Tech Made Simple:Building the Perfect Website for Your Small Business

e-Business Now Founding Partners

What We Will Cover

These Topics are covered in the Applying Technology to

Jumpstart Your Sales Workshop

Workshop Agenda

Importance & Benefits of a Web Presence Internet Strategy for Your Business

Key Elements of Effective Web Design

Web Development

Measuring Results

What We Will Not Coverx Social Media

x Search Engine Optimization

x Internet Marketing

CREATING YOUR WEB PRESENCE

To inform potential customers about your business with relevant and concise information

To advertise and describe offerings and location To sell products and services To generate business leads To brand your business and provide contact information To be “found” by potential customers using search

engines To build a foundation for customer interaction

(ordering, returns, feedback, etc.)

Every Business Needs a Web Presence

Keep in mind: 78 percent of Americans use the Internet every day.

Benefits of Having a Web Presence

=Increased

SalesProfessional

WebPresence +

More Eyes

LookingAt Your Business

B2C (Business to Consumer):43% of all retail sales are expected to be influenced by or made on the Internet by 2012 (U.S. Department of

Commerce)

B2B (Business to Business):83% of businesses use the Internet to research and findvendors (Enquirio – B2B survey)

Marketing Plan & Internet Strategy

Your Marketing Plan: Defines your target market Details your competitive strategy

Documents a pricing strategy Establishes a marketing budget

Defines your Internet strategy’s rolein your marketing effort

Consider Target Audience & Competitors

Target Audience Who are they?

What are their characteristics (age, income, tech savvy)? What are they looking for on your website?

Competitors Who are they?

What do their websites do well?

What could they improve on?

What are the opportunities for your business?

Goals for Your Website

What do you need your website to do?

The answers will create your Internet strategy = a measurable

plan of action using the Internet to get desired results. Think about:

Your business goals

Your marketing goals

Your target audience

Your competition

Types of Websites

• Brochure Informational Goal = Lead Submission, informational download, or Phone Call

• eCommerce Product Focused Goal = Sale/Request for Proposal

• Community Communal intreaction Goal = Engagement and participation

4 Functions of a Website

1. Promote

2. Publish

3. Communicate

4. Serve

your business by telling customers about it

information that’s useful to your customers

with customers

customers by handling business functions

What Functions Does Your Website Need?

A website doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some

components different types of businesses might want to

include: Restaurant or Retail Store: Address, photo of location, product photos, menu, phone and e-mail contacts, map, hours, online reservation tool

Consulting or Accounting Business: Most of the above plus photos/bios of key personnel, explanation of services provided, client list, appointment scheduler, articles or tips from owner

E-commerce Business: Product photos/descriptions, online ordering and payment, frequently asked questions/help, shipping policies and costs

Don’t forget…

• Reviews On your site or on sites like Google

• Ability to share Allow visitors to share your content easily

• Interaction Ability for visitors to leave comments

CREATING A PERFECT WEBSITE

LAND (HOSTING)

ADDRESS (WEB DOMAIN)

ARCHITECT (WEB DESIGNER)

HOME(WEBSITE)

What Is a Website

A website is a collection of Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that are addressed to a particular domain

name.

www.yourbusinessname.com or www.score.org

Keep it short and simple

About $10/year at most domain providers

Buy your domain name before someone else does!

ADDRESS (WEB DOMAIN)

Web Address = Domain NameWeb Address = Domain Name

LAND (HOSTING)

Your website needs to be hosted on servers, which are computers used to store your Web files.

Starting at a few dollars per month

Ask about: Uptime Support Backup Number of domains Shared or dedicated servers

Web HostingWeb Hosting

EFFECTIVE WEB DESIGN

Effective Websites Are…

1. Professional

2. Consistent With similar sites

With website usage

With your brand

Within your site

3. Simple

Elements of Website Navigation

Top navigation bar should be constant across pages.

Side navigation bars are optional.

Bottom bar should consist of simple text links to your site; it is important for search engine ranking.

Page body is where you put that page’s relevant information.

Tips for Navigation

Organized structure

Keep it simple – users should be able to get anywhere in 2-3 clicks Keep important links, content, etc. “above the fold”

Use white space to simplify

How Users Scan Sites: Hot Spots

“F- Pattern”: Focus user’s attention

USERS DON’T READ – they scan!

