| If you want to do good business in the online world, | | | | information. |
| there are certain standards of website creation that | | | | 3. Real contact information: Many small business |
| everyone should try to conform to. I know it may | | | | owners think they can just put up an anonymous |
| seem a little counterintuitive when I talk about the | | | | contact form and that's enough. But it's important to |
| benefits of conformity in relation to marketing. After | | | | give your business an air of legitimacy by providing a |
| all, many small business owners' first instinct is to be | | | | real address and phone number. This assures people |
| creative in their marketing efforts. But when it comes | | | | that your company is real and not some clever |
| to people's internet surfing habits, we've come to | | | | internet scam. |
| expect certain things from websites, and when those | | | | 4. Testimonials: It's not a good idea to bombard |
| things aren't present, we disregard and surf away | | | | people with testimonials on your main page, but they |
| from that site. So while there is room for creativity, | | | | should be somewhere on your site. If there's a way |
| it's a good idea to accept that there are standards | | | | for people to submit reviews or comments on your |
| we all must keep in mind. | | | | products, this is the best way to go. Otherwise, |
| Here are 6 things that web users have come to | | | | solicit feedback from satisfied customers and place |
| expect from business websites: | | | | their quotes on a separate but easy-to-find page on |
| 1. Quickness: It's important for visitors to your site to | | | | your site. |
| be able to get a general sense of who you are and | | | | 5. Ease of navigation: Make sure that people can get |
| what you do within the first 2 to 3 seconds. Having | | | | back to your main page at any time with one click, |
| flash-based intro screens, for example, is an easy | | | | and make all your pages deeply interconnected. |
| way to get people to surf away from your site real | | | | There should be links where people expect them to |
| quick. As soon as people land on your site, they need | | | | be, and there should be navigation options on both |
| to be able to ascertain what they can do there so | | | | the bottom and top. |
| they can start taking action. | | | | 6. Free content: It's fine to ask people to register to |
| 2. Uniqueness: Although your website needs to | | | | use the advanced features of your website, but it's |
| conform to standards of web design, you should also | | | | best to draw them in and earn their trust with areas |
| try to find ways to set your business apart from the | | | | of your site that are free to everyone. For example, |
| competition. Of course, offering unique and | | | | put up a blog or some articles that are readable for |
| high-quality products is a great start, but you can also | | | | anyone who surfs into your site. This will help |
| differentiate your business from the others by having | | | | emphasize your call to action to register. |
| a compelling story and providing a blog full of valuable | | | | |