World Wide Why?

In today's world every company needs a website. It doesn't have to be a big, fancy thing. In fact, a quick page or two that tells a potential customer about who you are, what you do and how to reach you can often be enough.

The fact is, most people looking for a product and service will search for it online first. I can't remember the last time I searched through a phone book, mainly because I don't have to. With search engine technology getting better and more websites including meta tags that make them easier to find, there's no reason to spend more than a few minutes trying to find a relevant company to call.

Whether you're a sole proprietor operating out of your home or a huge corporation, there are four general rules that I believe everyone needs to follow when it comes to getting your business online.

1) Choose your domain name wisely. I was recently on a leisurely drive through rural Ontario when I spotted a company that rents and sells mobile storage containers. The company name is COWS (Container on Wheels). Their website: www.cows-usa.com. It costs next to nothing to register a domain name. Why wouldn't they register a Canadian domain for their Canadian business? They don't even need a separate website - just an auto-forward to the main site. This is poor corporate communication at it's best! Your domain name needs to be relevant both to your business and your target consumer.

2) Make sure your e-mail address is relevant to your company. This is another no-brainer. How many times have you seen an ad in the paper or a truck on the road advertising a business where they tell you to contact soandso@hotmail.com? This is an instant loss of credibility. Again, it costs next to nothing to setup a domain name and create an email address @yourdomain.com.

3) Make it somewhat pretty. Some people go all out and post stunning websites with amazing flash, graphics, etc. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you've got companies that designed something using a free web publishing tool that looks like an 8 year old could have designed it (mind you, there are some seriously talented 8 year olds out there these days, but you get my drift). Your website doesn't have to be a work of art. In fact, I prefer functionality over appearance. Your website does, however, need to be clean and easy to navigate. Web design can be done relatively cheaply. Even as a small business, if you don't have the know-how, you should hire someone to build you something simple. When I come across an amateur site, I feel like I'm dealing with an amateur business - again, taking away from your credibility.

This leads me to my final rule:

4) Plan your content ahead. An effective website has all your pertinent information readily available within a click or two. We've become a lazy society and people will spend very little time searching for information on a home page. It is important that you plan your site's content so that a visitor can get to it quickly and easily. If you bury information too deep within your site map, the customer is likely to click away from your site and first impressions can be everything!

Telus Mobility's website used to drive me crazy because I would click on their "contact us" link, then have to click once or twice more to pull up their phone number. They have since corrected that so that their customer service numbers are just one click away from the home page.

Your presence online can say a lot about you and can often be the first impression you give a potential customer. Spend some time, plan smart and invest where you need to. In the end, it will pay off.