Websites That Don’t Grow With Your Business
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Loading ...Although it is important to start out with a website that is basic and easily managed, you should also make sure your website is set up in a way that it can grow with your business. Many business owners new to the Internet fail to look down the road and forecast what type of website they will need as their business begins to grow.
If you fail to anticipate future growth in your business and in return your website you may find yourself facing unnecessary frustration as you move forward. All business owners should expect and prepare for their business to grow and evolve over time. To accommodate this ever changing situation, your website should be set up to deal with future growth as well.
Business owners who fail to plan for these inevitable changes will find themselves investing more time and money as their business grows due to the fact that each stage of growth will require changes in the website. This in itself is not a problem if the original website was create in such a way that changes can be made easily and without much fuss as time goes on. Unfortunately if you have hired a professional to create your website and you have not taken this into consideration you will find yourself having to hire another web designer to either create a totally new website or bring your current website up to speed. This will not only cost extra money but also the time and aggravation associated with starting from scratch all over again each time your business experiences growth.
One of the reasons that causes this situation to be problematic and frustrating is the fact that in many cases by the time you realise your website is not designed to handle the changes you wish to make, the original web designer is no longer available to make those changes. In this situation you may find yourself looking for a new web designer who has to be brought up to speed with your business and website needs.
Your goal should be to create a website from the beginning that is able to meet your current needs but also change and evolve as your business grows.
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Website Quotes – The Cost Of Creating A Website
Filed under: Websites
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...When hiring a professional to create your website, finding the right price for the project can be an issue in and of itself. A novice to the world of website design may be surprised to discover the wide range of prices quoted for the exact same project. To understand why some web developers charge a certain price for the same project you must first understand what it is they are including in their price.
For example, as a business owner you are probably envisioning how you would like your website to look and what you want visitors to see when they come to your site. Without a strong understanding of how the end product is created you probably don’t realise what is involved in creating that finished product. Therefore when describing what it is that you want, it is possible for different web designers to interpret your needs in different ways.
One web master may look at your project and offer a price of just a few hundred dollars. They are probably quoting a very basic website without all the bells and whistles that many professional websites offer today. Conversely the same project presented to another web designer might result in a quote ten times higher than the first. This web designer may see a different version of your vision which means they are including a much more complex design than the first person you who considered your project.
To avoid such a wide range of quotes from different web designers, it is important that you first establish exactly what it is that you want and more importantly need from your website. You don’t want to go with the bare minimums and risk having a website that is unable to grow with your business. On the other hand, you probably want to avoid going in the opposite direction and paying thousands of dollars right off the bat for a website that is much more advanced than your current and future needs.
The information provided in this ebook will help business owners navigate the sometimes confusing world of web design. This information will make it possible for business owners to find the right balance in creating a website that best reflects the needs of the business without limitations or extra fancy packaging that is not necessary.
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Solution Provider Versus Product Seller
Filed under: Websites
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...When it comes to marketing it is important for business owners to recognize the difference between thinking like a seller of products versus thinking like a solution provider. Like all business owners, the success of your Internet business will rely on your current and future customers. Without a person to buy your product all other business issues become moot.
In order to stay on top of your game and continue to provide products that consumers are compelled to buy, you must remember to think like a solution provider. This means that instead of thinking of ways to sell your “product” you should remember that your product is meeting the need or solving a problem for the consumers plunking down their hard earned cash to make the purchase.
When you remember this fact it becomes easier to approach your marketing strategy thinking about how your product solves a problem rather than how you can sell your product. Once you focus your energy on showing clients the value of your product it becomes easier to market your product.
This of course requires taking the time and energy to think about what problems your clients might have and how your product provides a solution to these problems. Regardless of what product you are selling, if the product meets a need or solves a problem there will always be a market in which to sell your product. This is especially important in an economy which encourages consumers to be conscientious of how much money they spend and on what type of products.
