10 Web tips for entrepreneurs
Believe it or not, nearly half of U.S. small businesses still don't have
a Web site. Here are 10 ways going online can help boost even the tiniest
company.
By Jessica Dickler, CNNMoney.com staff writer January 25 2007: 6:49 AM EST NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Web sites seem the way of the world these days,
but many small-business owners still don't have an Internet presence. Hal Hance, a practice manager at a small doctor's office in New York, says
having a Web site would be unnecessary at the office he runs. "In
medicine, especially in private practice... there really is no point,"
he said, "except maybe to provide demographic or biographic
information." Hance isn't alone. Indeed, of the nearly 25 million U.S. small businesses,
46 percent do not have a Web site, according to the Kelsey Group, a research
firm in Princeton, N.J. But Web sites are not only powerful tools for e-commerce, they also can
boost almost any business, as consumers look into products they might buy. "When customers are doing research for purchases, they are going to
the Web," said Jed Alpert, vice president of marketing for WebCollage, a
provider of online media technology based in New York City. "Sales that
happen in the store are influenced by online research." Websites can level the playing field, too, allowing even the smallest
business to compete more effectively with larger companies. And while some entrepreneurs fear that going tech will be expensive,
companies like Web.com, a provider of do-it-yourself Web sites and web
services, allow business owners to build their own Web site for $10 to $60 a
month. The price includes a domain name, e-mail, Web statistics and technical
support. Which means that if your business is not online already, then it should
be. To that end, Jeff Stibel, CEO of Web.com, offers these 10 tips for
small-business owners. 1. Stand out from the competition. Online you can be compared side
by side with your biggest competitor. That means there is a tremendous opportunity
to identify what your business does better than the rest. "A Web site is
the great equalizer," Stibel says. 2. Establish credibility. This is particularly important for small,
relatively unknown firms, he says. For example, a family-run restaurant may
want to highlight how long they've been in business so new customers feel
they're discovering a hidden gem. 3. Provide in-depth information. Use the Web site to
providebackground, testimonials, directions, demonstrationsor other
contentthat speaks to your target audience. 4. Make shopping easy. Every small-business owner is trying to sell
something, whether it is a product, service or idea. Even a doctor's office,
which may not have anything tangible to sell online, could provide users with
an estimation of the wait time so patients don't have to sit in the lobby all
day. 5. Enhance customer relations. E-mailing the company, placing an
order or securing a reservation can all be done easily online. "Figure
out what your customers need, and then build your customer relations based on
that," Stibel says. 6. Increase customer spending. Ultimately you are trying to build a
businesses, not just boost online sales, which means using the site to keep
customers informed and make them feel happy about spending more money. This
is the end goal, Stibel says. 7. Expand nationally or worldwide. When a business goes online, the
dynamics change significantly because Web sites can be viewed by many more
potential customers anywhere in the world. That also means that business
owners may have to consider enhancing their inventory management, shipping
and distribution. 8. Gather customer data. Everything you do as a small business is
based on understanding who your customer is. Data from Web traffic can tell
you where your customer is coming from and where they are going after
visiting your site. Incorporating analytics is invaluable. 9. Brand extension. Offline, your store front is limited by your
real estate. Online, your business is unlimited. You can even offer other
products and services online that would be difficult to carry in a store due
to size and space constraints. For example, a pizza stand could sell slices
in the shop but also have t-shirts, hats and other souvenirs available
online. 10. Drive traffic either to an online or offline location.
Regardless of what type of business you operate, traffic to your site can
translate into "qualified" traffic to your store. "Leverage
the Web presence to build the business," Stibel says. |
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