Building Web Business Blueprint

Transcription

1 Building Web Business Blueprint Page 1

2 Introduction to the Building Web Business Blueprint Welcome to the Building a Web Business Blueprint. If you already have a business and are not really using the power of the internet it s guaranteed that you re missing out on sales and not maximising your opportunities. It s simply not enough to create a website and hope that you will increase your online sales you need to develop the online function of your business. This Blueprint will help you identify the elements of good design, and provide you with information about how your website should look and function so that you can be more informed when working with a web designer. The more knowledge you have the better you will work with a web designer and you will save time and money by being as prepared as possible. Types Of Online Business There are three main types of internet business- extension of a bricks and mortar business e.g shop or professional service provider, selling physical goods and services or an online services and information portal. By identifying which type of business category you are will help you plan for business success. Planning and Building Web Based Business Domain Names Selecting a good domain name that is related to your business concept is a very important first step in creating your business. It must contain key words that will make it easy to find in online searches and it will appear in all of your branding including promotional material, your website, and publicity promotions and so on..com or not? I like to register.com domain names where possible- why not think about a global marketplace and why limit yourself to a regional audience? Page 2

3 Consider your audience and how you may be perceived. I am currently building a worldwide community of people helping others about jobs, careers and different industries. I have registered and attract people from many different countries to the site. Technology related companies tend to register.net whereas not for profit organisations commonly use.org. Luckily domain names are relatively cheap and registration usually is for two years. Have a look and do searches with companies such as and or to find a good one. Copywriting If you ask any web designer about the words on a website they will tell you that this quite often is a stumbling block for entrepreneurs and business owners. Most times the focus is on the look and feel of the site rather than the words on it. This is because primarily, the words must come from the business owner unless they are happy to outsource this key part of website design. It s ultimately up to you to ensure that your words and content are closely matched with the search phrases types in. This will help you to maintain high rankings on search engines. It s also important to identify your customer frustrations and needs and address these by using the appropriate words. The emotional language you use is critical in motivating people to buy and making sales online. Emotional Copy is all about your potential clients not your product or service- in other words it s all about them not you or your website. Page 3

4 To be able to write good words for your site and promotional materials you need to know the Feelings How will they feel after using what you have on offer? Thoughts Wants Desires Frustrations that your market have Web Hosting Choosing a home for your business used to be choosing an office or shop. Now it s all about knowing what kind of online presence and functionality you need to operate online. A website is made up of HTML pages which may contain text, videos, audios, and images. Your site may be hosted on a server owned and operated by a third party- for example a web designer. If you have a good level of tech confidence you may like to try DIY (Do it yourself) web design. You can use services such as where you can purchase web hosts packages which provide backup, automatic synchronisation and access to data. You need to make sure you have all of the tools so that your website project can get online. Look for Cloud Drive, Web Hosting, , and a Domain name offered in the service. Page 4

5 Cloud Drive Domain Name Your Website Web Hosting If you are not this way inclined outsource your web design and focus more on the content and selling your product or service. As entrepreneurs and small business owners we often get drawn into thinking we need to be good at everything. The reality is that you don t have to do work that is way out of your comfort zone. Make the investment and outsource wherever you think is necessary. Principles of good Web Design Programs such as Wordpress and Joomla can take a lot of the hard work out of creating a website. These are commonly used tools of trade that web designers use. Page 5

6 In my opinion Word Press is the platform of choice. It s a tool which is increasingly becoming one of the most popular to use. It s quick and easy and you don t need specialist knowledge, and it s FREE!! I particularly like having a Wordpress site because I write a BLOG which also sits in Wordpress. If your website is hosted on another platform your followers may have to go through extra clicks to get to your Blog page and you don t want that. Wordpress- The Basics There are several steps involved in creating a website and the more knowledge you have you will help you to decide whether to try to construct one yourself or at least know how to brief a website designer. Page 6

7 I have always thought that a website is such an important business tool that I am happy to outsource the expertise necessary and feel relieved that it will be a job well-done with good functionality. Don t forget that a website is not just a repository for information but a place where people are encouraged to buy goods and services. This requires good website design, functionality and copywriting. Wordpress is a CMS System (Content Management System) based on a database which is retrieved and displayed within a web page template. You will need to take steps such as: Once you have registered the domain name and chosen a host you then need to get your web space ready. Ensure there is enough white space or a reasonable amount of empty space. Draw the viewer s eye to the parts you want them to pay attention to Colour- ensure that any colour in your logo is picked up in your webpage Font- these are the same as the ones you use in Microsoft Word. Limit the number of fonts used (2-3) Videos are increasingly being used to describe products and services and have great appeal for audio-visual type people and Google loves them. Images and pictures are a great inclusion on web pages Set up your database (or MySQL). Add users Apply a theme to your template Edit widgets Edit the CSS How to choose a Web Designer Where to start, questions to ask and what to look for There are many more aspects of website design and I recommend that you source a good web designer and work on your website as a project with specific outcomes and a timeframe in which to complete it. Page 7

8 Your Website is a Project There are an increasing number of people now in the business of web design. As with any service it s always good to choose someone who comes to you as a word of mouth recommendation. It s extremely important to know that your web designer will provide after sales service as your website will be an evolving piece of work, customised to suit the changing needs of your clients and business. No matter how good the design, there will always be tweaking required after launch and beyond. As with any project you need to ensure that you are provided a quote which gives you the scope of the project, the inclusions and the deliverables expected in a certain timeframe. Page 8