Consumers are drawn to products which address their needs When their needs are actually a problem, finding a product that provides a valuable solution becomes all the more tempting. Keep this in mind when you are creating content for your website or setting up your marketing strategies. Your website should be easy enough to navigate for the average computer user and provide information that addresses the problems your client is trying to solve. You should make it a point to stress what type of product you are selling and how that product will address the issues visitors to your site are trying to resolve.
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Every Internet Business Needs A Website
Filed under: Websites
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Regardless of their level of experience with computers, every consumer is aware of the Internet. Some people have basic knowledge of the Internet while others make their living online. One thing all businesses have in common is the need to have some level of exposure on the Internet. As more and more people begin to rely on the Internet as the “go to” place for information, a business without a presence on the Internet will be left behind the competition.
If your have a business that operates on the Internet you must have a website. With that in mind you might find yourself facing some of the following questions.
Where do you start?
Creating a website for your business can be challenging for those who do not currently know a lot about how the Internet can benefit their business. Many people know just the basics such as how to check their email or how to surf the web for standard information. It is important to establish where what type of website you want to represent your business and how you will go about launching such a site.
Who will create your website?
One of the problems for those just starting out is determining who will be in responsible for creating the website for your business. Do you feel confident in creating and designing your own website? If so do you have the knowledge and ability to do so? Many people are simply not up to the task and resign themselves to hiring a professional to create their business website. This option leads to further questions such as, how to you find the right web designer? Selecting the right person to entrust with the job at hand can be a difficult task especially if you want a website which you can eventually manage on your own.
What content is needed on your website?
When you are just starting out you probably do not need a website with all the bells and whistles that established businesses may have. In fact, in most cases having a simple website with the basic information about your business and how to contact you for more information may be adequate until you establish your online presence. At some point in time however, you will need new content to cultivate an active readership for your site.
These are just a few of the question every business that is launching a website should consider. Your online presence will play an integral factor in the overall success of your business as you move forward.
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How To Choose Whether To Build Your Site Yourself Or Outsource
Filed under: Websites
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...How To Choose Whether To Build Your Site Yourself Or Outsource
Now that you know all of your options regarding which programs to use for your website, you are probably wondering whether you should create the website yourself or outsource the project to a professional. When you are just starting out it is always best to stick with programs that have been tested and used by others. Your first website will likely not need all the bells and whistles that many web developers would try to sell to you. In fact, a simple yet professional site is all that is needed at this stage of the game. Consider using a program that you have experience with in the past, regardless of whether or not you design the site yourself or decide to outsource the job to a professional.
Deciding who will create your website is often a matter of determining what you have more of, time or money. Most people fall into one category or the other; some with more time available to invest in learning how to work the software needed to create and maintain a website, while others have more money to pay a professional for their time. If you have more time than money you may want to consider investing time, however it is important to remember to calculate the value of your time as well. If you could be using the time spent learning new software on something else, a project that generates income; perhaps you would be better off just paying a professional and focusing on other opportunities for business growth.
Whatever route you decide to take, make sure you know ahead of time what you want and how you will go about making it a reality. If you are hiring a professional, learn as much as possible before moving forward to avoid being talked into products or services you don’t want or need. Also be sure to work with a company or business that offers one-on-one service or risk having to repeat yourself over and over again, each time you talk to a new representative.
Having gone through this experience myself has resulted in the creation of Wonderful Web Solution which provides different packages designed to meet the 5 different levels of growth in your business. In addition, Wonder Web Mentors provide that personal contact which allows you to deal with one person throughout the development of your website.
Deciding who creates your website is a personal decision and one that should not be taken lightly. If you opt to enlist the help of a professional, make it one that can see your vision and put it in motion with the support and professionalism you deserve.
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Stage 5 of an Internet Business
Filed under: Websites
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Stage Five: Branded World Domination
At this stage, you have successfully build a website that is top of the line. Your website is the first place people visit to find solutions to their problems. Since you offer multiple solutions you now have multiple websites which all link back to your original site. You have reached the stage of “branded world domination”, otherwise known as stage 5.
