Small Business Q & A:
How Can I Get The Most Out of My Website by Debbie LaChusa

Question: How can I get the most out of my web site?

Answer: Now that's a loaded question!  Here's an overview of some web site basics I believe every business should follow.  Make sure your web site has the following:

(1) A home page that tells visitors how you can help them and provides an overview of what they'll find on your site.

Make sure to include easy navigation to all the pages in your site so visitors can easily find what they're interested in.

(2) If you're the primary provider of services in your business, have a page with your background and photo - photos help people connect.

This page also is a great place to feature some of your "stats" to

help prospects see how and why you are qualified to be in the business you're in.

(3) A page that provides information on your products and services .  Each product or service deserves its own sales page where you have the space to describe all the benefits someone receives if they purchase. 

If you're selling on your site, make sure you have a secure shopping cart and accept credit cards. Make it easy for prospects to buy. 

If you don't sell directly on your site, make it easy for those who are interested in more information or in purchasing, to contact you by offering several methods: email address, phone number, and postal mail address, at minimum.

Include testimonials from satisfied clients on your sales pages.  If you don't have any testimonials, contact your customers and ask them to submit one - or ask if you could draft a testimonial for their approval. 

(4) A page that provides free articles, tips or information .  People search the web for content.  Be sure you are giving them what they're looking for. This also is the easiest way to keep your content fresh by adding new articles or information on a regular basis.

(5) A subscription box on each page of your web site for visitors to subscribe to your newsletter or ezine. You never know what page someone may enter your web site, so be sure this is on every single page. 

I believe every business with a web site should publish a regular newsletter or ezine. It is absolutely the best way to build your prospect list, and to build relationships with those prospects over time.

(6) Have a place visitors can submit questions .  Not only can you use their questions as content for your newsletter or ezine, it also invites your web site visitors to interact with you.  And that increases their involvement with your site.

(7) Make sure you're actively driving traffic to your web site.  A web site does your business no good if no one visits it. Include your web site address on ALL your marketing materials.

Promote your free newsletter and web site address on your business cards (I like to print an invitation to subscribe on the back side of my cards).

My favorite ways to drive traffic without spending a fortune are to write and post articles on article marketing web sites and to establish partnerships with others who are willing to trade web site links.

If you're writing articles as content for your web site, and you're publishing a newsletter or ezine, you can use the same articles for article marketing. 

One of my favorite article marketing sites is www.ideamarketers.com.  I also have a list of over 40 more article marketing web sites in The 10stepmarketing Online Marketing Resource Center. 

The 10stepmarketing Resource Center includes over 100 links to services that will save you valuable time and money marketing your business. For more information, click here.

© Copyright 2005 Debbie LaChusa

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free Marketing Mini-Course when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com

NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article as long as you make no changes and you include the "About the Author" information at the end.  Please let me know if and where you use this article by emailing me.

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