Six Reasons Why A Website Is Critical To Your Business

by Jamie Kiley www.kianta.com

Since I'm a web designer, I have a tendency to think everyone understands that having a website is important. Every once in a while, I have to remind myself that some people just haven't heard yet! We're going to go back to the very beginning and explain. Here are 6 reasons why having a website is such a big deal:

1. A website increases your credibility.
Your website has a powerful impact on a potential customer's confidence in you. A professional design, well-written copy, helpful product information, and good contact info can tremendously increase trust in your company. It lets people know you're knowledgeable and up-to-date. If you take the time to develop a good-quality site with helpful information, visitors will have no choice but to be impressed.

2. A website makes your company visible anytime, anywhere.
As of April 2002, there are roughly 165.8 million people online in the US alone. Some of them are looking for your products and services. With a website, you open yourself up to a world of opportunity in reaching people who might not otherwise find you. With the click of a mouse, anyone can get to your company's website 24/7.

3. A website makes it easy for people to refer new customers to you.
For many businesses, referrals are a crucial source of new customers. Having a website makes it easy to encourage referrals, because customers can simply send friends and business contacts to your site. Website addresses are easier to remember than phone numbers. Plus, giving people multiple ways of contacting you makes it more likely that they will
do so.

4. A website is a powerful sales tool.
Selling your products through an online store is often a killer way to expand your business. You have a perpetual, easily-accessed storefront—one that costs a fraction of a brick and mortar store and can reach many more people. Effective sales copy can do an incredible job of hooking visitors on your products and compelling them to click that "buy" button.

Even if you can't sell your services directly over the internet, a website is still a powerful asset. It's a primer that you use to convince visitors of why they need your services. You get them salivating to buy, then invite them to contact you through your site.
5. A website increases the value of your advertising.
Adding your website address to all your advertisements, business cards, and company literature is a great way to draw potential customers to your company. Providing a website gives people a way to act on your message whenever they hear about you or see an ad for your company. Going to a website is easier than writing, visiting a store, or even making a phone call. Customers get the information at their convenience and don't have to wait for a salesperson to help them. Also, it's often more comfortable to visit a website, because there is no obligation. Visitors don't feel pressured.

6. A website helps you stay in contact with potential customers.
There are frequently people who are interested in what you have to offer, but they might not be ready to buy right now. You need to stay in contact with them so that you immediately come to mind when they ARE ready. A website is a great way to facilitate this. You can use your website to collect email addresses from visitors. Then you can periodically send out promotional emails or a newsletter. Staying in contact keeps your company fresh in visitors'
minds.

Well, there you have it—6 ways a website benefits your company and helps you sell more. Do you want to leave this opportunity to your competitors? Surely not! Each day you wait, you're letting them establish themselves online as THE resource in your field. Stop giving them that advantage!

Why Your Web Site Needs a Strong Headline

by Ed Schipul www.schipul.com
A strong marketing headline is the single most important element on your web site. Your headline is even more important than a photo or illustration representing your service or product because it is the first thing your visitor sees.

Shockingly, as I write this in 2003, many web sites still do not have a headline and bury the benefits of the service or product in unread text and caption-less images.

Why web sites with marketing headlines increase response rates
Imagine that tomorrow's newspaper arrived without a headline, with no subheads and no captions on the photos. Most likely you would chuckle and "know" that the editor was going to lose their job. More importantly, you probably would not bother to struggle through the mass of text that made up page A1. In short, no matter how persuasive the copy and the images, you would never know because by removing the headlines they placed too great a burden on the reader. Our experience has been that the same is true for web sites.

"On average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 per cent of your money."
—David Ogilvy, Ogilvy on Advertising

The most commanding element of your web site is the headline. And your headline deserves a disproportionate amount of your attention. Your headline determines if your site visitor will read your copy or immediately leave, making great copy that is "one click away" meaningless because it never gets read.

What your headline should say
Your copy will *only* be read if your site visitor is first drawn in by your web site's headline. Given your headline is the first thing most visitors will see on your web site, it should have some personality that sets the tone for your brand.

Experienced advertising professionals have identified three distinct headline types that produce strong results.

1) Benefit headlines (also called self-interest headlines) - appeal to the benefits your service or product provides your site visitor. The more specific you are to your audience, the better the results.

2) News headlines (also called press release headlines) - present interesting and newsworthy information about your service or product in a newspaper headline or press release fashion.

3) Curiosity headlines - while definitely not as strong as benefit or news headlines, a curiosity headline can keep your visitor reading.

"If your headline promises your strongest and most distinct benefit, you are on your way to success." —David Ogilvy

How your headline should say it
The headline should be the dominant element on your home page and should be larger than your logo, your company name or your tag line. When the layout jumps up on the screen the headline's job is to command the attention of the viewer.