At this stage of your business, you will have multiple websites; multiple domain names and multiple gifts that you are giving to people as an enticement to join your mailing lists.
It is extremely important at this stage of your business to keep things as streamlined as possible. You do not want to have multiple systems handling the administration for different websites. You want to have the same affiliate programs as well as the same method of accepting payment and processing payments from your customers. Otherwise, at this stage of the game, managing multiple sites with multiple programs can quickly get out of hand. Ideally you will manage and administer all websites and payments in the same manner to avoid confusion and the chance of things going wrong due to multiple systems working against each other. The people who administer your business should be able to do it all through one place.
This stage is called “Branded World Domination” because you’re still reinforcing your brand; your personal brand or your business brand. You may have multiple business sites but they all work together and customers know they’re buying from you. The brand is the same, you’re operating under the same niche.
Have you read the other stages?
Stage One: Claiming Your Space
Stage Two: Become a Thought Leader
Stage Three: Solution Provider
Stage Four: Branded Thought Leader & Solution Provider
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Stage 4 of an Internet Business
Filed under: Websites
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Stage Four: Branded Thought Leader & Solution Provider
Once you have established yourself as a “thought leader”, you can begin stage 4. Stage 4 is all about branding yourself as THE thought leader and solution provider within your industry.
To set yourself apart from your competitors, your website should provide a one stop shop for visitors and potential customers. You want people to be able to come to your website and learn all they need to know about you, your ideas and your products to show how you can help them solve their problem or meet a need. Your website should provide information about yourself and your business. This can include a brief biography or history of your experience as well as the development of your business. Your website should encourage visitors to want to learn more and find out how your products can meet a need in their life.
Once this interest has been piqued, many visitors will follow links on your website which lead to products and solutions from which they can benefit. Visitors should be able to make their purchase right there, on your site. Many will be interested in becoming an affiliate where they get rewarded for any referrals to friends or family.
Stage 4 is all about branding yourself as THE thought leader and solution provider in your niche. By this stage you are able to show that your business provides multiple solutions to problems or needs that people have and you offer one place where people can easily find these solutions.
Have you read the other stages?
Stage One: Claiming Your Space
Stage Two: Become a Thought Leader
Stage Three: Solution Provider
Stage Five: Branded World Domination
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Stage 3 of an Internet Business
Filed under: Websites
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Stage Three: Solution Provider
At this stage of the game you are beginning to develop a sense of where you stand within the industry and what consumers are looking for in terms of service or products. This is the point where you begin to focus on the next level which involves providing solutions or meeting the needs of potential clients. You can take the feedback on your website, blog and social media networks to begin creating a solution to these needs. This is the stage of business when you begin creating your very first product.
Many future business owners will take this opportunity to test an idea to determine whether their business idea is in fact viable. This can be done by offering an ebook or other solution on your website. You can then gauge the level of interest in your product by the number of visitors who respond on your website.
Some people put an ebook up for sale on an existing website, or create another simple, one-page sales website to sell it on. This is typically referred to as your “landing pageâ€. You really just need a landing page which contains the details of the product and how it solves a problem of your target customer within the sales copy, a way to collect their email address to communicate with them, and a method for accepting payment and for downloading the product.
Some of the methods for accepting payments on a website that we have used and recommend include:
- Shopping Cart - you need a way to take money for the products you sell. You can use AutoWebBusiness (which is another name for 1ShoppingCart), you could use Clickbank or Paydot.com. There are other programs out there but these are the ones that I quite like because I know they work.  They all have an Affiliate programme attached.
- PayPal or a Merchant Account -Â this gives you a way of getting the money into your bank account.
- Clickbank – when selling digital/downloadable products Clickbank.com makes it easy to collect payment from customers. They also manage any refund requests and give your customers a sense of security knowing the payments and guarantee is backed by Clickbank. Clickbank will send you a check with your earnings.
