Putting your business on the internet can easily become one of the most profitable decisions you ever make.
Consider how strong internet marketing was perceived to be in Computerworld.com’s article, “Forecasts project online sales of $215B to $335B annually by 2012″:
Online retail sales in the U.S. are expected to grow about $20 billion to $30 billion each year for the next five years, reaching somewhere between $215 billion and $335 billion by 2012, according to two recently released reports on e-commerce.
That article was posted on Computerworld.com’s website in early 2008, which just goes to show how solid projections for e-commerce growth was expected to be just three years ago.
And yet, it’s a slippery slope you face as a business owner. The website you’re building could easily become one of the biggest, most expensive mistakes you ever make – if you don’t create your business website from an educated vantage point by professionals who know the intricacies involved in successful internet marketing.
This means in plain English: Home-made/amateur websites won’t give your business the online presence, search engine placement or slick user-friendly, state-of-the-art visitor to customer conversion rate that a professionally-designed website can.
In other words, a website generating serious sales for your business.
Web design has become an intense science
Ten years ago, we were all able to get away with crudely-fashioned websites. We were basically hanging a shingle out on the internet and that website was ‘good enough’ just the way it was.
Since then, the internet has grown, matured and advanced tremendously in terms of what works and what doesn’t, specifically when it comes to internet presence and search engine placement. The internet is an intricate science all its own now that a hobbyist website builder can’t compete with by any stretch of the imagination.
The bottom line is, don’t make these mistakes when you are taking your brick-and-mortar business to the Web:
* What you consider to be a plethora of great content for your website is – let’s face it – probably crap.
You know those websites you land on when you are surfing in search of that “something” you need/want/plan to buy and you encounter clunky, slow-loading, text-ridden sites that make you think, “I’m outta here!”
Don’t let your own business become one of them.
A professional web design company will sift through the stuff you think you need on your business website. Your designer will hone it down to what’s critically important to drive sales toward your business and not inadvertently drive customers away because of a huge amount of ‘crap’ content.
* What you think is “pretty and cool” on your website like Flash and JavaScript programs, animation, pop-up windows and other nifty website gadgetry is, again, probably crap.
A professional website designer is going to urge you to go with the KISS theory in terms of your website: “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” In other words, less is more in terms of professional web design.
Where an amateur website will be filled with clutter and all sorts of Flash and animation that will literally drive prospective customers crazy due to excessive download time or website folderol they just don’t want to pay attention to, a professionally-designed website will give your business presence online a flawless, high-performance approach from start to finish.
And you’ll profit from that sleek simplicity in the end.
* What you might believe is good navigation for your business website is most likely also crap.
Designing effective navigation on your site should be left up to what a professional web designer thinks is best to optimize your business website and its keywords.
Remember, a professional web design company knows what works and what doesn’t in terms of successful website navigation and ultimately ‘visitor to customer’ conversion for your business.
Your website’s menus, for instance, need to be keyword compatible for search engine spiders to crawl for better placement. And yet, you’ve got to be careful that your menus aren’t spamming search engines.
A professional knows how to give your website effective menus and site navigation that is search engine compatible and user friendly for your potential customers.
Therefore, the navigation on your website needs to be sheer perfection. Without the help of a professional web designer, you are essentially shooting in the dark with a homespun website and its navigation which may or may not give you or your prospective customers the results needed.
Your business website is a ‘make or break’ proposition for you and your business
Can you risk an over-the-top amateur website that motivates your prospective customers to buy from your competitors vice a website that’s build on quality, efficiency and performance by a web design professional?
The wrong decision can easily cost you more than you might want to lose in today’s e-marketplace.
Contact Nextfly for a free comprehensive quote on giving your website the expertise it deserves to achieve a strong revenue stream for your business.
These guys can also help you re-design your existing website to give it the state-of-the-art internet presence it needs to enable your business to successfully compete online.
They can make it possible for both you and your business website to win in the e-marketplace.
Debi Ketner is a professional internet marketer. Read her here at nextflywebdesign.com and share your thoughts!
