6 Great web site myths
There are many myths and misconceptions relating to web site design, Internet terms, Internet technology and who is responsible for what when it comes to a company website. It is crucial to have a solid plan in place at the outset so these myths don't become reality.
Myth #1: Anyone can build a website
True, with all the products available today, anyone who sets their mind to it can build a website.
The reality is that few do it right. An internet site is your entire business in a virtual form and it must be built with the same planning and intensity that got your company where it is today. To have a successul site you must work with a designer that understands your website strategy, understands your business and possesses solid business skills that can even improve you business processes, as well as create a robust site that meet these needs.
Myth #2: Once you build it, they will come.
Many people believe that by creating a website, the search engines will magically find you and people will begin beating a path to your door or start mailing you checks.
The reality is that building a web site is just the first step. You must set up a strategy to help attract visitors to your site. There are many ways to attract visitors to your site and many of these you are doing in your normal everday business. Whether you are publishing information for the masses, writting news, sending newsletters or advertising, you must have a plan for generating traffic to your site.
Myth #3: We only have to update our site once a year.
Many companies have budget line items for their once a year update to their website. These updates include graphics and content.
The reality is that if you limit your updates to once a year, you may only get visitors once a year. You should update your content as often as possible. In order to keep your visitors interested, you must update your site giving them a reason to come back.
Myth #4: My web designer takes care of that.
If we assume that anyone can build a website and that we only update it once a year, we probably have other expectations to our web designer. An often misconception is that the web designer takes care of everything related for the website, including answering inquiries, automatically removing old items, advertising the site and determining ways to attract traffic to the site.
The reality is that the web designer is your vendor, hired to build and update your site. It is the companies responsibility for every other aspect of the site.
Myth #5: My site is the same as my brochure.
Many companies simply take their marketing brochures and give them to a web designer and instruct them to create a website.
The reality is that using brochures to create a site is a good start, but since your site is your entire business in a virtual form, it must be much much more than just a brochure. Internet users do not search the Internet looking for your brochure. They are looking for answers to their questions. In order to be noticed you have to provide information that people are looking for, whether it is customer service information or product and industry information.
Myth #6: I sell the same product on line and in my store.
In reality, online consumers have higher demands. They know what they want, when they want it and how much they want to pay for it. They insist on gift wrapping, shipping options and credit card payments. Handling these types of customers can be more demanding. Also, you can sell products you don't stock on the internet to make it easier to test market your products.
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