How can I get an effective website? - Part 1

[rfwilliams777]

Risk

Every business has high expectations when they desire or have a website. Business owners believe that having an online presence alone will in turn produce phone calls.

Honestly, that happens after a number of things are put into practice. All this means one thing: risk. In business terms, risk is the amount of effort someone (a business) puts out in the expectation of eventually have a return.

Desire
Do your own research. Do businesses similar to you have a website? What kind of content do they present? If you were someone needing a service, would they serve you well based on presentation of content (I am staying with content for this rather than how a website looks, that comes later)? Does their website pursuade you to contact them whether by phone or e-mail/online?

If the answer is no, then that is not an effective website. Take note of it because if you don't learn from their mistakes, you'll duplicate it with your own website. Ignore the size of the business and that "wow" effect of Flash or moving images and whatnot. The use of Flash doesn't mean anything regarding getting a customer.

So do some research.

Is a website the correct method of advertising?
Would a website truly help your business. Speaking as a web developer, absolutely. Speaking as a business consultant, maybe. If your business isn't a necessity (meaning you are not a gas station, water company, electric company, etc.) and you are looking to gain more customers, a website will help. You may not see direct dollar ROI (return on your investment); however, this day and age people research before they buy anything. Online is the quickest and easiest way to do that. People don't call you on the phone to ask what you do or offer. Phone calls means there is a commitment, and nobody likes to be committed until they are ready to be.

There are also a number of other ways to advertise or list your business without having a website. You can opt for business listings in online directories. The question you should ask is, do I have something to say online beyond just my name, telephone number, and address? If the answer is yes, then a website is for you.

The next part, we will discuss the methods of developing a website.

[lennondevid]

Nice thread. I must say it is a value to read this post. Definitely you have doe a good job. Thanks for great information sharing with us.

[maxjohn148]

Hmm nice Thread. Thanks for the advice as well

[stevetamer]

great, good work, thanks for the effort for sharing this with us

[Biztech]

The further complex the site, the less the chances of conversion. The further you fill the page the extra you confound the visitor. Animations, fancy graphics, innovative navigation and all the other bolt-ons may make a site look pretty but they are just distractions.

[ericfox]

Thank you for sharing really helpful tread and its help me doing my work.

[jamsen]

Basically, users’ habits on the Web aren’t that different from customers’ habits in a store. Visitors glance at each new page, scan some of the text, and click on the first link that catches their interest or vaguely resembles the thing they’re looking for. In fact, there are large parts of the page they don’t even look at.
Most users search for something interesting (or useful) and clickable; as soon as some promising candidates are found, users click. If the new page doesn’t meet users’ expectations, the Back button is clicked and the search process is continued.