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.

There is no doubt that we’re dealing with uncertainty in our economic futures.  Will Congress finally approve a plan to shore up the flow of credit and availability of money, or won’t it?  Will our clients and customers have the confidence they need to face the future and make hiring and purchasing decisions to move their business in the right direction?

These are valid questions, to be sure, but we also need to make decisions which will help us to stay in business regardless of what the economy or our customers are doing.

In the past we’ve made large splashes by investing banner ads, print marketing, and perhaps social media.  As my wife would say, "who cares if you’re spending $50,000 per month when you’re making $500,000 in monthly revenues?"  The answer to that question and indeed our perspective changes somewhat when we’re spending $50,000 to make the same amount in revenues.  Often the reaction is to simply remove the budget for marketing all together.

In fact marketing dollars are being invested online rather than in traditional ways.  The challenge, however, is getting the biggest bang for your buck.  With so many marketing options available to us today, where do we invest our money?

There are two very affordable components to Internet marketing which I believe offer excellent opportunities for maintaining brand recognition, relevance, and importance in the public’s eye, and, let’s not forget, traffic to our websites.

Targeted Search

The first being strong, targeted search-based marketing, particularly local search.  Search Engine Optimization (including keyword research, and content development) to target local-based searches.  People like to stick close to home, and if they don’t have to spend time or (gas) money to get it, they are more likely to buy our products and services.

Link Building

The second is Link Building.  This is a campaign of establishing links on other websites which direct visitors back to your website.  A strong campaign of placing links of relevant websites, over a period of time, establishes robust and sustainable results for your site.

In fact, I believe Link Building is one of the most important aspects of Internet marketing.  So long as it is done correctly (i.e. links are submitted to websites that are relevant to your business and it is done over a period of time which reflects care and attention to the growth and marketing of your site), a Link Building campaign can be a very satisfying effort in terms of marketing your business.