An appealing, engaging website and online marketing is vital to your business success — regardless of whether you’re a startup with zero money and no employees, an independent sales agent, a husband and wife team working from home, a small business with a handful of employees, or a major player with offices around the world.

With so much at stake for your business, brand image and earnings potential, it is mission critical you hire the “right” web designer or web design firm for your needs. So, how do you know if you need a web designer, web design firm or web developer?

Let’s take an inside look! The following is a quick review on how to contract an independent Las Vegas web designer or small business web design firm.

Is a web designer the same as a web developer?

My short answer is “no.” Web design typically refers to all of the visual, graphical, typographical and layout aspects of creating a website. Website development is usually used to describe the technical, programming aspect of building websites. But, it is becoming increasing more common for web designers and web developers to handle crossover work in both.

Should you hire a web designer or web developer?

This depends on your situation. If you are creating your website with a heavy tilt towards the marketing goals of your small business and to create an online brand image — you should probably hire a web designer. If you need help developing a website that can execute business functions online, such as schedule appointments, calculate shipping costs and track purchases, or otherwise tie into your back office, you should probably hire a web developer.

With that said, the big daddy of them all would be to hire a small business website design firm or Las Vegas web design company. Web design firms, like Formulis, have separate web design and web development teams to ensure sites are top-quality with seasoned experts in design and programming lending a hand.

Do you need a freelance web designer or full-service web design company?

Freelance Web Designers

Freelance web designers and web developers often fall into two categories: independent designers that have a full-time job and moonlight on the side, or, freelance in-between employment; and full-time freelancers that enjoy being self-employed and may or may not have ambitions to build a design firm or studio.

Freelancers are usually the least expensive because they have less overhead, but they can be hit or miss on quality. Some freelancers are experts who, in addition to working with small businesses, also pickup overflow work from large advertising agencies and web design companies. While some freelance web designers have little experience and are simply trying to build a portfolio of work.

If you are strapped for cash or need minimal online work done, a freelance web designer may be your best option.

Web Design Company

If you’re looking for additional expertise with search engine optimization and marketing (SEO and SEM), pay-per-click advertising (PPC), complex web programming and online branding, you should consider contracting with a full-service website design or Las Vegas web design firm.

A full-service website design and development company can provide much deeper services, more expertise, and a more well-rounded skill set and experience than a freelancer can muster. Web design firms often tend to be more stable and reliable business partners as freelancers often face financial challenges with being self-employed, may only be seeking temporary work, and face fierce competition from low-end designers.

Talk to us! Was this article on choosing a web designer or Las Vegas web design company helpful? Leave a comment below. If you’re ready to get started call us at 702-583-3080 in Las Vegas or toll free at 866-247-0605!

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Howdy, and welcome back! The following is part two of the two-part series, Planning A Website: How To Start A Website For My Business. Click on the link to read part one, detailing the first three steps in planning a website and how to start a website.

Seven Steps To Planning A Website

Today we’ll cover the remaining four tips for planning a website to provide you with a guideline and action plan for gathering the appropriate people, information and resources you’ll need to create you first website. In the end, you’ll be armed with everything you’ll need and the right answers for how to start a website for a small business.

7 Steps To Planning A Website

(Continued from How To Start A Website Part 1)

4. Think about administrative and maintenance implications when reviewing how to start a website.
Although extremely cost effective, websites do require continual upkeep in the form of monthly web hosting, content maintenance, technology updates and marketing. Which means you’ll need to budget time and money to keep your site running at optimum performance.

Future headaches can be avoided by taking an active role in planning a website project. A few additional questions to ask when planning a website include workload and how it will be managed. Who on your team will be adding new content, evaluating usage and responding to requests from prospective customers? What level of commitment will you be comfortable with? The website will be developed around these requirements.

5. Create a wish list of technology, marketing and multimedia features.
Take a look at other websites and take note of important features that you would consider incorporating into your site. Look at things like navigation style, interactive elements, video presentations, multimedia tours, search features and website branding. Don’t worry about cost at this point. Instead, use this as a brainstorming session with your website planning team.

