Do I really NEED a web site?
I've been asked more than once, "Do I really need a web site?" This is 2005! If you own a business—small, medium, or large— then the answer is "absolutely!". If your company or business doesn't have a web site, you are leaving a lot of business on the table—or worse, in the pockets of your competitors. Your customers are online and searching for things to buy! Are they finding you or your competitor?
Level the playing field
One of the great things about the internet is the effect it's had in leveling the playing field between small business and the 'big-boys'. To the consumer, the web site of a local business can be as compelling as a major retailer's. Provided, that is, that the small business's site has been professionally designed—that it looks as good or better than the competition, and that it does the job it's supposed to without frustrating your customers.
The NEW Yellow Pages®
It used to be that a business had to have an ad or at least an entry in the yellow pages for people to take them seriously. While that's still the case to a small degree, much of the legitimacy that belonged to the yellow pages has been transferred to the internet. Now, if a business doesn't have a web site, it isn't seen as making as much of an effort to succeed.
What can a web site DO for me?
A web site can do as much or as little as you want. You can have a site that's two or three pages (commonly known as a 'brochure site') that gives a basic overview of your business. Or, you can have a full-blown e-commerce site that sells your products or services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Then again, you can have anything in between. Here's a few common benefits of a professionally-designed web site—and I'm sure you can certainly think of more than what I've listed, because YOU know your business better than I do!
- add credibility to your business
- level the playing field with your competition
- reduce phone traffic by answering common questions
- track effectiveness of your marketing dollars
- provide accessible business information 24/7
- Give customers and potential customers an additional way to find out about you and your products
- Offer customers an additional way to purchase your products
- Create professional credibility for new customers
- Allow you to promote your business with the many cost effective and free advertising avenues on the internet
- Provide an immediate way to give customers current news and promotional information about your business
- Attract countless new clients via your web site through search engines, directories, advertising and email lists.
A caveat...
You'll notice that I said in an earlier section, "...professionally designed". To be perfectly up-front, if you're going to have the kid down the street make you a web site because he has Microsoft Front Page, you're probably better off not wasting your time and money. I believe that it's better to not have a web site than to have a sub-standard site. A professionally-designed site says to your customers, "I care enough about your experience on my web site that I have invested my time and money to make it a good one!" On the other hand, if your site looks as if it were thrown together by a gaggle of color-blind monkeys, it screams, "Hey! I take my business so seriously that I let my 10-year-old do my web site! Sorry if you can't find anything..."
How do we get started?
It's easy to get a web site started! Visit the Quote Request page and fill in the requested information. Do it NOW! The longer you wait, the more business you're losing! I'll schedule an informal Q&A session with you to find out if it's in your best interest to pursue a business relationship with Sawtooth Graphics.
The design process page will give you some insight into the methods I use for getting your web site online. The Tools and Tech page gives some information on the hardware and software used to get a web site online, if you're interested in that sort of thing.
