Hey…Tucson Small Business…Are You Happy With Your Websites?

I’ve seen it repeatedly, where local small business owners have a website for their business that is totally ineffective, non functional or produces little to no money for the business. Most business owners paid outrageous sums of money to have even the simplest website built, in hopes that it would drive traffic to their stores, restaurants or service related business.

Unfortunately, most small business owners do not know that the old saying “build it….and they will come!” does not apply to the internet. Just because a business puts up a website, it doesn’t mean that customers will come. There are a few things that need to be done first, like having the proper “search engine optimization”, customer ease in navigating the website and what I consider most important, a way to “capture visitors” and get them on your mailing list so you can sell to them another time.

There are many local web designers who do create nice looking websites but there are many who know nothing about getting high rankings in Google or other top search engines. Local small business owners need to interview web designers much like they do their employees.

Three important factors MUST go into designing a website that not only is eye appealing and captures the essence of the business, it must also be constructed in a way that it can be found by search engines. Also, it must employ certain “Marketing Techniques” to ensure your shiny new website creates a ROI (return on investment).

A website is an extension of your business. Treat it as a valued employee, one that “earns his/her keep”. Website’s, especially business websites need to:

Attract and “capture” new customers (changing website visitors into paying customers)

Aid in keeping existing customers (creating customer loyalty)

Have the look and feel of your “brick an mortar” business.

Have ways to produce sales (monetized with products, gift cards and gift certificates, customer rewards)

Be optimized for search engines in order to gain top rankings, driving in a steady flow of new traffic on a regular basis.

It’s rare when you can find a web designer with all three qualifications of being not only a top notch web designer, who can capture the vision of the business, but also being a “programmer” who knows the inner workings of websites and knows how to get it seen in front of your competitors, and one who is also a well versed internet marketer, who knows the value of monetization and can add techniques that squeeze dollars out of customers.

I laugh when I see local web designers who claim to offer SEO (search engine optimization) when in fact all they do is submit your website to search engines and local directories. Far more is needed to assure your website ranks highly in local searches. More people everyday are using the internet instead to the yellow pages to perform local searches for stores, restaurants, services. They comparison shop online before coming to your store to buy, or compare menu’s before visiting your restaurant, or see who offers the most for services such as lawyers, doctors, dentists, hair salons, landscapers, plumbers, etc….

If your website does not perform well in local searches, all I can say is if your employees were not performing, you would have no problem firing them, right? You need to re-evaluate, re-design, bring in the right “all around” designer who knows what it takes to get seen and make you money.

The sad part is, so many local Tucson small businesses that do have websites, find them to be unproductive, ineffective, and are treated like a “digital business card” instead of a “customer grabbing, sale generating” machine.

If your business does not yet have a web presence, you should!! Don’t go by price…if you go cheap, that’s exactly what you will get in return…a cheap looking website that doesn’t work. Your website reflects your business. Make sure it has proper SEO and has ways to make you money. Build it so it grows your customer base, so you can communicate with your customers, offering them news of sales and upcoming business events, customer discounts and rewards, better customer service. There are many ways to do this, for any type of business.

Take a long, hard look at your business, at your website. If you find yourself unhappy with your business efforts, unhappy with your websites performance, then let 2009 be the year you do something about it.