6. Understand the technical challenges and cost factors involved.
Review your features wish list carefully… especially when considering how to start a website for a small business. Web development is a rapidly advancing field, mirroring the explosive growth of technology in general. You’ll want to plan your website with one foot firmly planted in the future. This will extend the life of your website considerably.

Keeping this in mind, the goal is to develop your site from the ground up to be flexible and to welcome future upgrades. You might not need the most advanced features now, but it is far less time consuming and expensive to plan ahead. That way, things like video and audio Podcasts, interactive demonstrations, web conferencing and seminars can be phased in over time without having to redevelop portions of your website.

7. Form a close partnership with your marketing and web development firm.
Probably the most important of these seven tips for planning a website — view your relationship with your web design firm as a strategic partnership for your growth rather than a one-off job. Don’t hold anything back, ask questions and be open, honest and candid with your web design team.

And also understand that with the explosive growth of the internet, websites are rapidly evolving into dynamic, media-rich, potent marketing tools. Shoddy, homemade sites are no longer acceptable.

Your professionalism, credibility and brand image are at stake. So take an active role in planning your website. After all, this is an investment in reaching your business, financial, professional, personal, and family goals.

Give us a piece of your mind! Did you find this article on how to start a website informative? Are you planning a website project and need help from Formulis? Call us at 866-247-0605 or leave a comment!Thanks!

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Okay, so you understand your small business must have a website. But, how do you get started planning a website? What information do you need, and what should you look for when researching how to start a website?

Planning A Website Doesn't Have To Be Confusing. Follow These Seven Steps In Planning A Website.

7 Steps In Planning A Website

1. Understand what you want and need before planning a web project.
Start kicking the tires of other websites. Take a look at competitors’ sites, other sites that have sparked your interest, or companies and industries with similar marketing strategies. Make a list of what you like and don’t like about each of these websites.

Pay close attention to navigation, color schemes, and use of multimedia. Did you get lost on any of the sites? Were the websites inviting? Informative? Customer-oriented? Did any of the designs detract from their content? It’s crucial when planning a website design that website brand basics aren’t overlooked.

If you’ve assembled a website team to help you gather information about planning a website, bring them into the fold. If it’s just you, ask your friends and family to help. Ask them and other colleagues to bookmark their favorite websites for you to use as models of concepts that work. Bring those concepts, along with your other research, to your first meeting with your web designer.

2. Define your target audience and marketing strategy.
One of the most important steps in planning a website is know who you’re trying to reach. Who will be visiting your website — consumers, businesses, niche markets, current customers, your local community? Think beyond simply targeting potential customers, as there are many other important, interested parties who may visit your website.

Also think about what you are saying to your audience. And more importantly, what do they want to hear? What triggers make them buy? What features and benefits appeal to them? Once you’ve identified your website’s audience, often referred to as your target market(s), and your sales approach, you can start mapping out appropriate content and marketing strategies.

3. Conduct an audit of available website content and proposed content for web use.
Your website’s content is vital to the success of your site. The goal is to see your website through the eyes of a potential customer. To feed your audience information that is of interest to them, not what you think they want to know or what you want them to know.

Start making lists. Write down what website content, information, downloadable documents, and frequently requested materials you’ll want to include on your website. What are common questions potential customers ask? What do prospects want to know about your business?

You’ll need to sit down and review what you already have written for the website, what printed material can be converted for web use, and what you’ll need to have written or produced for your site.

Start gathering customer testimonials, best practices, services/product specifications, white papers, your processes, business philosophy and history. You’ll also want to consider press releases, newspaper clippings, published articles, newsletters and any other public relations-type material. It may seem like a lot, but this will enable your web developer to help you cherry-pick the best content, and segment the material based upon your target audiences.

7 Steps In Planning A Website
(Continued at Planning A Website: How To Start A Website For My Business – Part 2)

Talk to us! Did you find this article on how to start a website for my business helpful? Are you new to small business websites and need help getting started? Leave us a comment below! Thanks for reading!