The headline is an opportunity to focus on your site visitor by using the words "You" or "Your" instead of "me" focused words. Your new building is only interesting to your site visitor if it is the reason their value is going up or their costs are going down.

Is Your Site Ready For The Coming RSS Revolution?

By Titus Hoskins www.bizwaremagic.com
Recently, there have been many developments in the RSS arena. Changes that will make RSS a major force on the web and a dominant contributing factor to your computing experience. Online marketers should pay special attention to the RSS wildcard in any future marketing ventures.

If you're like the average surfer or computer user - you're probably scratching your head - what the heck is RSS? Never heard of it?

'RSS' stand for 'Really Simple Syndication' and its original acronym stood for 'Rich Site Summary'. RSS is basically just a simple code like xml or html. Truth be told, many surfers who use the web every day probably never heard of html either.

However, there is one very important distinction you should realize about RSS - one fundamental difference that makes it such a revolutionary element. It changes how information is transmitted on the web, it sends out or syndicates a site's contents. Don't come to us, we will deliver.

Surfers can view the contents of your site without actually having to go to your site! RSS is usually associated with Blogs and Blogging because Blogs use RSS Feeds to syndicate their contents.

Why all the fuss? Why is RSS so revolutionary?

Basically, in a very simple and practical way, RSS changes 'HOW' information is exchanged on the web. It changes how content is accessed, instead of the surfer visiting websites and getting the information; with RSS a site's information is sent or syndicated to all interested parties.
RSS has the potential to change every website on the net into its own mini-broadcasting system. Sending out videos (broadcatching) and audio feeds (podcasting) to those you have subscribed to receive this information.

Websites can now go from being a 'static' force, just sitting there waiting for visitors to come pay a visit; to a more pro-active broadcasting force, sending out content, news and information. The implications may be enormous and far reaching.

Already, we see some major Internet and Computer Companies gearing up for the coming RSS revolution! Perhaps, the most significant and revolutionary is Microsoft's Longhorn announcement that the next version of Windows will have RSS integrated not only into its browser but also into their operating system.

This will place RSS firmly into the heart of your computing experience. It will change how you use the Internet and it will change how you use your computer. If that wasn't enough, Microsoft's new list extensions to the RSS standard will be under the 'Creative Commons License'.

There is even a group offering $100 million in RSS venture capital funding. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts - RSS Investors will offer funding in the developing technology of RSS. What's a revolution without fuel!

Another Internet company you may have stumbled upon while surfing, is also gearing up for RSS. Google is already using an xml powered sitemaps system to help it index the whole Internet. Webmasters, can use xml to keep their websites constantly updated in Google.
A while back, Google also bought Blogger.com which is an online blogging system (Personal web logs or journals where people give their take on the state of the universe as they see it!) that also takes advantage of syndicated feeds to distribute its content.

Google is already going 'head-to-head' with Microsoft in the 'desktop battleground' with the release of Google Desktop 2. Google is also finally accepting the RSS standard by placing it in the Sidebar feature - users can personalize this sidebar with their own RSS and Atom Feeds. In the past, the Atom syndication standard was favored and promoted by Google.
These are just two companies that are gearing up for RSS. There are millions more who are starting to use RSS feeds to broadcast their message, product or content. RSS is a marketer's dream. The opportunities to advertise, promote and sell your products with RSS are endless. More and more businesses are just realizing the enormous potential of RSS. Real estate, insurance, tourist industry...

So what about you? Do you run a website? Are you geared up for RSS? Are you taking advantage of RSS?

If you haven't joined the RSS bandwagon, don't worry, this revolution is very easy to join. Here's a few quick pointers.

First, set up a blog and RSS feed for your site. This can be done within a few minutes with a no-cost system like Blogger.com which is owned by Google. You can even host this blog on your own site. Another system that offers more options is the free 'wordpress' blogging system. Find more out about it at: WordPress.org.

But blogs are just one area of RSS. Make sure you have Google Sitemaps set up on your site. If you need help with this procedure visit: Google Sitemaps Explained
There are other simple and easy ways to use RSS on your site. Tags, content feeds, RSS search... For further help on the different ways you can use RSS on your site read: 5 Easy Ways To Use RSS On Your Site

Get your site ready, don't delay. The RSS revolution is already started.

Microsoft and Google are just two companies that are taking advantage of RSS. You should follow their lead and start gearing up your site for RSS if you haven't already. The benefits are enormous and the consequences of not having or using RSS could be crippling to any online concern. With or without you, RSS will change the web and the way we use our personal computers. However, this is one revolution you definitely should consider joining. The stakes are just too high and besides, what's a revolution without you?

(To Put RSS On Your Site Within Minutes - Visit this link: RSS and Blogging Guide
Copyright © 2005 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource info stays attached.)

(More articles to come. Please visit us soon again.)

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