Have you been burned by a web design, search engine optimization or marketing company lately?
Website design companies are a dime a dozen. Unfortunately, their prices usually aren't so cheap. When your website is constructed, you expect that it will pay for itself with the business it brings you. Or at least, that is the way it's supposed to work.
More often, businesses are disappointed to learn that their website design, though it may look nice, does not yield much traffic. A pretty design is not enough to ensure success on the Web. Subsequently, the business owner begins the long journey down the winding path of trying to build traffic to their site. Almost as if on cue, search engine optimization and marketing companies (both firms and freelancers) descend like vultures to take advantage of the opportunity. With lofty promises and deceptively ambitious goals "guaranteeing" top placement, each website marketing solicitor takes turns having their way with the business owner until the business owner's money runs out. In the end, the business owner ends up feeling cheated and confused by failed, expensive marketing attempts and conflicting information from multiple sources. Jaded business owners may even develop the feeling that the Website market is a conspiracy against them.
Don't let this scenario happen to you. Refuse to be a victim!
Your website is a business tool. Think of it as a business-building "machine." Just like any other machine, there are many "moving parts" involved with a successful business website solution. Among other things, they include website design, domain names, hosting, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, management & analysis tools, perhaps shopping cart integration, and more. If the parts all work together, your well-oiled machine runs efficiently and delivers great results. If any of the parts are "bad", your machine is broken and won't do what it is supposed to do.
Get the facts about all of the "moving parts" of your website before you spend money on it. A free consultation from a qualified website solution company is the best way to reduce stress, become informed, and devise an online business plan for your Web presence. Armed with the right information, you can make the right decisions for your business.
Your website solution does not necessarily have to be expensive to be effective, and price is not always a good indicator of quality. Plenty of website developers overprice sites to take advantage of unwary, non-techical business owners who make impulsive or uninformed decisions. As part of your consultation, be sure to review portfolios, obtain references, and have a "soup to nuts" solution outlined for you to review. If your website designer is worth their salt, they will explain all of the moving parts and relate them to how they affect the bottom line of your business.
If you think of your webite (and all of its "moving parts") as a vehicle to move your business forward in the right direction, your website solution provider (freelancer or company) is like your navigator to guide you along the way. You are the vehicle's owner. You don't need to know all of the details on how to build a car in order to drive it, but you do need some driving lessons in order to be safe. Whether you decide to drive the car yourself or hire a website specialist as your chauffeur, you'll want to get a good consumer education before you buy the vehicle of your choice.
Do your homework and find a website provider that you trust. Build a relationship with them in which they are your advocate for online business. The ideal relationship is one in which you feel comfortable picking up the phone to ask their advice, and they value you as a lifetime client, so they don't nickel and dime you every time you turn around. There is peace-of-mind and security in a relationship built on mutual trust, but be sure to thoroughly interview and screen the Web service candidates first to ensure they are qualified before you make a commitment. As with most services, referrals, testimonials, and work samples go a long way and the defensive rule of "Buyer Beware" applies.
| Tom Elliott is the author of Website 411: Business Survival in an Internet Economy (available at http://www.website411book.com). The book gives business owners a clear sense of what to know (and costs) before buying a Web solution. Tom is an international Internet consultant and has developed Website Search Engine Optimization & Marketing courses to train Web professionals. He provides business consulting services to companies and organizations for success on the Internet. Visit the Website 411 book site and www.webdrafter.com for more information. |
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