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Home  Blog 11 Ways To Build A Successful Online Presence
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11 Ways To Build A Successful Online Presence |
- Research –
It has become easier and easier to utilize the Internet in researching out
your competition. The first step in planning your web site is to check
what exactly your competition is doing, are they offering specials, give
aways, free consultations, and or valuable content to their visitors? If
so your web presence needs to at the very least compete and at best
surpass your competition.
- Objective
Planning – The next step in designing your online presence is to come
up with an objective. With out a clear objective you will be unable to
measure the success of your web site. Do you want to generate leads?
Appointments? Online Sales? Sale Banner Space? What?
- Planning –
Once the above steps are completed then an initial plan can be designed,
do you need online chat systems, bulletin board systems, an online
inventory, real time credit card processing? What is your target audience
businesses, what type of businesses, consumers, what type of consumers?
- Ease Of
Navigation – To quote an Arthur Anderson study “more then 83 percent
of Internet users are likely to leave a web site if they feel they have to
make too many clicks to find what they are looking for”. Well thought out
navigation is one of the best opportunities to create a good impression
and keep people on your site.
- Design – A
professional looking design has also been proven to give potential
customers a visual image of how your company does business. A sloppy
amateur design will tell more about your company then all the well written
content in the world. With companies such as Microsoft and Macromedia
creating and marketing web design tools to the general public as “no
experience needed all-in- one packages” companies are continued to be left
with a failed online presence.
- Writing Suited
For the Web – Quoting web usability expert, Steve Krug, “get rid of
half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left”. This is
because people do no read web pages, they but scan them. They want to know
about services, prices, and effectiveness all in a matter of moments.
- Community,
Conversation, and Content (3 Cs) – These are the fundamental elements
in designing a web presence which will keep consumers coming back over and
over again. What value does your web site offer your prospects?
- Using the Full
Potential Of the Internet – The Internet has grown to be more then just
a bunch of web sites, and so your online presence can’t end there either.
With newsletters, e-mail advertising, search engines, and banner rotation
programs your Internet presence can span multiple web sites and
communities.
- Marketing
Outside the Internet – This is the step companies with a successful
online presence always implement. Make sure you are adding your web site
to every business card, banner, brochure, advertisements, e-mail, and
print publication.
- Testing – Understanding
that not everyone thinks, knows, or uses the web in the same way, testing
ensures that a website is effective. Testing is a simple and inexpensive
process that can certainly be done for free if you can find individuals
who are willing volunteer their time.
- Measuring Success
– Success can be measured in many ways including number of visitors,
repeat visitors, visitor involvement, and more.. In the end the measure will always be
ROI. If your business didn’t have an objective then you have no way to
measure success.
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