A friend of mine wanted to know whether I could recommend a good restaurant in or around Sydney while he was visiting for a week or so.  It’s been a while since I’ve been in Sydney, so I thought I’d try to find my favorite Chinese restaurant.

Well, it’s a good thing that I remembered the name and the spelling (yes, it was that good!), because I couldn’t find it with a localized search of Chinese cuisine.  An example of doing a localized search would be something like:

chinese restaurant + portland

The idea is to be presented with a listing of Chinese restaurants in Portland.

Anyway, the restaurant was nowhere to be seen in any Google listing.  Concerned that maybe the best Chinese restaurant in the Sydney Metro area might no longer be in business, I typed the name.  I was relieved to find the restaurant was indeed still in business, but then I wondered why the heck it wasn’t achieving better search engine results.  I mean, the food and service at this restaurant is considered world class and is a home-away-from for many international visitors.  Then, as soon as I visited the site, I could see why.

That’s right.  The site is almost entirely developed in Flash.

What a shame!

Flash delivers truly spectacular visual results, but this can also be a problem for the developer who does not understand what it takes to develop a Flash site so that it is at least search engine friendly.  Certainly, they are going to find disappointed people on the end of the telephone if the client was expecting acceptable search engine rankings.

This is because Flash is rich in visual content; even text, when it’s written in a Flash movie, is an image and search engines do not crawl images.

The bottom line: creating Web sites which rely totally on images is usually counter-productive if you want good search engine results.

For this reason, Flash is often given a bad rap because it is, “search engine un-friendly.”  This needn’t be the case, however.  Although it takes more work and attention to fine details, a site which has been developed in Flash can be optimized for indexing by the search engines.

If you like Flash, be prepared to budget for its development and search engine optimization.  The Flash platform, or engine, requires care, attention to detail, graphic skills (in addition to traditional Web graphic skills) and strong programming skills.  Flash developers, good ones, typically charge fees that are relative to their skill level.

When putting together a well-formed, carefully planned business Web site, it’s important to understand that what visitors to our sites are looking for is information.

Yes, I can hear you now: "Well, I understand that, Smalley.  What are you talking about?"

Here’s the thing.  When planning the content and document flow of our site, we need to understand the kind of information our site visitors are looking for.

For example, if you sell books, the first thing visitors want to know is what genres you specialize in and which titles you sell.

We probably have all kinds of information about our business that we want to tell people, but the bottom line is that a site visitor’s primary interest is in finding out whether they want what you’ve got.

In keeping with out example of an online bookstore, secondary interests, although important once someone has decided to part with their cash, are things like:

• What is the ISBN?
• Information about the author
• Is this copy in hardback, paperback, new, or used?
• Where you ship to
• What’s your return policy?
• How do you keep my credit card and other information safe?

These are all very critical components of a well-formed, carefully planned site, but it is of no value to your site’s visitor until the decision has been made to make the purpose

Coincidentally, the information which is of primary interest to our site’s visitors is also what drives our return on investment.

Knowing When to Reveal

Any good magician will probably tell you that it is not as important to show your audience that the rabbit has disappeared, as it is to know when to show the audience.  If the magician is any good, you know the rabbit has disappeared.  The entertainment value for us comes in the way we are shown and the timing of the reveal.

Similarly, with a well-formed, carefully planned Web site, we need to consider when, in relation to the information which is is of primary interest to a site’s visitor, to reveal the important information which is needed in order to do business with us.

This is what we mean when we talk about document flow or flow of information.

The goal of supplying the potential buyer with the information he or she wants, must also be done in a logical way which can be followed by anyone. As part of the process, we need to determine all the components which make up the vital information which results in the financial transaction taking place. For the sake of simplicity, we will just refer to this as decision driven information.

