Your Web Presence Is Important – Part 2
Now that you understand where the Internet came from, let’s discuss the effective way to use the net to develop a presence for your SOHO business.
First of all, DON”T HAVE ANY FEAR! To many business owners, the Internet is a scary proposition because they are worried about data being stolen and some man looking through their computer at them. This is paranoia and nonsense! Any system create by man has to evolve over a certain period of time and the internet is evolving into a system that is creating opportunities for people while at the same time enhancing security measures to protect such transactions as e-commerce.
First of all, you need to write down the goals of your site. Make a determination of what you want your site to look like. It’s okay to view other sites (which cool geeks call “biting”) and get some ideas for your own site. Look at the tone of the sites that you have visited to get an idea of how their site is structure.
Now you could develop a web page yourself, but let’s just say you’re programmer challenged. You can still develop your site in some cases for free but you don’t want to go that route. The best choice is to hire a web developer. Web developers can plan a site for you and translate your vision to the Internet so that your organization has a professional look. Many web developers are also graphic designers, so they can also do the other things, such as logos, business cards, etc.
A good web developer will draw you a visual picture of what your site will look like. Ask the web developer for a “mock up” drawing or a flowchart of what the site will look like. Now some developers may charge for this service but its well worth it. Ask key questions that discuss the content of your site.
The web developer will work with you to get the right content and tone for your site. With web-sites these days, less is better. People read a web-page from left to right so you don’t want to develop a page that reads like Tolstoy’s War and Peace novel!
So now, you’ve got a little bit of ammo and you’re armed and dangerous. Competing with that bully down the street that has a web site that has bells and whistles doesn’t seem far fetched after all. Even though you are a SOHO business owner, it’s time to make your presence felt on the web so let’s go to the next topic, part 3, which will address certain questions that you will ask a web developer.
