In the past I wrote about how I come across businesses everyday who have ineffective websites. I often refer to those sites as electronic business cards because they really do nothing to attract site visitors, engage them or give the site visitor a reason to return again. Most of the time knowing the exact URL is the only way someone will come to one of these sites.
Here is an example of a "business card website". Years ago a business owner came to me for a website. The owner complained about the costs for maintaining a site but agreed to get one. That line of thinking flowed right into what I expected. He did not spend any money to promote the site, advertise, update content or do anything to improve the ability to be found on search engines as time went on. After a few years he closed the business and re-opened under a different name. At that point I was asked to make some minor changes to the site mostly because of the name change.
Fast forward a couple more years and the site was down. The domain and hosting were expired. Months later, I got a phone call from this business owner. He asked if I could send him the files used to create the website. He tells me that his brother is going to re-create the site and will "handle it". The first question out of my mouth (and I already know the answer but I have to ask) is whether his brother is a professional designer, programmer or works in a place that can execute and maintain websites? No. That is all I get as a response. I ask because I wonder if the brother is either a competitor or someone I that I can create a strategic partnership with or maybe a potential business partner. I am always looking to expand and I like to keep doors open. The one word reply made me guess that none of the above applied. I did not ask any further questions. When I hear someone say that their website was created by a family member, friend or themselves I always wonder if that individual is appropriate for the job.
In the example above the client did not maintain the site in the past. It appears that he will not do so in the future since he is not using an a pro. He is cutting costs and saving money to ensure that the site will not generate more traffic or interest in his business. So what about costs and budget? I expect to hear the excuse, "I do not have the money for that". We are not talking about a lot of money here. At a minimum you can do something like cut back on a couple dinners at a restaurant or just figure out where to cut costs in the business (a good thing to do anyhow). If you want to grow your business you need to budget accordingly. A professional web or creative marketing pro can also recommend cutting back in areas that are not as effective to invest where it matters most. Anyone creating and maintaining your website should know more than just the technical skills to produce a website. You need to be well versed in design, advertising, marketing and business trends as well as understand SEO (search engine optimization), social media, website interaction, communicating and blogging, and capturing data from site visitors. They should also have experience working with copywriters, illustrators, photographers and selecting appropriate stock images.
I offer a free website evaluation and look at your marketing as a whole. Contact me today and find out how easy it is to maintain and operate an effective online presence.
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