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Four Pillars of Creating Wealth
Some people in this world are thinking that their poor financial condition today is their destiny. They keep telling themselves that they’ll never get rich in this lifetime. Are you one of those people? If you are, it’s a good thing that you find...
Getting Your Employees' Attention Back to Work
It is 9:00 am on a Monday morning. Do you know where your employees’ attention is? Is it on work?
Picture this. You are at work. The phone rings. It is your aging father’s neighbor calling to say that Dad is walking around outside in his...
Increase Profits With a Small Investment of Time and No Money
The less a business pays for goods and services the more profit that business generates. How does a small business with limited purchasing power get access to lower cost goods and services? The answer is simple. Pool the purchasing power of many...
Positioning in Small Business Marketing
Copyright 2005 J D Moore Positioning is another one of those marketing jargon words that everybody throws around and is important to understand. It's also important to understand how positioning specifically applies to your small business...
Small Business Credit Cards: Reap The Rewards!
Are you looking to finance some of your small business related expenses? Did you know that small business credit cards can help you afford many of your business expenses? In fact, small business credit cards not only help you pay for business...
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Web-Site Savvy for Small Business Owners
Home-based business owners don’t have an inordinate amount of time or money to dedicate to hosting, building or maintaining a website. But you should note that the internet plays a part in the daily routine of 88% of Americans, and of those, 92% indicate that it’s a good place for information.
As a home-based business owner, you know that the majority of the decision-makers regarding your product or service are women, and a March 2004 Nielson/NetRanking & Washintonpost.com survey found that “60% of working women using the internet at work do so because they feel that there is not enough time for personal activities and issues in their lives. 63% of those women would definitely include the internet in a marketing campaign geared toward their demographic.”
On-line usage is not just for city-dwellers either, 52% of the residents of rural areas are on-line too! (PewInternet, American Life Project, February 2004).
As a home-based business owner, you must not overlook the power of your web-page as a key part of your marketing plan.
You can build your web-site yourself (there are lots of ‘turn-key’ options available by searching the internet) or hire a professional (again, searching the web will provide thousands of options for high-quality and cost-attractive designers).
No matter what you decide to do, here are 17 rules for making sure your home-based business web-site stands out, provides your customers what they need to know and makes it easy for them to do business with you.
1.Define and target your particular audience. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Write each page for your ‘perfect reader’ and don’t sway from that target.
2.Forget the bells and whistles. Internet users have all kinds of browsers and many are not impressed by the fancy animations and sounds you may think are cute. Keep to the facts and pertinent information about the particular service you provide.
3.Use one page for one topic. Don’t try to cram everything you know about your industry on the same page as your rates and billing policies.
4.On the web, remember the mantra, “Less is More.” Ask yourself constantly can you say what you need to with fewer words and pictures?
5.Check your spelling and grammar. If this is not your strong suit, hire someone to provide this service. If your spelling and grammar are not up-to-par, visitors to your site will either think your business is a ‘fake’ or they will believe that you do not pay attention to detail.
6.Make sure your website is easy to read. Use headings and sub-headings. Keep your sentences short. Use bullets and lists to make important points. Set apart important text by bolding or using a different
color.
7.Make it easy for your potential clients to reach you. Have a link on every page to your e-mail address and include your phone number on every page.
8.Ensure that you home page makes it abundantly clear who you are and what you do. Don’t make them guess.
9.Use terms like YOU and YOUR rather than terms like WE and US. Your potential clients want to know what benefits you can provide to them. Make them feel how you can solve their problems.
10.Do your potential clients know what to do next in order to buy from you? Give them all the information they need to take the next step.
11.Check all your links. Dead links can turn off a client fast. If you are providing links to useful information, make sure they can get there! If in doubt, leave it out.
12.Choose your graphics wisely. Too many graphics distract from your message. Most clip-art graphics look tacky and take away from your business message. If you’ve seen the graphic before, they have too, likely several hundred times and they won’t remember if it was your company or someone else’s.
13.Write conversationally. Make sure the tone of your web-site sounds like you. This is especially important for a sole-proprietor who is selling their unique brand of personal care and attention to the customer.
14. Choose your colors wisely. Bright vibrant colors are terrific, but use them sparingly in borders or to highlight sections. Don’t use busy patterns behind your main text and don’t use background colors that clash with your text color. In most instances simple black text on white background for your key pages is best.
15.Maintain consistency. Make sure your website look likes it belongs together. Have similar fonts and layouts on every page.
16.Avoid using all caps.
17.Keep it flowing. Don’t just build your site and leave it. In order to keep people coming back your site must provide useful information that is not stagnant. Schedule an appointment with yourself at least once a month to update your site.
Successful home-based business owners have identified their web-site as one of their top marketing tools. Make sure that you are getting the most out of your web-presence to ensure continued business success.
About the Author
Peggie Arvidson-Dailey is the founder of Pet Care Business University and the Pet-Care Business Success System™. She is the author of the “Maintain your Love Affair with Your Pet” Series and several articles on finding and maintaining happy customers for Pet-centered businesses. As a trainer and coach she has helped people across the country create and build the pet-care business of their dreams. Visit http://www.peggiespets.com for more information.
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| United States Small Business Administration |
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| SBA |
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| Business & Small Business |
| Online and print small business publication. Information to help start, grow or manage a small business. |
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| Microsoft Small Business Center |
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| SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" |
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| Welcome to Small Business BC your business resource in British ... |
| BC Business Services offers assistance and resources for those running or starting a business in British Columbia and Vancouver. |
| www.smallbusinessbc.ca |
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| Small Business Service | Home |
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| www.sbs.gov.uk |
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| NSW Small Business |
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| Business Management & Advice: Small Business Resources & Information |
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| Links to Small Business Funding Opportunities and SBIR / STTR Applications. |
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| Microsoft bCentral Small Business Directory |
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| Small Business Development Corporation |
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