Let’s return to the example of our book seller. When we plan the flow of information, the theoretical representation of the site might look like this:

Decision Driven Information

Sample Site Structure for Book Sellers

Primary Information	Secondary Information	Tertiary Information	Ancillary Information
Books
	Genres
		Titles
			Descriptions
			Reviews
Specials
	Titles which are on special
	Top 10 Sellers
			Book Descriptions
			Reviews
Membership Rewards
	What is given in return for membership, loyalty to your store, or value of purchases made

Because this is all information which drives the decision process for our customers, these details will be the most prominent on our site. Furthermore, drilling down to the Secondary, Tertiary, and Ancillary levels of information will be logical, straight forward, and easy. Of course, whether the customer is on a primary level or ancillary level, we will gladly provide he or she with an opportunity to easily and securely purchase the product.

Utility Information

Sample Site Structure for Book Sellers - Utility Information

Utility Level One	Utility Level Two
View Cart
	Itemization of total order
Shipping Information
	Where you ship
	Shipping rates
	Other information about shipping policies
Returns Policy
	Conditions under which a customer may return product
	Information as to whether store credit, refund, or exchange applies to returns
	Other information about returning product
Privacy
	Your attitude towards the privacy of your customers
	Ways you use your customers’ information
	Other information about customer privacy
Credit Card Information
	Methods of storing credit card information
	How credit card information is transported to your server or payment gateway
	Other information about credit information and how it is handled
Contact
	Sales Inquiries
	Customer Support
	Order Tracking
	Telephone, mail, and fax details
	Other information about ways to contact you

We refer to this as "utility" information, because although it is important, it really is not as big a piece of the puzzle as getting the message across to a visitor that you have what he or she wants.

Managing All This Content

Your content needs to be easy to read. I am not talking about professional copy writing, although I always make a point of recommending that service to my clients. I am talking about the careful placement of text and meaningful use of images. Some common mistakes include placing text over background images or background colors which make the text difficult or impossible to see. Keep an eye on the size of your text, and the use "swirling script" as well. These can play havoc on a visitor’s eyes and concentration.

Next we need to be concerned about navigation.  I think I might have hinted at this when I was talking about document flow, but it bears speaking about in the context of content management.

It is very important to make sure your site’s navigation is consistant throughout your site.  For example, if you’re going to place your menu at the top of your home page, be sure to place it at the top of every page throughout the site.

One thing which will have a negative impact on your site’s navigation will be the use of frames.  These are an antiquated method of presenting a Web site’s content, and most Web and Internet professionals will not be implementing frames on your site.  This is because frames make it difficult ot bookmark particular information on your site, they are counter-intuitive for people with visual impairments who are using screen readers, and they are generally ignored, or at best misinterpreted, by the search engines.

In case you are not convinced to hire a professional Web and Internet consultant by now, I recommend that you find a way to avoid using frames in your site.

Other ways to manage your content is to maintain a consistent look and feel throughout your site.  This will help to build brand/corporate recognition for your business.  It also helps visitors to the site remain focused about what they should be looking: OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.

Our sites should be easy to download (read: fast).  A good way to achieve this is to avoid using large graphics, unneccessary Flash animation, and music.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a lot of things to be aware of when considering the accumulation, and presentation of content for a business Web presence.  No doubt you could think of more, but I believe these will help you to work your Internet and Web professional in preparing a dynamic site which is not only relevant to those who visit it, but will provide you with a measurable return on investment.

When I’m talking to people about Internet and Web-based solutions, sometimes I’m met with blank stares.  A little more encouraging that the blank stare is the response "Oh, you’re a web designer".  Design is a very tiny part of Internet and Web development, but at least I know I’m talking to people who have used a Web site or have heard of the World Wide Web.

This article was first published in 2007 through one of Sonoma Tek’s newsletters.  I thought I’d post it here with a couple of minor changes.

What are Internet and Web-based Solutions?

I believe the real question is, "What exactly does an Internet or Web solution mean for me and my business?"

The disconnect experienced by many people when discussing their Web presence is that they are unclear as to exactly how their Web site relates to the day-to-day operation of their business.  As Web developers and Internet professionals, we need to accept responsibility for this disconnect.

So, without too much fuss, I will attempt to reveal this the best way I know how: through examples and illustrations.

There may be many different components in answering this question, but I have narrowed it down to five:

• Scope
• Presentation
• Enhanced Customer Experience Through Enhanced Customer Service
• Measurable Return On Investment Through New Customers and Savings
• Social Structure

Each of these parts have equal importance and relevance to each other, so, let's look at each a little closer.

