So You Want A Website...
Jennifer Koch

The next time you have a few free minutes to flip through the local newspaper or your favorite magazine, take a look at the ads. In many of them, you'll see a single, nearly identical line: w w w... There it is again. And again. All of these companies have a website. Do you? Feel like they're www.gettingaheadofyou.com?

So what should you do? Okay, a friend said there's a website offering hosting for a buck a year to start, and they've got a whole bunch of website templates, all you need to do is boot up your laptop, pull out your credit card and get started, right? You don't want to get behind and miss out on the big chunk of business everyone else must be getting...

Whoa! Before you start punching those credit card numbers into the online order form of that 'bargain' hosting provider, there's a few things you need to ask yourself. First of all, why are you getting in a hurry? You've never made a snap decision for your business before. The Internet isn't going anywhere. Take the time to consider your options, and invest your money in a business decision that makes the most long-term sense to you. Your mother taught you that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is, and that holds true for web marketing as well as everything else. Save yourself a potentially frustrating hassle in the future and do your research now, before you dip into your pocketbook. Second, why do you want a website? Is it because you've given the idea some serious thought and you think it's time to take your business to the next level? Is it because you think you should, because everyone else has one? Don't jump into an investment just because everyone else tells you to, whether it's your computer-savvy cousin or that Big Famous Website offering a sweet small business startup deal. Your website will be more valuable if you know what you want and at least have a vague idea of how you can make it work to your advantage.

Some tips before you dive in...

1. What do you want your website to do?

Why have you decided that you need a website? Your reasons may be as simple as informing your customers about the services you offer, providing a portfolio of the work you've done, or as complex as creating an e-commerce store to sell your product online. If you can answer this first question, you can already make more informed decisions about how to direct, create, and market your future site. When considering the structure of your site, remember to include a basic description of what you do as well as detailed contact information (and if you have a brick-and-mortar building as well and want customers to visit, include that address as well), so your customers can get in touch with you.

Site structure is also important - make sure that the information you provide is clear and concise. Organize your pages to flow well and make sense to the clients you want to attract. Think about your market - who are you trying to reach? Do you want to create a kid-friendly craft site with projects and tips, or do you sell kids' craft project kits and believe you will have more success in marketing to their parents?

2. Have you considered the basic components of your website?

Feel free to dream as big as you like, but remember that where there's a dream waiting to become a reality, there's got to be a place to start and a common-sense system to tackle it. The most basic component of your online identity is a memorable, easy-to-spell domain name. Preferably, this title corresponds to the name of your business. If the .com name of your choice is unavailable, there are several others to choose from, including .net, .biz, and a variety of other extensions.

Once you've purchased a domain name, be sure and look into an e-mail hosting service that will allow you to send and receive e-mails through the domain you've chosen. Free e-mail hosting such as Yahoo!, Hotmail, or addresses provided through your Internet service provider looks less professional and may send the wrong message to your possible customers.

3. How are you going to get your website to your customers?

No matter how brilliant your site design is, nor how useful and affordable your product or service, your online efforts will come to nothing if your site doesn't attract visitors. To achieve this, you need a smart Internet marketing strategy to direct new traffic to your information. You can try this on your own - the Internet contains many wonderful resources on the concept of website marketing, or if you don't have the time or don't feel up to the task, contact an expert in the marketing field to help you create and implement a plan.

Consider submitting your site for free to search engines like Google and Yahoo!. Decide whether or not you want to purchase online advertising - pay-per-click banner ads and Google AdWords may or may not be your best options for the functionality of your site and the audience you want to attract. Be sure your website is listed in your local online yellow pages. You may want to participate in targeted e-mail marketing, sending newsletters to previous customers and interested newcomers who sign up on your website. Also, don't forget to include your website address on all of your printed promotional materials: letterheads, business cards, signs, window art, newspaper and magazine ads, and more. If you invest in radio or television commercials, consider including a mention of your website as well.

4. How much time do you have to spend?

Be realistic about the time you can devote to building, maintaining and marketing your website. It may be in your best interest to call in an outside expert. Professional website designers and consultants can make your website a reality in a fast and affordable manner, and many can offer advice on marketing your site to a specific audience, to generate the all-important traffic to your site.

TurnKey Creations, Drake Hardware & Software's graphic design division, is available for consultation about everything discussed here - we can help you determine what your company needs in a website and purchase your domain name and web hosting to get you started. TurnKey Creations offers innovative, professional website design to help you stand out among your competitors, and we consult with you to create a marketing strategy to better promote your website, online and off. Initial consultation is completely free - stop in at our new location at 211 North 5th Street, give us a call at 319.752.9898 to schedule a meeting, or drop us an e-mail at info@turnkeycreations.com to get started for the new year!