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Warning! I’m going to depart from my usual and get a bit more technical in this blog post on starting a blog for your small business website. If you get queasy and squeamish by anything that sounds remotely like “geek talk,” take a deep breath and go slowly! The following are a handful of excellent blog tools and tips for starting a blog.

1. Install Your Business Blog On Your Website Domain

When you start a blog, make sure that either you, your web hosting company or your web designer physically installs the business blog software on your website. Although there are many free, hosted options available at places like Blogger.com and WordPress.com, using one of those options isn’t nearly as beneficial.

By installing your blog on your own website domain, you’re accomplishing three big things:

• You’re effectively hoarding the search engine benefits of starting a blog.
• You’ll be increasing the search engine visibility of your website (adding new blog content will add new pages to your website, thereby creating more opportunities for potential customers to find you online).
• You’ll be keeping website visitors on your site longer, giving you an edge in influencing their perceptions of your products and services.

2. Use WordPress To Start A Blog

WordPress is an easy-to-use, robust, scalable and search engine friendly blog platform. Besides having a hosted option at WordPress.com, WordPress also has a free, open-source option available at WordPress.org for installing and starting a blog on your own website. I use WordPress for Formulis and my client sites, and it’s the choice of many large companies like CNN and The New York Times.

3. Switch Your Blog To Linux Hosting

Although you can start a blog on a Windows server, I suggest you transfer your website to Linux in order to take advantage of WordPress’ “Permalinks” linking and file naming (Permalinks don’t play as nice on Windows). What are Permalinks? Permalinks are an automated programming rewrite of your web page file path and name so that visitors and search engines see a “cleaned up” version. For example, instead of a non-Permalink page of your site having the address of http://example.com/?p=123 your site would show something like http://www.example.com/blog-category/blog-post-title.html.

4. WordPress Themes

WordPress and all other business blog or content management systems use themes to stylize and format layout and graphics of your blog. Think of a WordPress theme as a visual template system for each page of your blog. Themes are great because they separate the look and feel of your blog from the programming side… enabling you to change the look of your website on the fly without breaking the programming of your blog.

WordPress themes are available for free, as a paid premium design, or can be custom designed and built by Formulis. Free and paid themes are great, but they’re not unique. Custom designed themes are awesome because you can change your business blog to look like your current website and match your brand image. In my opinion, when starting a blog, go with a nice free or premium theme (search Google for WordPress Themes) and as your blog grows, we can put together a custom theme for you.

5. Setup Google Analytics & Webmaster Tools

When you start a blog, I recommend you setup Google Analytics to track website visitors. Google Analytics is powerful and will provide you with an in-depth look at who’s visiting your website, what keywords they’re using to find your site, how much time visitors are spending on your business blog and more. Google Webmaster Tools are geared towards helping your site get indexed and improving some of the more technical aspects of your website. Both tools are free. They just need to be setup and monitored so that you can improve your blog.

6. Blog Tools 101: Important WordPress Plugins

WordPress uses a flexible system of blog tools called plugins to modify the functionality of your business blog quickly and easily. I suggest activating and installing the following blog tools plugins:

• Akismet – filters blog comment spam.
• Google XML Sitemaps – tells Google each time a new web page is added to your blog.
• Sociable – enables people to use popular social bookmarking tools to promote your blog posts.
• Yet Another Related Posts Plugin – displays related blog posts on the bottom of each of your blog pages.
• Blubrry PowerPress – if you’ll be recording audio Podcasts or blogcasts for your business blog.
• Yoast Breadcrumbs – displays a breadcrumb navigation to help visitors understand their location on your business blog.
• Feedburner – Although this isn’t a WordPress plugin, I would suggest setting up Google’s Feedburner tool for promoting your blog’s RSS feed.
• If your WordPress theme isn’t already optimized for search engines, I’ve heard good things about All In One SEO and Platinum SEO.

