The internet is becoming more popular and social media on the up rise, a website for your company almost seems like a necessity. Although this can be an investment and a risk, however the reward can be larger than you ever expected. As a small business, it has become increasingly important to develop a professional looking website. It will boost your credibility locally and nationally as well as give you a potential competitive edge over business is a sure way to gain exposure and ultimately boosts profits. Like anything else, it is a similar business. More importantly you can offer 24/7 customer service and even a chance to earn revenue while your store is closed. By having a professional website you are already on the way towards boosting profits. This is especially important for small local businesses that have competition throughout the United States. If your business is located in New York and someone is selling the same product in California, with the search of your product online it's almost a guarantee your company name will appear.
Today's consumers have become extremely tech savvy and, with 75% of the United States having internet access Consumers are now searching for information online prior to making a purchase at a store. Furthermore, more people are choosing to buy products online rather than run out to the store. E-Commerce has become extremely popular when building your website. It's convenient, easy and reliable and gives consumers the chance to buy a product 24 hours a day. Giving your clients and potential client's access to buy a product online is also a great way to save on advertising costs. The internet provides numerous ways to market and advertise you free of cost after the completion of a website. Prospects and clients nowadays expect to see an online presence. They gain get instant access to reviews, prices, and general information. It has been proven that many people tend to stay away from using companies that don't provide web accessible information.
Web design has become a growing interest in the United States for many years. Yes, if you have a business, you should have a website. Typically, Programmers or Designers work in an office setting but often work out of the comfort of their own home. Programmers are the field's expert in a server side language like PHP/MySQL, ASP.NET/SQL, etc. Designers typically can create outstanding graphical layouts. Designers are not really interested in web standards as long as the design stays as true as possible. Designers are familiar with Adobe design suite and or other graphic tools. Many know basic html/css but have no knowledge of server side or dynamic scripting. Web Developers are the hybrid of both the Web Programmer and Web Designer and not just posing as one or the other. They care about standards, clean code, clean design, best practices, and latest trends in general web design, scripting and development. They can help in anything design, online consulting and e-commerce to online marketing, search optimization, and email marketing solutions When you're looking to have web work done, a two person team consisting of a great web designer and great web programmer or 1 or more solid web developers would ensure that your site will look good AND function properly as well. That being said, one may wonder which company/person to trust and why.
When researching companies to consider, make sure they have customer service availability 6-7 days a week and can promptly respond to update your website needs. It is extremely important to check the company portfolio, which can be done by visiting their website. Make sure are thorough in your search of their whole portfolio and do not simply skim the content. This can be a major mistake which many people have made in the past. One thing to look for is cleanliness; no one wants a website that appears cluttered and messy. Clear, crisp photos, as well as easy navigation are important when reviewing these businesses. Being that these websites do not come cheap, it is imperative you are getting your money's worth. A lot of companies out their hold you to a contract, therefore, be sure to research before you make a commitment.
Pricing for designs and consulting may vary depending on the amount of content you are looking for in your website. A small website consisting of 5 pages or fewer may run you about $1,000 or less but, if you choose to have a custom site built, that can cost you upwards of $6,000-7,000. A large portion of these companies will allow quarterly payments as opposed to paying all upfront. Once you're website is complete, many companies will give their clients the rights to the website and content in which the programmer designed. The overall objective is to make the consumer happy, ultimately leading to repeat business.
Taking your business to a company rather than an at-home programmer is highly recommended. They tend to be faster, safer and more reliable. You don't want to be calling your designer all day and night asking to update content. With one call you should be able to describe what you need done and when.
Let's start with the PROS of developing a website yourself. "You'll save money by doing it yourself, not to mention have complete control over the look and feel of the site". Now the PROS of hiring a Developer: "You will get a clean well designed web page in a short amount of time if you hire a web developer. Also, they will take care of any changes and updates in the future. A professional designer also will have the ability to create a completely unique site that is beyond the scope of what you could do yourself. Plus, it will give you more time to devote to the other responsibilities you have running your business". - Small Business
Along with E-Commerce, Social Media may also be incorporated into your website; which would be facilitated by the growing trend of Mobile applications. This is a great way to gain exposure and is one of the cheaper advertising purchases you will make. If you are going to have a website you should consider adding all of these add-ons and function ability devices. It might seem a bit overwhelming in the short term but, once you have everything up and running and can take the time to learn the advantages of having these features built in to your site, you will not be disappointed. Facebook and Twitter has not only become a social media network but they are a great way to promote your business, free of cost. With the potential of gaining thousands of followers in a short period of time, the whole Internet can learn about your company and the services you offer. However, simply relying of Social Media is not smart. One very good reason a company needs a website is that a sole reliance on third-party sites is dangerous, a fool's errand in fact. Facebook makes constant changes to its platform, for example, so something you do, say, on your Fan Page today might not run afoul of their TOS tomorrow or, more likely, be undone by some change in the platform structure.
Email Marketing is also a great way to promote your business. On your website you have a small signup section in which people can register to gain monthly or weekly access to promotions or sales that your business may be having. You can offer downloadable coupons and giveaway which help should ultimately lead to people visiting your store or buying your product directly from your site. It helps motivate sales and is essentially free of cost.
To conclude, can you really think of a reason why your business shouldn't have a website?. Chances are your competition already does, so why not join the trend. Now the question is what can you do to differentiate your website from others? Add a professional blog which you update on a consistent basis. Blogs can help you stay in touch with your consumers at any time during the day. Let them know as a business owner that you can interact with them as a friend and offer feedback, rather than being just another salesman trying to make a purchase. This goes an extremely long way and helps the consistency of new business and repeat customers. Simply put, whether you're a one man firm or a company that employees 10,000 people, if you are not present on the web, you are missing out. Entrepreneur Magazine stated "Your site speaks volumes about your business. It either says, "Hey, look, we take our business so seriously that we have created this wonderful site for our customers!" or it screams, "Hey, look, I let my 10-year-old nephew design my site. Good luck finding anything!"
Web Design Company, Bowen Media is one of the best places to take your business. With a great local presence on Long Island, they have now expanded nationally offering some of the best work found on the web. They take the time and effort to be extremely hands on with each client and work hard to meet every clients need. You can view their portfolio on Bowen Media , call toll free at 1.800.940.7786 or email Sean@Bowenmedia.com.
More information can be found online at http://www.bowenmedia.com