If you’re feeling pressure to build a website for your company,
you’re not alone. Even if you don’t want to sell your products or
services directly over the Internet, simply maintaining a
professional-looking, well-functioning Internet site can help a new
company seem more established. (Conversely, having an unappealing,
poorly functioning site hurts.) Before you get started on that online
component to your business, though, consider these harmful, common
misconceptions:
1) “If I build it, they will come”. Marketing your
site may not be as easy as it seems. You’ll need economical ways to
direct traffic to your site on a national (or international) level.
Perhaps the most obvious way is to advertise on search engines like
Google and Overture, but this can get expensive. Unfortunately, it can
take months or even years for your URL to turn up near the top of
organic searches. Investigate other ways to get eyes to your site, like
affiliate programs, e-mail newsletters, and partnering.
2) Online, the more you offer, the more you’ll sell (generalization vs. specialization).
Trying to be all things to all people rarely works. It may seem logical
that the more you have to offer, the more people you’ll attract.
However, even if you attract them, will they buy? The “general” aspect
of your offering will communicate that the value of your product/service
is equal to that of others – so price becomes the only issue, and
branding becomes difficult. In today’s marketplace, there’s a powerful
demand for specialized products and services. The point is to
differentiate your company from your competitors. Determine your niche
and stick to it.
3) The best way to generate sales is to copy the competition –
in everything from marketing strategies and positioning to sales offers
and design choices. Remember the adage that imitation is the sincerest
form of flattery? This means that when you imitate, you’re not just
reminding your audience about your competition – you’re suggesting
they’re better! Certainly you can learn things from what your
competition does, but blaze your own trail if you’re serious about
branding your company.
4) Your Home page should explain everything about your business, or you’ll lose visitors.
You’ve got about 3 seconds to hook visitors – not bore them with
visually overwhelming text. Grab their attention by being clear, concise
and compelling.
5) Once I get my site up, sales will skyrocket. Yes,
your potential customer pool has grown exponentially – but so has your
competition. How will you stand out? How will you locate the people most
likely to buy your product/service?
6) Websites should be slick, with lots of bells and whistles. On
the Internet, functionality is king. High-tech gimmicks may look great,
but load slow. Of course, it’s best to find a good balance between form
and function.
7) Building a website is easy – I’ll just buy a how-to book. Whether
or not you can do-it-yourself depends on the type of site you want and
your own experience and skills. For example, will you require shopping
cart functionality or database programming? Building a website is
deceptively complex and requires a variety of skill sets, from HTML
savvy to good artistic taste.
8) Everybody else has a site, so I should too.
Thinking through the real purpose of your site is crucial. Is it to sell
your product? Increase awareness? Provide information to drive local
sales? Add credibility? Despite what some critics say, creating an
“online brochure” is a legitimate reason to build a site. However, it is
a very different purpose than selling directly over the Internet.
Clarifying your purpose for wanting a website is a perfect starting point. Good luck!