Scope

In this context, scope is just another word for "purpose."  Careful consideration of what it is you would like to accomplish with your Web site is vital to determining your scope.  A Web or Internet professional will have an in depth process, known as a needs analysis, to help in determining the scope of your Web site.

A well formed, carefully planned Website will deliver product and/or services to prospective and existing clients and customers 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year no matter where in the world they may be.  Your business will touch far more people than you ever could with a piece of paper, pencil, and a telephone.

In order to do this, we need to understand the scope of our Web site.

Presentation

When considering Internet and Web solutions for your business, we need to consider how you want to present your business to your prospective and existing clients.

Would you like to demonstrate that you are up-to-date with technology and prepared to use it as a means for delivering enhanced service to your customers no matter where they are?  A carefully planned, well formed Website using high visual impact to deliver meaningful messages will convey those feelings and more to your prospective and existing customers.

This way, your Web site will set the tone for how people see your business and services.

Enhanced Customer Experience Through Enhanced Customer Service

When a customer chooses to do business with us, or is considering our goods or services over our competitors, we would like them to have a great time in dealing with us.  We would also like to deliver a level of customer service that our competitors are unable to deliver, or at least deliver them better.

The major enhancements in customer experiences when dealing with a company which embraces technology in its business through a well formed, carefully planned Web presence include:

1. Ease of interaction.  Customers appreciate being able to communicate with us and obtain the information they need easily and quickly.  By using a computer, or some other electronic device capable of accessing the Internet (e.g. a cell phone or PDA) in their home or office, customers can access information about our goods and services any time they want.
2. Detailed information.  We live in the "Information Age."  People demand that their information be detailed enough to make informed decisions.
3. Empowerment.  As business owners, I believe it is our responsibility to empower customers through our goods and services.  Furthermore, our customers want to be empowered by our businesses and the services we offer.  A well formed, carefully planned Web resource can empower our existing and prospective customers by allowing them to have access to our businesses and goods and/or services on their terms.

With a few minor adjustments to the ways in which we approach customer service, our customers will view our businesses as a resource as much as a place which requires them to spend money.  Which, of course, they can do just about anywhere!

Measurable Return on Investment Through New Customers and Savings

When we make an investment in our businesses, we want to be sure there will be a measurable return on investment.

It would be very easy for me to tell you that with a carefully planned, well-formed Web site you will be assured of a return on investment; and I wouldn’t be lying if that’s what I told you!  There are always people browsing the Web for the goods and services you provide. The point that we as business owners are focused on, however, is a measurable return on investment.

So, exactly how can we do that through our Web site?

When planning our Web site, we need to determine exactly what outcomes we want to achieve.  Here is an example of a few outcomes which might be of interest to a business owner today:

• More sales
• Faster distribution of product
• Faster customer service
• High volumes of directed traffic

None of these objectives should be considered on their own.  When developing your site, your Internet professional should be discussing all of these outcomes in order to provide you with a single objective: Measurable Return on Investment Through New Customers and Savings.

We'll look at each of these individually with a view of them helping us to achieve that one objective.

More Sales

We would all like more sales, but exactly how do we achieve that with a Web site?  There is so much business being done "on the 'net" these days.  How do we compete?

When someone visits our Web site, we need to be projecting a professional image and looking our best all the time.  This means that we must offer the following to our prospective and existing customers:

• A high visual impact which can be viewed across all types of Web browsers and equipment
• Concise information about our company, products and services
• An easy-to-use catalog
• Secure services

Believe it or not, but there are many Web sites out there which do not offer these fundamental functions to their prospective and existing customers.

You can make more sales and get ahead of your competitors by investing a little more time with attention to detail and services.

Faster Distribution of Product

Another way in which we can ensure a measurable return on investment is by making sure that our product arrives in the hands of our customer as fast as possible.

There are still companies which provide an online form for a customer's credit card details, and then ask the customer to wait until someone gets back to them to confirm their order.

Not only is this method going to ensure failure in achieving our objective of faster distribution of product, but it will ensure failure in achieving more sales, because we will not see that customer again.

