Because of the way the economy has changed, more and more businesses have seen the potential of using online strategies and getting out there in front of people.
If you have a web site or are thinking about having one made for you, I want to give you some things to think about before you go out and hire a web designer…
When it comes to using the Internet to grow your business, you have to be smart about it, just because you have a web site doesn’t mean you are going to get any traffic to your site.
Many web designers out there are very talented and very expensive, but that doesn’t mean they are marketers. This can be a big problem! Let’s say you are getting traffic to your site but no sales. Obviously it’s not because of the layout of your beautiful web site because it was done by a professional! Well, at least that is what the web designer is going to say… 
The looks and layout of your site is extremely important, just because it looks good to you, doesn’t mean it’s going to work for your customers.
It’s been proven over and over again the some of the simplest web sites and sales pages have converted better than the “fancy” ones.
Another thing I have noticed is that most web designers don’t optimize their clients web sites. It’s important to get the most out of your web site and make it work for you.
This includes:
- Calls to action.
- Ways for your clients to connect with you. (Social Media Icons)
- Lead generation. (Ways to capture your reader’s emails)
- Multiple streams of income. (Affiliate banners, Google Adsense, Etc.)
All of the above are ways to make your web site work for you. I have been amazed by the lack of everything I have mentioned by people who have promised business owners awesome web sites, yet those sites don’t do a thing for the businesses.
Which leads to SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Like I mentioned above, just because you have a good looking web site doesn’t mean you are going to be getting traffic to it. Which equals to no traffic, no sales…
SEO is another area that most web services lack in. If you don’t know what key word phrases you want your site to rank for and your site isn’t optimized for those phrases, all you have is one expensive virtual business card!
Below is a little video to help you understand everything that needs to be considered.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: erenmckay
January 19, 2010 at 8:56 am
Hi Paul,
It’s very sad how people have the wrong notion that by simply putting up a website that everything will easily work out.
They don’t understand all of the marketing that is involved for each web page to be noticed.
But you clearly did away with that wrong notion here.
If peopel start out online knowing what they’re up against it makes the whole process less frustrating.
All the best,
Eren
Eren Mckay´s last blog ..Top 20 Beautiful Free Printable Calendars for 2010
Thanks for your comment Eren! Yeah, the more people I talk to, have never been told about the marketing side of their web site… Too many have the “if you build it they will come” thinking.
Thanks Eren!
Aaron@Malaysia web design´s last blog ..Top 5 reasons to avoid cheap Web Design Services
I think that it is becoming more and more standard for good Web designers to understand that basics of SEO. This doesn’t mean they are experts at SEO, but proficient enough that an SEO won’t freak out after receiving the project.
donnie@Chattanooga Web Designer´s last blog ..New Dalton Hospitality Carpet Web Design
I agree with you Donnie,
I also think by having the knowledge, you are adding value to your business and stand out from all the others out there.
I totally agree with you guys. If you have some sort of SEO knowledge in place you can start implementing them from the start than creating your site and try implementing them afterwards, you might just end up changing your site. Wonderful post Paul!
Thanks for stopping by Aaron, Donnie and Gary and sharing your thoughts. Looks like all of you are busy doing web design. Hope you’re all doing great!
Being a web designer myself I believe in creating search engine friendly sites. I know that their are alot of web designers out there that don’t take into account SEO but I think it’s one aspect of getting a business online in a professional way. But you still need to market the site with a combination of on site and off site SEO.
I’m a web designer too and I actually think it’s morally wrong to not talk to the client about SEO really on in the sales process and every site should be built to be search engine friendly.
However, if they then choose not to pay for extra time for link building, keyword research etc. then I can’t afford to spend that time on them. It’s frustrating because I want all our sites to work well for the client but I make it clear what needs to be done, how long it’ll take and what the costs are going to be. I then have to accept the client’s decision.