In working with small business owners I meet with many that completely undervalue what their website can do for them.  This lack of value can stem from a number of things like personally not being “net friendly”, a current site that is poorly executed (thus delivers poorly), misconceptions from associates or even that they have never had a website to evaluate.

I often spend a good amount of time building value in what a custom website built by Prime can offer them, overcoming their misconceptions and mapping out routes that they can identify with for a bit of Internet and business success.

An easy way to relate what a website can do as well as what a website needs to be successful is comparing it to an employee.  Business owners usually have employees and can understand the difference a good employee can make versus a bad one.  By drawing this comparison, the education and value building process is a bit easier.  Here are some of the comparisons that I use.

Availability & Reliability
Do you have employees that work every day?  Weekends?  Respond in the middle of the night to customer questions and interest?  A good website does.  Whether driven from a print ad, a link, a Google search or referral, your website is always there and waiting to be accessed.

Marketing & Promotion
Do you have employees that speak about your company the right way?  Do they paint vivid and clear pictures of your service or product?  Do they land interested consumers of your offering, but didn’t know your company existed?  A good website does.  Through solid content and copywriting your business and offerings are communicated effectively.  With great photos and visual elements, website users get a direct visual of your ability, experience and services/products.  With solid search engine optimization, users find your company and learn about you based on their need for a “Maple Grove, MN plumber” … not a need to search and find Robillard Plumbing specifically.

Customer Service
Do your employees listen to your customers?  Do they ask for feedback to improve your service or product?  Do they offer easy routes of communication?  A good website does.  Through simple contact forms, surveys or other feedback forms, your customers can tell you what your doing right, what they’d like to see you improve and even give you ideas that can greatly impact your business.

Training & Education
This is a two part item.  Your website can provide training to your end users on how to best use your service or product.  It can also educate them on your industry, your unique offering and your process.   More importantly, I wanted to put out the message that just like an employee, an ongoing training and updating program for your website improves its performance.  You need to update your content, look into functionality upgrades and consider redesign elements from time to time.  A website that is created and untouched soon falls out of touch with your message, just like an employee that receives little or no training as time goes on.

Cost & Value
Yes, this is the big one for people.  What does this great employee you just described cost my business? I like to point out that any employee they can hire for $15k a year, will probably be short on experience, talents, skills and drive.  Why would a website be different?  There are an abundance of $100 to $1,000 instant website solutions (and they usually aren’t too instant either) out there, but just like a bottom level employee, they do you a disservice more than bring you advantages.  Most of our custom solutions fall into a $5k to $20k range for creation … but as you can see from just the few things I pointed out, the cost of ignoring a website’s value is ten times that.

So as you look around your business and staff decisions, take a peek at your website.  If it’s not living up to some of these things, or doesn’t give you the ability to train it, change it and improve it … you might have to fire it.  Then you can come to us and explore creating/hiring an employee that will bring you efficiency, marketing, leads and happy customers.

We’ll make sure your new employee looks great, is reliable, brings you new business, spreads the word on your offering, offers efficiency, services your customers and doesn’t oversleep or take 2-hour lunch breaks.

Posted on May 23rd, 2007 by Aaron
Filed under: web design, small business

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