10 Tips for an Effective Web Presence

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Advertise your page

An unpublicized web page is like a great store with no sign and an unlisted telephone number. Unless you devote some time (or pay someone else) to advertise your web page, your prospective customers won't find you! The web provides many methods of spreading the word about your business page, for free! These include search engines, directories, "Yellow Page" listings, newsgroups, and more. Go back to the previous page for pointers on where to start.

Advertise your URL and email address

Include your email address and page address (URL) on your existing promotional materials: business cards, letterhead, brochures, catalogs, newspaper ads, etc. This way, customers will be able to visit your web site for additional or updated information about your company and its products or services

Make your site informative

Provide information on something pertaining to your business. Web surfers appreciate free information, and providing such information tends to increase sales and repeat visitors. For example, a real estate agency may offer a page or page section such as "Tips on qualifying for a mortgage".

Provide several contact methods

The more options your visitors have, the more likely they will be to contact you for information on your product or service. Include your email address, telephone number (preferably toll-free), fax number and mailing address. Remember, your visitors are in various time zones; so specifying your business hours will be helpful if you expect to receive telephone calls.

Make it easy for your visitors to request information

If you send out brochures or catalogs in response to information requests, then an information request form at your site can make it especially easy for your visitors to ask for information. Users can type in their name, address, etc. in an online form and click a "send" button which will transmit their information to you via email.

Post to newsgroups

Newgroups (also known as Usenet) are a great way to let people know about your page. There are thousands of newsgroups covering every topic imaginable. Choose those that pertain to your business, and post an article informing readers about your services or providing information pertaining to your field. Include your URL so that readers can visit your page. (A word of caution: some newsgroups are quite strict as to the postings that are acceptable, and many do not accept commercial advertising. Monitor your chosen newsgroups to determine their policies & attitudes before posting any articles.)

Have a fast-loading page

As you've probably noticed, pages with large amounts of text (more than a few screens) or numerous, complex graphics take a long time to "load". Try not to include too many graphics on each page, and stick to small image files. You don't want visitors to become impatient and leave your page before they get a chance to see what's there.

Keep updating

Leaving your pages stagnant is one way to prevent your visitors from coming back. Update your page often with new information and "special offers" if possible.

Give lots of ordering options

Offer as many ordering and payment options as you can. Ordering options can include telephone, fax, regular mail, or secure online credit card ordering. (For an idea of an ordering system that incorporates all 4 methods, see the Qpage Deluxe ordering system.) You should accept personal and company checks, money orders and preferably one or more major credit cards. "ECash" and the like are also good but not widely used yet.

Be patient and persistent!

It can take several months to build enough traffic to your page in order to increase your business. Many people give up too soon, expecting results overnight. Although there have been some "overnight successes" in web marketing, it is usually necessary to put some time and effort into your web presence. The good news is that once you have your web page, you can spread the word about it for free!

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