There are as many ways to ensure fast distribution of product as there are products.  The key factor here is that your Internet professional spends time planning a way in which to achieve this objective.

Faster Customer Service

Dealing with customers is always a pleasure, but it also requires resources.  Not simply financial resources, but other resources such as time, phone lines, paper, postage and more.  And then we continue to re-commit those resources for every inquiry a customer needs to make in order to do business with us.

What if we could save those resources?  Better yet, what if we could use these savings by re-committing our resources in areas that will help us to make more sales?

Remember, one of the critical factors in determining why we need Internet and Web-based solutions was so that we could allow our clients and customers to be empowered by our products and services.  We do this by handling the demands of customer service.

By making sure that our Web site is a resource for our clients and customers we will be ensuring that we deliver fast and accurate solutions to their needs while allowing us to do the things which drive our businesses and keep us in the game, as it were.

High Volumes of Directed Traffic

Again, it may seem like an obvious objective, but many overlook or underestimate the importance of marketing their Web presence with a view of directing traffic to it.

Most people have heard of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), or Search Engine Marketing (SEM), but these valuable commodities are often overlooked because they are perceived to be complex, expensive, and time-consuming components of doing business on the Internet.  Therefore, many designers overlook the process of SEM all together.

The ways in which some Search Engines (e.g. Yahoo or Google) collect information and relevant data regarding all the Web pages in the world are always changing.  Therefore, this marketing specialty requires some specialist attention.  Nonetheless, SEM is a vital component to ensuring a measurable return on investment.

We will cover many of the aspects related to SEO and SEM in a future editorial, but for now, consider that without some form of marketing behind your Web business, you are committing resources that have no chance of a significant return on investment.

Social Structure

I realize that you're probably reading this article and saying to yourself, "Did he just say social structure is a reason for investing in Internet and Web solutions for my business?"

You bet I did.

Consider for a moment that your Web site is a communication backbone for your business.  It conveys all kinds of information about your goods and services, the particular industry in which you are a professional, and it may even provide a channel for your customers to discuss and share experiences among themselves.

Does that not sound like a component of a social network to you?

Now consider the economics behind such a social network.  According to Emarketer, US ad sales on Web sites offering some form social structure (or network) will generate $900 million in 2007.

Offering some form of social interaction for your customers and your community is not child’s play.

Conclusion

As you'′ve been reading through this editorial I hope that you’ve been inspired to think of the specific reasons which apply to your business for establishing a Web presence.

Perhaps you have partially embraced the Internet and established a Web presence for your, but now you are able to see a clearer purpose for having one.  You might even have been able to think of some new ideas that will help to bring another stream of income to your business through your current Web site.

In this day and age, it’s rare that I ever meet a business person who does not believe that a business should be represented on the Internet with a website. What is not so rare, unfortunately, is the understanding that the business website is either a business asset or a business liability.

Allow me to explain.

Whether your business requires a website which allows customers to buy from you, or to obtain information and services, when we are ready to sell our business or pass it down to our children, the value of your business can be positively or negatively impacted by your website.

A website which has been neglected for a period of time, barely serving as a means of allowing people to contact you, is not going to be of any value whatsoever to a prospective buyer or investor of your business. As a matter of fact, this kind of website is going to result in an under-valuing of your business.

On the other hand, a website which uses current standards, hasn’t been allowed to become dated, and obviously gives the appearance that it has been a valued investment for your business, will indeed maintain or, better yet, increase the value of your business.

As a business owner, I know which I would prefer.

So, what can we do to help maintain the value of our business or even enhance it when the time comes for us to get out of it?

I’m glad you asked!

Here is a short list of simple things you can do, or hire a professional to handle relatively inexpensively:

• Update your site with fresh content. Everybody has some news which could be of value to your customers. Think about some of the things which have been happening in your industry, new projects you’ve completed, etc. This is good content to continually add to your site.
• Keep your site optimized. This is one of those things where most people I talk to respond by saying, “Well, duh.” The truth is that very few actually do it and then wonder why the ranking of their site fluctuates.
• Market your site. This doesn’t mean expensive advertising, necessarily. It’s relatively inexpensive to publish syndicated articles on other websites, write blog entries, and so on.

