Home > How to be a Web Success

what makes a web site successful?

Many factors go into the success of a web site. Just like any other business, a web based business requires time and energy if it is going to be successful. Unfortunately, it is not a matter of having a site built and then sitting back and watching the money flow in. It takes a solid plan, lots of promotion, watching your competition (and matching them!), frequent updates to your site, and great customer service to make your business grow.

The Plan

You wouldn't take out a lease on a storefront without doing some research. The same applies to a web-based business. If you have a special product to sell, hit the search engines and see who else is doing it. Some markets are fairly saturated, so if you want to join in the fray, be sure to offer something your competitors don't. Maybe you can undercut the compeition on pricing, or perhaps your competitions web sites are difficult to shop. Identify what your competition is doing right and wrong, and adjust your plan accordingly.

Don't be over-ambitious with your web site in the beginning. Most of our clients have firm budgets which we work within. Amazon.com cost many hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop and build, so don't aim for that at the beginning. Figure out exactly what you need to start off with, but take some of the ideas from the "bug guys" like Amazon and ebay. Their web sites are actually very basic, which is the key to their success. They are easy to navigate, have lots of information available, and they are contactable if something goes wrong.

Our final piece of advice is this: set your budget and try and stay within it. Decide what features are really important to you to have right now, and then set your other ideas aside. We can always add to the site later once the money comes rolling in.

Promoting Your Web Site

Traditional web site promotion venues include local newspapers and discount mailouts, search engines, local and state fairs, ebay, My Space and other social networking sites, church newsletters and just about anything else you can think of.

That said, never underestimate the power of a newsletter.  Web Lass has a client who has had over 20,000 people sign up for their email newsletter, and the business owner makes use of the list and emails them once every 1-2 weeks with new products and special promotions, including coupons. That particular business is extremely successful not only because of the huge amount of marketing they do to their already existing customers, but also because they used their list to ask their customer base where to move their retail store to, using an online questionnaire. The same client also aggressively markets through local television news programs and other outlets.

Watching Your Competition

Keep a close eye on what your competition is doing, even after your business is up and running. Match their special offers and make them even more attractive to your customer base. Offer a free gift, or free shipping, or even a discount code to your clients to use when they purchase from you, either online, over the phone or in your store. Watch the search engines too. As you are moving up in the rankings, check to see if anybody is challenging you or doing something better than you. A web site is easy to make changes to.

Update Your Web Site!

The big guys we talked about earlier, Amazon, ebay and so on, update their sites daily. Our most successful clients also update their sites frequently. You do not have to update daily or even weekly, but try and rotate your featured products and specials at least once a month. It will keep your customers coming back to see what your latest deals and new products are. If you are not selling products online, it is also worth having frequently-updated specials posted on your site for the services you offer. Your web site will look cared for and alive.

Great Customer Service

Customer Service is a key element online. There are now so many review sites out there that you cannot afford to have a string of negative reviews posted about you or your products. Respond to emails in a timely manner, and send your orders out as soon as you can. Have your phone number posted on every page of your web site; it gives customers confidence to know they can call you with any questions, especially if they are going to use their credit card to purchase online.

One Web Lass client who has a 6 figure "part time" web business, says that 40% of their orders are placed over the phone. Just because you have a web site does not mean your business will be conducted solely online. There are many consumers worried by news reports about identity theft and stories of credit card details being hacked from online stores. Be prepared to spend time on the phone with your customers and sell to them there and then.