Making money is sadly one of the most important things in life. Not because people are inherently greedy and materialistic, but because we enjoy things like food, clothing, and not living in a box.
The internet is still a new opportunity for lots of businesses, even those that have been established for a while, but lots of people still find it difficult to work out how they convert that opportunity into a money-generating operation.
Far too many companies think that the internet isn’t the right place to do business, and simply don’t feel the need to get an online presence, but even if you’re a bricks and mortar firm, a website can help you find new customers and make more money – you just have to choose the right kind of site for what you do.
So what is the main idea behind your site? What do you need it to do?
Inform
An information-based site is usually the best option for a company that’s new to the world wide web. All it needs to do is provide the information about who you are and what you do. It can include anything you think is important; prices, service information, testimonials, but its main purpose is to promote your company.
This kind of site will augment your company’s ability to make money through greater exposure, creating a sense of professionalism (lots of customers have more confidence in a company with an online presence), and by making your business more available – visitors can get in touch whenever they want to, without you needing someone to answer the phones at half-past midnight!
Making money with an information site is also relatively easy to track. You can look at the statistics of people visiting your site and filling out your enquiry form (we provide our clients with an AW Stats package to keep track of these numbers), and it’s usually best to ask people how they found out about you if they call in too, as some people prefer to phone after seeing a site and get more immediate contact.
Sell
A website that sells, or an ecommerce site, is pretty self-explanatory when it comes to making money.
A website is a lot cheaper than a physical store, and it’s also open to a wider range of people for a much longer time. Making your products available for purchase by people all over the world at any time is a lot easier on the net than in person.
Again, you can use your stats package to find out the search terms people are using to find you and how long they stayed – useful information to let you know how your site is performing and how it could be improved.
Whether you’re looking to advertise your company online or directly sell across the net, a website can be a hugely valuable asset to a company.
Next week, I’ll be explaining how to make MORE money from the internet, by using Pay Per Click to manage your online marketing.
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