Three Tips for Cost-Effective Websites
In today’s competitive marketplace, a business website is an absolute necessity in order to attract customers and promote your company successfully. More and more consumers are using the Internet to locate and purchase products and services. Market analysts at Roy Morgan Research found that over 37% of Australians had purchased online in the period between June 2008 and June 2009; that’s more than six and a half million potential customers for your business.
In order to tap that market, however, it is not enough to simply present your product and hope for the best. You must design and market your company’s online presence to actively attract new customers and to provide a solid return on your investment.
Building and retaining a solid customer base for your company’s website takes time, effort, and a solid understanding of public relations as it applies to the online business world. Search engine optimization, branding with logo and web address, and consistency are three of the keys to creating a cost-effective online interface for your company.
1. Search Engine Optimisation
Search engine optimisation can provide higher rankings for your site, enhancing your corporate visibility and allowing your potential customers to find your company online more easily. Incorporating an effective search engine optimisation strategy is the first step. However, optimising your website alone is not enough to improve your company’s financial bottom line. Search engine optimisation can get your customers through the front door, but it takes more to effectively promote your product and convince consumers to purchase your product or service.
2. Branding
Your company’s logo should be prominently displayed on each page of your corporate site including blog pages, informational articles, landing pages, and calls to purchase. Consumers may arrive at your company’s site through a number of methods, including direct searches, referrals from other sites, and through your corporate landing page; it’s essential that they associate your logo and your company with the information and products available there regardless of their initial point of access. Your corporate logo is your company’s public identifier and, as such, should be attached to every online interface the public sees.
Additionally, you should select a domain name that incorporates your company’s name. Ideally, your domain name would look like this:
www.yourcompanynamehere.com
However, due to existing web addresses this may not always be possible. It is essential, however, that you opt for a dot.com address rather than a dot.net or dot.biz even if this means changing your company name or adapting it for the domain name. Regardless of what domain name sellers may tell you, anything less than a dot.com address indicates to consumers that your company is not a serious and commercial business and may not be reliable in its dealings with them. A dot.com web address is absolutely crucial to your company’s long-term success.
3. Consistency
Too often corporate site designers fail to adopt one consistent web design style for their entire online presence. This results in a mishmash of fonts, styles, and colours that can overwhelm consumers and create an unfavourable impression of your company. Select one web design style and stick with it; this will give your website a more professional look and inspire greater confidence in your prospective customer base.
These are just a few suggestions that can help your company’s online presence to be more effective and produce the results you need to survive in today’s online marketplace. By incorporating them into your overall online strategy, you can enhance your company’s financial standing and position yourself positively for future growth and expansion.
The Amazing Internet Facts
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It took Radio - 38 years to reach 50 million users,
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Television reached the same user base in 13 years
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It's only taken the Internet 4 years!
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Internet traffic doubles every 100 days
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7 people join the NET every second!
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Nearly every home in Australia now has a Personal Computer
The number of Australians using the Internet has more than doubled in the last two years. A large percentage of Australian Internet users go on-line to search for product and price information. However, they are for the most part reluctant to purchase anything over the Net. This is likely to change in the future. Most Australian students have been introduced to the Internet at school and are expected to be big users of on-line shopping.
Consider the growth in eCommerce …
* Fax machines were considered mainstream after 30% acceptance.
* Supermarkets began barcode scanning at their check-outs to improve customer service some years ago, today nobody gives it a second thought.
* Consumers are looking for more information about the products and services they buy.
* Increasingly they're turning to the Internet for all sorts of information …
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