7. Think SEO

Lastly, and most importantly, you’re going to need to learn some of the basics of SEO to maximize your benefits when you start a blog. You’ll need to look at search engine keywords your competitors are using to promote their websites in Google, and relevant industry keywords to help you with your business blog’s structure and for writing content. Before starting a blog post, research keywords that are important to your prospects, relevant to your business blog, and are under-used by your competitors; then write your blog post using those keywords.

Talk to us! Did you find this article on starting a blog for your small business helpful? Are you new to business blogging and need help getting started? Drop us a line in the comments below! Thanks for reading!

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“Blogging just ain’t as easy as Momma always said…” croons the small-town country singer, accompanied by the gentle strums of a guitar. But, before you go getting all watery-eyed on me, starting a blog for your small business website shouldn’t be a sad affair. When things get a bit rough, you need to buck up and work smarter and harder on your business blog.

Don't Send Your Small Business Website To The Morgue! Keep Up With Your Business Blog.

Quitting On Your Business Blog Is Like Sleeping At The Morgue

Giving up on writing fresh new website content for your business blog is akin to taking a long nap on the cold floor of the morgue. And nothing good ever happens at the morgue.

Just as starting a blog will not turn your small business website into an overnight sensation; you need to be consistent and committed to your business blog’s long-term success. The gains that you make with an increase in search engine rank, greater online exposure and social media marketing of your small business website will atrophy and die without adding a steady and consistent stream of new website content to your business blog. The benefits of a business blog are cumulative. So don’t quit on yourself before you reach first gear!

5 Business Blog Recommendations

For those of you that have decided to take the plunge and will be starting a blog for your small business website – congratulations! The following are a few basic blog recommendations to help you increase your search engine rank, optimize your website for search engines, market your business blog more effectively and improve website content.

Five recommendations for better blogging:

1. Host Your Business Blog On Your Small Business Website Domain
Have your web designer setup your business blog on your website domain name instead of hosting your blog with one of the free service options, such as Blogger.com. This ensures all of the search engine benefits of starting a blog are passed directly to your website.

2. Install Blog SEO Plugins
Ask your web designer to install the latest search engine optimization plugins, sitemaps, and to setup permalinks for your business blog. These are two free options that will greatly improve your blog’s SEO. SEO options are built into my blog’s theme, but for blog sitemaps I use Google XML Sitemaps.

3. Activate Blog RSS And E-mail Subscription Options
Provide your business blog’s readers with the option to subscribe to your website content via RSS feed and e-mail subscription. RSS (Real Simple Syndication) is built into blog platforms like WordPress, but you’ll need to look into adding e-mail subscription capabilities. Feedburner (owned by Google) is a great option that allows you to provide both RSS and e-mail, while managing functions on their website.

4. Promote Your Business Blog With Social Media
From an online marketing standpoint, be sure to incorporate social media and other marketing options into your business blog. You’ll find that starting a blog opens up a great big window for you to network online like never before. So, if you’re using services like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blend those social media touch points into your blog. And if you’re not using them, spend some time and investigate social media.

5. You Are Your Own Best Salesman
Be you! For small businesses and especially small business owners starting a blog… let your personality, humor, professionalism and individuality show through on your business blog. A blog provides you with an easy way to differentiate and brand your small business.

Got something to say? We want to hear it! If you found this article on starting a small business blog enjoyable, or you have questions and concerns, drop us a line. We’d appreciate you leaving a comment below. Thanks for reading!

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To blog or not to blog, that is the question facing a lot of small business owners. Business blogging, or writing a log or online journal on your website, has entrenched itself in small business marketing.

Not Sure You Need A Business Blog? Read These Five Reasons For Starting A Blog.

Starting A Blog: Five Benefits Of Online Blogs

Follow along as I point out five “pat-your-back” awesome benefits of starting a blog and small business blogging.

1. Google Loves Business Blogs
First and foremost, Google and the other major search engines eat up online blogs like a junk food junky eats Krispy Kreme donuts. Major blogging platforms like WordPress, Movable Type and Blogger are built with a heavy tilt towards search engine optimization. As a result, new business blog content is indexed by search engines rapidly. Resulting in greater and faster search engine exposure to your corporate blog and small business website.