At this stage of business, you’re becoming a “Solution Provider”. You’ve already “Claimed Your Space”. You’ve established yourself as a “Thought Leader” or at least an emerging Thought Leader in that space – and now you’re starting to provide solutions to people’s problems.
Have you read the other stages?
Stage One: Claiming Your Space
Stage Two: Become a Thought Leader
Stage Four: Branded Thought Leader & Solution Provider
Stage Five: Branded World Domination
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Stage 2 of an Internet Business
Filed under: Websites
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Stage Two: Become a Thought Leader
The second stage is one that I call “Become a Thought Leader”. If you are going to have a successful and profitable business you are going to have to lead your team through innovative thought. This begins before your business plan is drafted because you might not yet know what you are selling or to whom you will be selling your product or service. In short, you must become a “thought leader” before your business reaches this stage.
Having a blog at this stage of the game is a great way to share your thoughts, opinions and experience with others while learning more about yourself and your place within your industry as you go. As you add to your blog you increase the available content on your website which in turn allows visitors the opportunity to interact with you and respond to your ideas. These feedback can help determine which direction you want to go with your business ideas.
When it comes to “Becoming a Thought Leader” you’re exploring and sharing your ideas and you can do that with the blog. You need to start getting some traffic to your site and just the process of writing on that blog will start to do that for you.
Once you begin to build content to your website you can graduate to social networking. Using sites like Twitter, Linked-In, Facebook, and YouTube, you can continue to share what you’re thinking with other people. It gives you an opportunity to start exploring your opinions, your stance on this particular area that you’re going to be going into, and it helps you narrow down your particular niche.
Have you read the other stages?
Stage One: Claiming Your Space
Stage Three: Solution Provider
Stage Four: Branded Thought Leader & Solution Provider
Stage Five: Branded World Domination
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Stage 1 of an Internet Business
Filed under: Websites
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Stage One: Claiming Your Space
When you are just starting out on the Internet it is important to begin “claiming your space” or getting yourself established with an online presence. This first step is an important stage in growing your business and one that should be researched and entered slowly to ensure you are taking the steps necessary to do things right the first time around. At this stage you may be very excited about your business idea, yet not entirely sure if you have the market to sell your product or service. Before spending thousands of dollars on a top of the line website, take the time to fully research your business idea to ensure you have all the ingredients necessary to sustain your business. You must determine if there is enough of a demand for what you are selling to make it a profitable business venture. Without customers, even the best ideas will end up failing regardless of the amount of time or money invested during the start up period. During the “claiming your space” stage of growth, you should be researching and testing your product to gauge the marketability before moving forward.
At this stage a simple website offering basic information about your business and how to get in contact with you will be sufficient to establish your online profile. This is what some people would refer to as a brochure or business card page.
If you are unfamiliar with Internet marketing, you should begin by purchasing a domain name so that others cannot use this name in the future. For example, “JanetBeckers.com”. If I buy this domain name, no one else can use it.
To be successful in business you must get your name out there on all fronts, and the Internet is a fantastic marketing tool that should not be forgotten. You can encourage future business by building a mailing list from your website. You can simply include a small blurb that just says: “Join my mailing list here and I will keep in contact with you and let you know what’s coming up.”
It is important to understand that building a mailing list or even getting notice online takes a bit of effort and having a website is simply not enough to set your business apart from competitors. Many people use giveaways or some other enticement to encourage people to sign up for the mailing list. I highly recommend you gift a gift to entice people onto your list, after all “join my mailing list” just doesn’t cut the grade any more. To make it easier for you I have created a high quality gift you can use to give away on your web site at www.wonderfullawofattraction.com
Claiming your space on the Internet should begin slowly and after a bit of research to guarantee you are targeting the right people, the right way. This process can be started with a simple website, however you will have to continue to build on this foundation as your business grows.
Have you read the other stages?
Stage Two: Become a Thought Leader
Stage Three: Solution Provider
Stage Four: Branded Thought Leader & Solution Provider
Stage Five: Branded World Domination
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