Ready to build that home page for your business?

Think customers will be drawn like flies to your gleaming strand in the World Wide Web?

Watch out.

Creating your own home page may sound like it's going to be profitable. But too often the web's commercial potential remains just that: potential.

Of the 60,000 or so new commercial home pages added to the World Wide Web each month, very few attract enough revenue to justify the time and expense required for their construction.

In this series of articles, let's look at a few of the major mistakes business owners make when designing their web pages.

By far the most common error is a focus on the business rather than the customer. Consultants say that this will turn customers off faster than any other mistake.

What people are looking for is "information," which is the key to your success. They want information that will help them make more money in their business, become smarter buyers of your merchandise and services, or lead more productive or happier lives.

But what about all those colorful graphic and lively animations that add such luster to the web? Don't they have a role to play?

Think of them as appetizers--not the main course. The secret is to think communications, not selling. Here's how to decide what to communicate:

* What are the most common questions asked by your customers? Put the answers on your site.

* What advice can you give customers? Here's where it goes.

* What timely information can you share with your customers? Example: Discounts that may expire soon, new services or goods being offered, changes in representatives for certain regions or departments, etc.

Spend your time thinking of useful information you can convey to your customers--not about details of complex design that will take a lot of money to create. The biggest mistake a business makes is to invest time and money in a web page that people will never see. 

Phillip Perry is a website expert who helps small business increase online effectiveness. You may contact him:

Phillip M. Perry
127 Grand St. #4E
New York, NY 10013
212-274-8694
phil@pmperry.com

      

         

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