2. People Love Online Blogs
Besides starting a blog to dramatically increase search engine rank for your website, prospects and customers love reading online blogs too! As internet marketing evolves, we’re seeing a continual shift towards more personal, less-formal social media internet marketing. Online blogs naturally foot the bill as a relaxed marketing tool for fostering one-to-one relationships as opposed to traditional marketing’s focus on building one-to-many customer relationships.

3. Starting A Blog Generates Website Traffic
Adding a business blog to your current small business website is a simple way to generate website traffic and loyal website visitors. Continual blog updates with compelling website content, such as industry news, how-to-articles, reviews and advice, help project an authoritative and knowledgeable image of your small business – while providing a steady stream of fresh, new content. Giving website visitors a reason to return to your small business website and corporate blog.

4. A Business Blog Is Your Bridge To Social Media
Even if you’re still confused and hesitant about social media marketing, by design, a corporate blog will automatically bridge that gap for you. Online blogs are built with social media marketing tools included or as add-on widgets… helping you get your feet wet with Web 2.0, but giving you total control over how deep you want to swim.

Want to allow comments on your site and to connect with other bloggers? Excellent, a business blog makes that quick and easy! Want to integrate Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to your corporate blog? Easy-as-pie! Want to include video, Podcasts and other media-rich content on your business blog? No sweat baby! Thinking about RSS? Done!

5. Starting A Blog Is Easy
All it takes is time and effort to write website content on a regular basis. If you’ve been avoiding starting a blog for fear of starting a website or because you struggle with computers – you can releax! Online blogs are very easy to maintain and update. Most of the free, hosted solutions like WordPress and Blogger handle all of the technical details for you.

Like the advertising campaign slogan, “Milk Does A Body Good,” starting a blog does a small business website good! Starting a blog is an easy, low-cost, exceptional marketing tool to help you increase search engine rank, drive traffic to your website, attract and interact with potential customers, and bridge the gap between traditional marketing with social media marketing and Web 2.0 techniques. So, if you’re still on the fence with starting a blog, get moving! The benefits of a business blog are extraordinary for any small business website.

We want you to leave a comment! If you liked, or even hated, this article on starting a blog for your small business website, drop us a note in the comments section. We’d love your help in starting up a lively discussion. Thanks for reading!

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If you’re in the process of hiring a web design firm to build your small business website, be sure to ask questions! The following web design FAQs (frequently asked questions) will help get you thinking in the right direction. Far too often, many small business owners get wrapped up in working with the web designer on building their small business website and lose sight of some of the basics regarding website ownership, copyright issues and more.

Each web design firm has its own policies, so ask your web designer for clarification. We’ve put together the following as a standard for working with our clients. So without further ado, let’s review the following Formulis web design FAQs.

Web Design FAQs Related To Copyright And Website Ownership

Who owns my domain name?

You, the client, own your website domain name if registered with Formulis. Website domain names are registered with a domain name registrar for a set period of time; typically in 1-year, 2-years, 3-years, 5-years or 10-years increments. If you fail to renew your website domain name, your domain becomes available for other people to purchase.

Who owns my website?

Depends on the level of ownership rights purchased for your website.

Typically, most small business owners do not purchase full-rights to their website programming and design because limited-rights are less expensive. In this situation, the website graphics and design cannot be altered, but can be used as-is indefinitely. The website can also be transferred to another web hosting company if you wish to use another services provider. To use an example, when you purchase software for your computer, you are entitled to install that software on one computer for personal use. Your purchase, however, does not grant you the legal rights to modify the software, reverse-engineer, or distribute the software to other people. The same applies to your website.

With that said, some of our clients prefer to purchase full-ownership rights to the completed website. Whereby all copyright, ownership and legal rights to the website’s graphics, design, layout and programming are transferred to the client. Please ask us for more information on which option is best for you and your small business.

Web Design FAQs Related To Website Development Expenses And Billing

What fees aren’t included in one of your website development packages?