Put most important elements in places where eyes naturally go.

Using Color, Graphics, and Text

Use colors that work well together

Keep colors consistent with your brand

Keep text size readable

Keep text and background color readable

Use high-quality photographs

Avoid sound unless that is your business

What Is Web Content?

“Content” refers to any written material on your website, including:

Titles

Headlines

Product names

Product descriptions

“About Us” page

Help page

FAQs

Customer service information Articles

Blogs

Writing Effective Web Content

Know your target audience

Keep it short and simple

- Headings 8 words or less

- Paragraphs 40-70 words

Write active content

Write for how people search

Keywords

- Google and Bing offer Search-Based Keyword Tool Edit and proofread

CYBERSECURITY

Cybersecurity and Your Business

Why should a small business be concerned with information security?

Protect customer information Protect employee information Protect business partner/vendor/supplier

information Protect your business’s information

Protect for: Confidentiality Integrity Availability

What’s at Risk?

What do you risk if you fail to protect your data?

Fines from banks, credit card issuers, state and federal agencies

Lost productivity

Lost sales

Costs/time to repair damage

Loss of trust

Lost reputation

Legal costs

10 Steps to Cybersecurity

1. Use and update antivirus/anti-spyware software2. Secure your Internet connection (firewall via

WAP/router or ISP)3. Turn on the firewall on each computer

4. Patch/update OS and applications5. Regularly back up data

6. Secure wireless access7. Train employees in security processes8. Require individual user accounts9. Use strong passwords and change them often10.Limit employee access to data/limit installation

authority

Resources

For more information: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website:

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Guide to Cyber Security for Small Business

- www.fcc.gov

- www.uschamber.com/reports/commonsense-guide-cyber-security-small-businesses

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS

Web Hosting Choices

If you build your own site, you can host it on your own servers,

or use a Web hosting company. As discussed earlier, you’ll

need to compare packages depending on your needs.Some of the top Web hosting companies include:

www.aplus.net

www.godaddy.com

www.networksolutions.com

webhosting.att.com

Using Web Templates

There are many template resources available to you.

Here are a few for you to consider.

www.logoworks.com

www.officelive.com

www.google.com/sites

www.intuit.com

www.webs.com

webhosting.att.com

Consider Blogging Tools (CMS

• What are blogging tools? Build a site in minutes CMS – Content Management System “Themes”

• Types WordPress Drupal Google Sites Joomla! Movable Type And dozens more…

One-Stop Web Shop

Here are some popular one-stop Web shops:

www.godaddy.com

www.deluxe.com

www.networksolutions.com

www.smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting

www.officelive.com

www.intuit.com

webhosting.att.com

Choosing the Right Option

When assessing your development options,

consider the following: Your time

Your tech skills

Your budget

Choosing the Right Web Team

Consider: Experience

Cost

Similar companies / similar websites

Professionalism

Elements of desired site

Future needs

Maintenance and growth plans

References

Cost & Legal Considerations

How much will it cost?- Payment terms- Overall estimate

Have written contract covering:- Price- Schedule

Portability to new Web host Content and technology ownership

- Support and Service Level Agreement- Detailed Scope of Work- Documentation- Release of copyright

MEASURING RESULTS

Your Site Is Up - Now What?

A successful website generates measurable results for your business.

1. Know your goals for the website

To get the most from your site, follow this 3-step process:

2. Continually adjust site as needed

3. Measure results

All major search engines (Bing, Google and Yahoo) offer sophisticated free analytics tools to help you track and benchmark your website results.

What Should You Measure?

Number of site visitors Individual page impressions Average visit length

Most/least popular pages Most popular site entry pages

Where users come from (sites or search engine phrases) Number of inquiries, leads or sales generated

Conversion rates Total sales volume online Average purchase per online customer

Module In Review

SummaryBenefits of a Web presence

Developing an Internet strategy

Components of a website

Elements of effective Web designDeveloping your website

Measuring Results

Next Steps

How-To Guides

Connect with a SCORE Mentor

- SCORE has over 13,000 successful and experienced executives with small business know-how that want to

help you- Visit www.ebusinessnow.org for more information

Take the Share Your Feedback survey

Tech Made Simple:Building the Perfect Website for Your Small Business