probably remember to tell them off the cuff. (And by the way, not only are brochures expensive to produce, but they’re practically set in stone. Ever try to make even a simple change to one?)

On the other hand, if you’re already swamped with business or the nature of your work simply doesn’t require additional exposure, then a web site might not be for you, at least not yet. Web sites do require a commitment, especially to get them off the ground. And, though they’re generally much less expensive than print ads, for instance, they aren’t free. Only you can decide what makes the most sense for you.

HOW DO I GET A NAME FOR MY WEB SITE?
WHAT IF THE NAME I WANT IS ALREADY TAKEN?

Getting a name for your web site requires finding one that isn’t already taken, and then getting it registered with a domain registrar. There are a number of companies that specialize in this and you can generally learn in an instant whether the name you want is already registered to someone else. There is a registration fee associated with the process, and a renewal rate that’s most often payable on a yearly basis. But the fees are low, typically in the $20 range.

If the name you want is taken as a “dot.com,” you may be able to get the name as a “dot.net” or “dot.biz.” You might also be able to get the name you want if you’re all right with hyphenating a portion of it. Thus, if “mysite.com” is taken, you might instead go with “mysite.net” or perhaps “my_site.com.” Once your name is selected and registered, you’re free to find a web host that will physically contain your pages for viewing by the public. There are literally hundreds of web hosting services with a variety of pricing schemes. Getting a web site name and a hosting service are annoying administrative details, but it’s usually a one-time annoyance, and on the overall costs are nominal. If you’d like, I can help you find suitable services.

THERE ARE MILLIONS OF WEB SITES ON THE INTERNET.
HOW WILL PEOPLE FIND MINE?

Initially, your best strategy will come from your own efforts. You’ll want to include your web site address on your business card and other printed communications. You’ll want to tell customers who call or visit to check your web site for additional information.  Buzz generates buzz. Word of mouth works. Of course, you can speed the process by presenting coupons or specials on your site, thereby inducing people to visit it and see what you have to offer.

I THOUGHT SEARCH ENGINES WOULD MAKE MY SITE EASY TO FIND. NO?

Sure. Search engines like Google, Yahoo, AltaVista and Lycos are key players in helping web sites get discovered. They use sophisticated algorhythms to continually “crawl” the web in search of newly added sites. Different search engines employ different methods, but generally speaking they find sites—and rank those sites—by honing in on a variety of elements, including:

• Keywords
  Keywords are words you believe customers would typically type into a search engine in order to find your business or profession. Those words are imbedded into the code on your site, and though they aren’t visible to visitors, the search engines sniff them out.
   
• Page Text
  Many search engines not only look for keywords, but examine at least the first paragraph or two of text on your home page. That’s one reason why it’s so important to make sure that in your introductory text, you present the nature of your business in a succinct and clear way. It’s also important that your text include some of those same words that you believe customers would use when searching for your kind of business. The frequency of words—whether keywords in the code or words in your basic text—are like beacons to search engines.
   
• Links
  The more you get people to put a link to your web site on their web site, the more “relevant” your site becomes to search engines. The more relevant, the higher the ranking. The higher the ranking, the more likely it is that customers will find you using a search engine.

None of this happens fast. And, because you’re competing with lots and lots of web sites—many of which may use the same keywords you do—there are no guarantees that once found, you’ll shoot high up on page ranking. However, over time your positioning will improve if you adhere to the basics described here, and then keep your site reasonably updated.

HOW MUCH WILL A WEB SITE ADD TO MY BOTTOM LINE?

In the beginning, probably not a lot. Remember, you need time to get some buzz going and time for search engines to do their magic. Likewise, once your web site starts to generate some income for you—by sending more customers to your business, for instance—you won’t always know that those customers came to you because of your web site. In other words, except for storefront web sites, income is often difficult to quantify.

In my mind, an initial primary goal should be opening a new line of communication to your existing customers—those people who will email your web link to friends, drop you a line to share an opinion or ask a question—things they might not do if a web site didn’t make it so darned easy for them.

The real bottom line? Ask yourself what you hope to achieve with a web site. Presumably, you hope it will be a vehicle that drives new business your way, and over time it should indeed do that for you. But if your only goal is to generate income and see a fast return on your investment, you may be disappointed. It's true that the Internet and World Wide Web have been around for a while now. More and more people are getting connected every day. They like the immediacy of the web. They like the ease in which they can connect with businesses. They like the ability to do business from their own backyards. But the web is still an evolving medium. And it’s not a medium you can use to replace all your other strategies.

HOW CAN I MAKE MY WEB SITE MORE THAN A FANCY BROCHURE?

Lots of ways! Here are just a few of them:

• Share your expertise and experience with customers.
  Brochures rarely have enough space to do more than present facts. With your web site, you can explain the “whys” of any and all facts, and people can access that information at their leisure. For example, if you run a hair styling salon, you can provide not only a price list, but an explanation of the process involved in various techniques, such as hair straightening or adding highlights. You can tell them how long it takes. Educated consumers become customers. Why? Because you’ve made yourself accessible. You’ve connected with them in a way that makes a difference in their decisions. You’ve given them information they probably don’t have time to get when they’re using their lunch hour to make an appointment.
   
• Make it easy for people to get in touch.
  Phone calls often produce busy signals or daunting “menus of choices.” And too often, people who call can only do so when your business is open. But your web site is open 24/7. With little more than an email link, you can let your visitors get in touch on their own terms. That kind of easy accessibility can only help improve customer relations. A contact page or email link also makes it possible for people to tell you things they might be too shy to say in person.
   
• Promote new services quickly and efficiently.
  If you’re adding something to your business or have a special deal you want to make available, you can get it on your web site faster than you can run an ad in the paper. You can also include a coupon that people can print from their homes.
   
• Add a newsletter.
  You can create a monthly newsletter that contains not just new information about your business, but informative, educational material that’s related. The goal is to keep your business name out front, and the best way to do that is to give visitors a lot of value that keeps them coming back. In other words, newsletters shouldn’t be elaborate ads. They should include helpful, consumer-oriented articles that demonstrate your business cares about its customers on a variety of levels. Newsletters don’t have to be long, nor do they have to be emailed to customers. They can be tied to links on your page. Either way, never push newsletters on visitors who haven’t opted to receive one.

Those are just some of the strategies you can use to promote your web site and make sure that it’s more than a fancy brochure. You probably have other ideas that would work as well or better.

Do you need to do all of this at once? No, of course not. Experiment with different approaches as your comfort level and time allow. You probably didn’t bring your business to where it is today all on your launch day. Your web site doesn’t have to be any different.

Comfort level. Time. Budget. See what you have and take it from there.

—Laura Belgrave

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