Monthly web hosting fees are not included. Depending on the types of web hosting features our website requires, web hosting costs between $12 and $35 per month. We provide discounts if hosting is pre-paid quarterly, for 6-months or annually.

Annual domain name registration is also not included and costs $34.95 per year.

What are your billing practices?

Billing depends on the size of our website project. For small, one-page starter websites, the entire cost of the website must be paid in advance. For larger projects, we bill half of the cost before starting production and invoice the remaining half upon completion of the website. For very large custom websites and e-commerce projects, we bill in thirds.

Web Design FAQs Related To Website Production

How long does it take to build a website?

For small websites, we typically complete website production in two to four weeks. For larger projects, we’ll provide you with a production timeline; but more complicated websites are usually completed in four to six weeks. However, a lot depends on your schedule, as we try to modify our production schedule to meet your needs. We’ve put together a great overview on our web design process for you at the link.

What is needed from me during website development?

Initially, we’ll need to arrange for a conference call or meeting to discuss your needs and online goals. Once we start production, we request that you review our work at set project milestones and provide input on what you like and don’t like so that we can revise graphics and concepts where necessary. All can be accomplished very easily through phone calls, e-mail and our project review website. Most of our clients are out of state, so we’re used to working long distance. However, if you are local, we’d be more than happy to have you stop by our office for a meeting!

Satisfaction Guarantee

What if I’m not completely satisfied with the initial website design concepts?

We strive to create the highest-quality websites and small business communications services. However, we understand that sometimes we’re not the perfect match for everyone. If you are unhappy with our initial website design concepts, we will either: 1) work closely with you to fine-tune the concept to your liking, or, 2) refund your initial payment for the development of your website. We want you to be happy with your new small business website.

What if I need to modify the website?

We can help you with updates and modifications to your website at any time. We also provide long-term maintenance services at a discounted rate if you anticipate making frequent updates to your website.

Starting a new website or redesigning your current website? Be sure to visit our main site at Formulis.com to learn more about us and to see what we’ve accomplished for our clients. Or, give us a ring at 866-247-0605. The call is free and we’d be more than happy to talk with you!

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5. Formulis

Distilled from years of experience, we’ve crafted a precise web design process for planning, designing and marketing small business websites. Our methodology ensures a smooth and orderly web design process — ensuring everyone stays on track, on budget and on message!

Web Design Process Step 1: Website Needs Analysis

At the start of any web design project, we first assess your requirements to clarify objectives, identify subjective preferences, discuss possible thematic approaches and uncover potential marketing pitfalls.

Formulis Web Design Process Flowchart.

The background information you provide gives us deeper insight into your business and market. It also helps us identify key marketing, web design and technical parameters required during the web design process. The information we gather during our initial needs analysis will also help to define the website’s production timeline, resources needed and web design costs.

Proposal Preparation
After we’ve reviewed the information gathered during needs analysis and conducted our own research on competitors and your target market, we’ll prepare a web design proposal. The web design proposal outlines your objectives, the scope of the website, overall marketing and branding strategy, and our recommendations. Our web design proposal may be amended, based upon your review and comments until both parties are satisfied the proposal is an accurate assessment of the website’s scope and requirements.

Web Design Process Step 2: Website Concept Design

Using one of the proposed website’s pages as an example, we design up to three conceptual approaches, or rough design approaches to the visual graphical design and layout of your website. Each of the web design concepts are displayed in the form of a sample web page, consisting of unrefined images or artwork and temporary body copy text. At this stage of the web design process, the concepts are adequate to convey what we believe is the best approach, but none of the concepts are developed to the point of being functional web pages. This prevents wasted effort should a course correction be necessary.

Initial Concept Review
After presenting the initial rough concepts, we’ll ask for your comments. The more objective and specific you can be, the better we will be able to respond. Comments are our input for polishing the concepts into a final direction for all elements of the website’s production.

Web Design Process Step 3: Website Design Development

Upon approval of the initial web design concept, we will start developing the graphical design and layout of the site’s lower level section pages. These designs are representative of the individual pages a visitor would encounter throughout the major content sections of your website.

