Web Design for Start-up Businesses ? How can a website help ...

Posted on: June 25, 2012

New businesses need a web presence as a reference to attract customers. In the twentieth century it?s almost more important to be on the web than in the phone book. Many people still use phone books but then again, many people don?t need them anymore. It?s much quicker these days to use the internet to find a business through search engines. A website is also more likely to be up to date than a phone book. Avoiding a website is not a good idea since potential new customers might find a competitor online instead.

Web design has many advantages for start-ups, whereas bypassing it has many disadvantages. One of the most important benefits includes getting indexed in search engines, which is like free advertising. The internet, unlike the phone book, can quickly help you find what you?re looking for just by searching for a very specific category. If a consumer is searching for a niche item like a DVD on how to build a water heater, using the phone book might mean calling ten different book stores or even companies that design water heaters. A search engine, though, is more likely to lead to a useful link in a matter of seconds.

Yes, the internet is very important these days because it has become the clearinghouse where you can find anything, including your new business. You may still want to be in the phone book, but it?s going to take time for that listing to appear. In the meantime, creating a website will ensure that your business exists online, where people are already searching for products and services. While the common small business can only afford to pay for so many different listings in the phone book, the use of keywords online allows you to list your business in a wider spectrum of categories for free.

Keywords are the foundation of Google, which indexes your site based on how you title your web pages and the keywords you choose to define your site. Experienced web content developers keep this in mind, knowing that the information on your web pages must match your most important keywords. This rule of thumb is an essential part of ?search engine optimization,? more commonly known as SEO. With well-planned SEO techniques, your site may be ranked high in search results, provided your business offers a niche that isn?t flooded with competition.

The key to web design is useful content. Although many businesses expect their sites to look as nice as possible, too much emphasis on design instead of meaningful content can lead to diminishing returns. It?s better to make product information the priority on a website, without sacrificing appearance. In other words, the site doesn?t have to be all text, but search engines will favor content-rich sites over graphic-intensive sites. Not all web designers understand this basic principle, however, so it?s smart to shop around.

A website is powerful if you keep it basic with easy navigation to useful content that can be summarized with a site map. If you notice, Google, isn?t very complex looking and still manages to be one of the most popular sites in the world. It?s basically a search box with a few links and a logo. This doesn?t mean all sites should be that plain and simple. The reason Google succeeds with such a simple design is that it is an incredibly useful resource. The message Google sends is still important for all sites, which is to have an important purpose other than to be fancy.

Another benefit to a start-up company developing a website is that it opens the door to earning revenue right away. If the new business is selling digital products that can be downloaded instantly, the website with an ecommerce solution becomes a global storefront. If the store is selling tangible products, the website can still be where people around the world place purchase orders. Even if the business doesn?t plan to sell anything online, the website can be an effective brochure of the company. The site can offer information downloads and videos that showcase the business.

A valuable consideration when creating a website is that it should include contact informaiton and a way for users to provide feedback. Email gives your business a direct connection with customers and gives them a sense that the business is interactive and has credibility. While popular sites may try to cut down on emails, new businesses can benefit from email by building marketing lists.

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