9 Here is an example: Website Project 1) About Us- examples of other projects and websites 2) Objective of Project- to offer a digital marketing solution to promote products and services of the business (Company XYZ) 3) Project Outline- Architecture (construction of site) Home Page Products Free Offers Membership DVD s & ebooks Events CMS Website Production Design SEO Marketing Costs 4) Timing- 3-5 weeks. Completion date is proposed for 06/12/12 5) Costs- Website design and development Search Engine Services Marketing, monitoring and Optimisation ( $ value) This is variable but usually should not exceed $5000 6) Notes- Production and Editing costs not included in quote Copyright of all materials remains the property of company XYZ Intellectual Property in relation to programming code will remain the property of (Web Design) company *NB- Please note- Production and editing costs- this can really add up after you think you have paid your final invoice. Read the fine print!! Page 9

10 Important website design questions to ask: There are several questions you can ask a prospective web designer Your ability to interpret these questions and the responses you receive from the web designer will be a good indicator that you understand each other, may have a good working relationship, and that you will be delivered what you need. Here are some sample questions you might like to ask. 1) Do you include direct response copywriting? 2) Will you optimise my site for SEO? 3) Will you set up Google Analytics with gold tracking? 4) Will you use Flash in your design (if so, can t use it on ipads) 5) Will you test my website across all internet browsers- Chrome Google, Firefox etc? 6) Will you maintain my rankings? 7) Do you offer mobile website design as well? 8) Do you offer web marketing services and if yes, what are they? My advice with these questions.. I have found that the most important question is the last one- Do you offer web marketing services- what are they? As with a bricks and mortar business you wouldn t simply set up a shop and then open the doors and hope to have lots of customers- same deal for a website and internet business. You may have the most beautifully designed website but if no one is going there it s a waste of your resources. Ensure that your web designer is aware and capable of advising you about different ways to drive traffic and potential customers to your site. Once the traffic is on your site they must then be converted from visitors to paying customers. There are numerous exciting marketing methods to help you attract your ideal customer. Page 10

11 Marketing your Web Business This is a huge part of your business and is a continual process that you and other s will need to be actively engaged in. Even if you don t think you are good at marketing you will soon realise that regardless of your skill in this area everyone eventually becomes a marketing specialist. You may start to really enjoy innovative and interactive ways to let people know about what you do. Social Media There is no ignoring the power of social media in web business marketing. Soon it will no longer be referred to as social media marketing just marketing. It has become mainstream and is commonly accepted as the preferred method for reaching wide business audiences As a web-based business owner you are looking for permission-based direct marketing. It involves getting agreement from existing customers and potential customers to interact and sell to them.. This happens primarily when someone downloads a free offer resource from your website e.g free report This is done to a large extent from establishing and developing a relationship with people via social media platforms and building up trust that you are an expert that offers great value. Page 11

12 Marketing Strategies There are numerous ways that you can be involved in marketing your web business and it is a constant process of testing, measuring and innovating new ways to promote your product or service. I have made a list of marketing strategies and this by no means a comprehensive list as new methods are continuously emerging.. Each marketing strategy is worthy of a separate training module which Lifelong Careers is currently developing. If you constantly trial and implement a variety of these methods you will discover the exciting world of web business marketing and enjoy mixed success. Google Adwords campaign Use Google Analytics for design of products and business Pay Per Click SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) Blogging Web 2.0 (video and podcasting) Joint Ventures Free Publicity EBooks & Compilation Books Selling from the stage (Events) Expos and seminars Social Media- releases on Twitter, & Facebook and Linked In Creating a following on Pinterest,& You Tube Giving valuable advice/content and discussion on Linked In Add Plug-Ins For more detailed information please send an to info@lifelongcareers.com.au or post a message on the Lifelong Careers Linked In group. Page 12

13 Selling Online Business is all about building relationships and sales and there is no better tool to use for reaching a wide target market than the internet. During the planning and building phases you must consider the your USP (unique selling proposition) and consider various ways that you are going to convert visitors to your site into paying customers that keep coming back for more and more of what you offer. You also need to keep in mind if you are selling a physical good or service. This will determine if you require services such as warehousing, shipping, or distribution. While building your site and web based business there are many options that you need to consider before going live. Below is an overview of some of these options; Membership Site- recurring income Mobile Business- selling on smartphones and tablets Online Shop Shopping Cart options Hosted e-commerce system e.g Big Commerce Page 13

14 Payment Methods Selling on huge sites- ebay & Amazon How you decide to sell online is largely determined by your product or service and how open-minded you are about the possibilities. If you decide to be affiliated with sites such as ebay and Amazon you will find that for a fee they can take all of the hard work out of it for you. Amazon can give you a huge global marketplace and process orders, take payment, store, and ship your products. EBay is a well-known quick and effective way to sell physical products. You may want to create information products such as DVD s, CD s, Programs, EBooks, Blogs and a video channel- the list is endless Running out of cash flow needed to pay the never ending stream of invoices you will receive as a business owner is largely responsible for so many failed business ventures. The payment processor you choose for your web based business is very important and can have cash flow implications. Most people will like to pay by credit card while there will be a percentage that like to pay via PayPal. Make sure you have all options available. There is much more information about each of these aspects of selling. Your web designer will be able to help advise you. For more information send an to: info@lifelongcareers.com.au If you think you can you re right. If you think you can t you re right again. Henry Ford Page 14