Web Design Process Step 4: Website Technical Development

During Technical Development of the website, the approved section-level designs will serve as templates for the image splicing, programming and layout production of the fully-functioning web pages. At this stage of the web design process, the underlying structure of your website begins to take shape.

Web Design Process Step 5: Website Content Development

If requested during the proposal process, our team of copywriters will research, draft and write sales copy, research reports, articles, Blogs, press releases and other content for your website. All website copy will be written in keeping with the direction, objectives and marketing goals of your website.

Web Design Process Step 6: Website Review And Approval

Upon completion of your website’s technical development and content in the web design process, a fully-functioning Beta version of your site will be uploaded to our web hosting server for your review. After any minor adjustments have been made and once the site is approved by you, the completed website will be transferred to your web server, or your Formulis web hosting account. Your new site is now “live” to the public!

Web Design Process Step 7: Website Promotion And Marketing

Designing and programming your website is half the battle. Without listing your website in search engines, promoting your website online, search engine optimization and search engine marketing, your return on your website won’t be nearly as strong as when you consistently market your website online. After the site has been built, we execute your website’s marketing strategy, benchmark and monitor results, and track site activity.

Need a website for your business? Check out our Website Needs Analysis Wizard. It’s a free online quiz that takes only a few minutes to fill out, but will help you identify what website features you need, your online goals, and online marketing strategy. And, don’t forget to stop by our main website Formulis.com or give us a call at 866-247-0605.

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4. Consumer Buying Behavior: Understanding Five Stages Of The Buying Process
5. Formulis

Unless you’ve marketed your small business website to everyone and anyone under the sun, you’ll have a healthy mix of visitors to your site who are interested in your products and services. Not everyone fits into a neat little box, but in general, visitors to your small business website will fall into one of four general classifications: Pre-Prospects, Prospects, Leads, and Customers. Identifying each type of visitor and where they are in the five stages of the buying process are key to your website’s success.

To maximize your website’s potential, you’ll need to create clusters of content aimed at satisfying the individual needs of each classification of visitor. The goal is to target each visitor type with specific content relevant to their current stage of the buying process — Enticing visitors on the lower rungs of the buying process to take the next step closer to buying from you.

The following profiles will help you identify the most common types of visitors to your small business website, how they are influenced, and what type of information and website content they’re looking for.

Pre-Prospect – This type of visitor is barely on your radar. They have a problem or a need, but may or may not even be aware they’ll require your help. Pre-prospects are primarily looking for educational information on your small business website to help them understand the problem better and to begin identifying what products and services may solve their problem.

Prospect – A prospect is already armed with general information. By the time a prospect gets to your small business website, they’re aware of their situation and needs, and have a strong understanding about what product or service they should buy. At this stage, you’ll want to provide helpful content on your small business website to persuade the prospect that your company and brand of products and services are just what they need. Because the prospect is in the process of vetting firms and reviewing specific brands of products, you’ll want to provide content that promotes your experience, brand identity, service and price.

Lead – Lead visitors to your website typically fall into two sub-classes: 1) those that are committed to contacting you for an initial consultation about your service or product, and, 2) those who have already met with you, or have purchased from you before. All you need to do is provide supporting collateral marketing material to facilitate first contact and reaffirm your commitment. A little hand-holding and reassurance helps close the sale. Leads are primarily influenced by your professionalism, ease of becoming a customer and support after sale.

Customer – Customers are a slightly different breed than all of the above. Customers already believe in you, but they need continual reassurance that they’re making the right decision. Focus your small business website on providing excellent customer service and after-sale support, clear communication and ease of service fulfillment. For many customers, website features such as: an extranet for services-based businesses or preferred customer login sections for products-based businesses, e-mail newsletters and web notifications about service or product updates, adds value and improves customer retention, and encourages repeat purchases.

Keeping the above profile of small business website visitors in mind, review your website’s content, layout and marketing strategy. Do you have content devoted to each type of visitor? Is your small business website properly designed to “pull” visitors through the buying process, converting Pre-prospects and Prospects into Customers? Does your small business website provide additional value to your current customers, strengthen relationships and help them become better clients or repeat purchasers?