Making sure your site and the content and services it offers are relevant to your prospective customers is an on-going, vital component to ensuring the long-term value of your business. For this reason, we strongly recommend discussing a website maintenance program with your developer. It will be an investment which pays dividends!

I was going to title this post “Marketing Tips for Your Web-based Business,” but I got to thinking.  Dangerous, I know.

Why do we draw a distinction between the 3-dimensional aspects of our businesses and the Internet presence that we’ve established?  Isn’t the purpose for both to be successful?  Don’t we give just as much time and effort to establishing and evolving our Internet presence as we do to our traditional business activities?

Maybe I’ll leave that side of the discussion to another post for another day.  Right now I would just like to offer 3 really effective ways to maximize the Internet and our web presence in such a way that they each keep our businesses in front of prospective customers and clients.  

Nothing bad can come from touching prospects, right?

I am often in conversations with business owners who are under the impression that all they needed to do was build a website and the phone would ring off the hook.  Sometimes they arrive at this conclusion because of their own pre-conceived ideas, and sometimes it’s because they met a designer who doesn’t fully understand how all pieces of Internet marketing fit together.

Allow me to say for the record that Internet marketing is a symphony and your website, Search Engine Optimization, and Internet advertising (e.g. Link Building, Syndicated Articles, Pay-per-Click, etc.) are members of the orchestra. 

As the conductors of the orchestra, we need to compose and arrange.

It is absolutely true that we require our web assets to be optimized and tested.  What we tend to forget, though, is that we are required to spend time developing marketing and promotional strategies.  To this end, here are 3 ideas to help grow our web-based assets and improve the bottom line for our businesses.

 

1. Great calls to action result in sales.
   Sales drive business, and prospective customers respond to attractive calls to action.  Exploring different calls to action and executing the ones that work is an on-going process for those wishing to make sales.
   A call to action is quite literally anything which appears on a web page, in an email, or any other form of communication which inspires action from our prospects.  When producing a communication piece intended to boost sales, we often forget about the construction and placement of calls to action.
2. Maximizing Your Marketing Dollars
   After your initial research (i.e. identifying your target audience and determining a promotional strategy) decide on the best path for maximizing your marketing budget.  I strongly recommend working closely with your web developer or Internet marketing consultant to find ways that will get the biggest bang for your buck.  After examining your business needs, you might find that link building is an attractive marketing solution, or you might choose to publish syndicated articles.  You might even choose a combination of both, but one thing is certain, different businesses will each require a different approach.
   Remember, whatever strategy you decide upon, the goal is for more prospective customers to be touched as often as possible.  It is widely understood that the average prospect will see a product or service up to seven times before taking the desired action.  That is, taking action and making the purchase.
   Instead of spending your budget on a single promotion or marketing opportunity, it’s much better to appeal to our customers with multiple promotions.  Use a combination of link building, syndicated articles, and perhaps a small pay-per-click campaign to get the best mileage from your budget.
3. Use email to convert “suspects” » prospects » customers.
   When done right, email is an economical and reliable way of building and maintaining relationships with the people who come into contact with our business.  Over a relatively short period of time, these people become customers, and your ever-growing and evolving email list continues to work for you.
   Your regular or semi-regular communications should be about education for your prospective customers, as well as being a call to action for your particular goods or services.
   I would be remiss at this point if I didn’t caution you to understand, or find a scrupulous Internet professional who understands the laws pertaining to spam, so-called “opt-in” programs and other means for the collection of email addresses.  Nonetheless, a well thought out, easily read note that provides value will also position you as an expert in your field for those may not already be exposed to you or your business.

It is true that a good website is going to set the tone for your business.  Whether you are a child care professional, florist, medical practitioner, or an importer of teaspoons, our websites will either say that we’re serious about our chosen field and that we are here to offer effective, valuable service, or it will say something else about us that we’d rather not acknowledge.

This truth never changes, though.  Marketing our website is a vital piece to establishing our Internet presence and making it a success.