Naughty or nice? Leave us a comment! We’d really like to get in touch with our readers and hear what you have to say. Tell us what you liked, didn’t like, or ask questions about classifying types of website visitors. Thanks for reading! Please come back again or subscribe to our feed.

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TV ratings are in a tailspin. TiVo is riling advertisers everywhere. Free TV shows are popping up all over online. Network execs are broiling under the collar. Once profitable programming lineups are now solemnly queuing outside soup kitchens. Let’s face the music, television’s golden years have been unceremoniously dumped at the curb. And this whole time, the web and small business websites have been quietly digging holes in the desert to bury television for good.

The Death Of TV And Growth In Multimedia Is Fueling Small Business Websites.

Broadband’s Impact On Small Business Website Features

Running alongside the growth in broadband, new technologies, previously impractical thanks to sluggish internet connects, are taking root as the new standard for successful small business websites. Features like video seminars and conferences, Podcasts and audio coupled with Flash-animated interactive presentations, think PowerPoint on steroids, add dynamite to your small business website. They’re compelling sales tools! And as any savvy business owner can attest, when compared with a traditional marketing, online marketing material can cost significantly less, and can be rolled out time and time again to reel in new customers at little to no additional cost.

By adding rich interactive experiences to your small business website in the form of video, audio and multimedia presentations, you will become much more effective in presenting yourself and your business to current and potential customers. For example, a short online demonstration that let’s a user virtually interact with a product or learn about a service, is much more valuable than a bulleted list of features and benefits.

Producing Multimedia Content For Your Small Business Website

Thankfully, multimedia content doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming to create for your small business website. Think simple! Something like a 10-minute Podcast round table discussion lead by you and your sales team about the benefits of your services, pains of your customers or new features of a new product, can position your small business website as the “go to” resource. Or, if you have speaking engagements, have a colleague with a camcorder record your next speech or presentation for use on your small business website. These are all small opportunities that pay big dividends as your library of content grows.

The Future Of Video And Small Business Websites

Web, meet late night infomercial. Hold on! We know what you’re thinking. “Infomercials! Those damn things are for suckers. They’re cheesy sales pitches and have no place in selling my business.” Well… you’d be right and wrong at the same time. In no way is a hard-line buy-now sales pitch being advocated. That approach will eat away at your credibility and professionalism. However, a lot can be learned from infomercials and applied to online marketing. It’s all about subtle persuasion and psychology.

Direct marketers have known for years that those late-night 30-minute commercials for the latest and greatest cooking knives, stick anywhere lights, and gadgets captivate audiences and convert sales . These infomercials work and work really well because there is little else to capture the insomniac’s attention. And therein lays the golden egg. The direct marketer knows his audience won’t be channel surfing, so he focuses on making the sale.

And just like the fella who’s wide-eyed at three in the morning learning about the most versatile pasta maker on the planet… visitors to your small business website are already interested in you. They’re receptive to your services and offer. Keep them on your site and sell, sell, sell! Use this psychological advantage when preparing your webinars, Podcasts and Flash presentations. And remember, when producing content for your small business website, customize your content for each visitor. You aren’t talking to large groups of people. Your content should be a one-on-one dialogue with a single person — with the goal to contact you to discussion on how your product or service solves their problem.

What Does All Of This Mean For Your Small Business Website?

Plain and simple, like any other shift in media dominance and advances in technology — either you adapt, or you fade away and die in obscurity. Smart business owners are leveraging this beefed-up toolbox of new small business website technologies and marketing techniques to not only outpace their gun-shy counterparts, but whip the paint off ‘em! So, start incorporating video, audio and multimedia features into your small business website — it’s the wave of the future that’s cresting right before our eyes.

A big howdy to you! Tell us what you think about this article on how the web is changing television and what it means for small business websites. Don’t be shy, point out the good, the bad, and ask us lots of questions! We’d like your comments. Thank you for reading!

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