Small Business Owner Guide to Websites
I am working on a book called the Small Business Owner Guide to Websites & Search Engine Optimization but if you have not read my article on the Top Website Mistakes Small Business Owner’s Make–read it now!
What I want to discuss today are some of the things people don’t know and should because it is getting increasingly difficult to multi-task and take care of your online presence or compete online with others whose business team includes a savvy web designer or search engine optimization specialist.
As usual, there seems to be a wave of misunderstanding that remains rampant out in the business world when it comes to online marketing or strategies.
There are a few things small business owners need to understand when it comes to the web:
Internet Marketing is a specialized field.
Marketing your business or service on the internet is a very specialized field.
Therefore, don’t hire someone to handle if for you if they are not an internet marketing specialist.
Also, don’t hire cheap labor to interface between you and your team of internet professionals.
It is not the job of your internet professional to educate you.
Most internet professionals have invested vast amounts of time and money into their training.
Therefore, stop trying to make them educate you about what it is that they do or how they do it.
No, you can’t watch.
No, you can’t help by giving your opinion on something you know little or nothing about.
When is the last time you invited someone in to watch you work because they were interested in the project you were doing for them?
If you answer like most people the answer is, never.
Tutoring is a whole other process and it is not in the job description of your web professional.
Also, their services are very specific.
You are not putting them on a retainer so that you can call them at will or drop in at any time.
What you are paying for are specialized services related to the design and programming of your internet presence.
Anything beyond that goes into the category of billable hours.
Phone calls, emails, multiple interruptions that require time away from your project go into a category called additional billable hours.
Most web professionals charge for any additional time their clients take because a “simple” change or task usually means a minimum of 15 minutes or more to deal with it.
Now I happen to be part of a team that does a lot of customer service at little or no charge–but that is rare because time is money and there are only so many hours to trade for dollars so don’t expect it at no charge from your professionals.
I’d suggest if you are that interested in understanding the process, enroll in a class or read books on the topic but don’t make additional demands on your web team.
Hand it over don’t try to understand the internet or the nuances of internet business.
When my first web designer put up my site back in 1995, he told me that I should not bother with learning Html or how to manage the site.
This was true and I believed him.
Because I was already writing professionally on the net, when he moved away and no longer offered services, I had no choice but to manage the sites I owned.
I learned that as a designer he was great but he wasn’t good with the business side of things–such as marketing or monetization (making money on the net).
Today I’ve invested more than four years into training to do what I do out on the net.
However, he was right when he said to turn it over–if it is not your area of expertise you have no business dealing with it.
Plus, you probably have enough to do without tackling the task.
What you don’t know is that you don’t need to understand it–so leave that to your internet professionals.
Your job is to understand how to keep your team empowered to keep your site working and updated.
That’s it.
Don’t take notes unless your professional asks you for something.
And don’t delay when they ask you to supply information because they cannot move forward without it.
Other than their specific requests, let everything else go and rely on your team.
Terms you (or your colleagues) use are probably worthless which is why you need a search engine optimization specialist.
This was a topic I discussed in the last small business post I wrote but it is so important–here it is again!
One of my team members just sent in a key term list from a client. It was a horrible list.
Again, they think they know what they need but the first term I received only gets about a dozen searches a month and then the others have so much competition that there is no way a new site will rank for the terms.
Now, to address this I’ve had to come up with another worksheet to get what I need.
Remember, help your team out with as many terms as they ask for and go ahead and add manufacturer names, model numbers, and other details that might be pertinent.
Proper website design is essential to getting your website ranked for the proper terms and to convey a professional presence.
I had to laugh when I was discussing good design with a website designer this week.
You might have noticed that this site isn’t fancy but it works well.
Recently I had to update it because I was so embarrassed when I was asked my opinion on a “rival” search engine optimization specialist.
You see, his site was not optimized at all and had not been updated in over two years.
When you work on other people’s sites yours tends to get ignored…but his was so bad.
But what is different from his site and mine is that I actually talk about web related things and don’t try to dazzle anyone.
Also, I rank pretty high for the reviews I write and on the things that matter.
LOL
And yes, I still have to optimize this site but I am busy getting my clients to get good rankings to really want to stop and bother!
What you think people search for and what they actually search for are different.
If you think you know what people are searching for to find you, chances are you are wrong.
How do I know?
Because I research what they search.
I also take a look at the analytics provided to see what the sites I work with are ranking for, the status of their competition, and I analyze a lot of factors on the page and in the website design, PLUS I also research what words would be the best to optimize for to bring in traffic and business.
Most people use the wrong terms and most people don’t even know how to go about finding the right terms–so invest in the right team so you don’t waste a lot of money (or time) in those things that won’t work for you.
Too many clicks mean you won’t convert a prospect into a client.
This week I’ve had quite a few discussions with other web professionals about firing clients.
It happens.
One of the things a savvy team likes are those long term clients who let you do your job.
We build working relationships that are like great friendships. We respect each other and want each other to do well.
Unfortunately, not everyone works well together and there comes a time to part.
In last post about top website mistakes I mentioned two types of clients that were hard to work with.
Those that won’t give you what you need when you ask for it are tough but usually that can be worked around.
However, those who bury you with emails, files, or directives are harder to work around since they tend to get in the way of making their website work successfully and make things more complicated than they should be.
One of the biggest mistakes they make is that they want to provide prospects with lots of options.
Basically, the more you ask people to click, the less likely they are to buy or convert from a prospect to a client.
You have to lead them to an action and the more you ask them to click the more likely they are to click off to somewhere that requires less work or action.
Keep that in mind when you want multiple links or want a website to do too much.
Now once again, I am speaking from direct experience–both as a web professional and as a small business owner that has done that.
Since I have multiple talents and since my business model has changed–I’ve probably made all the mistakes I am talking about.
At one time my website had three identities that became subdomains.
Today I have multiple targeted websites instead.
It is work but it is also less confusing to people like the fireman I met who asked what type of writing I did.
When I explained, he laughed and said, “Wow you are all over the map.”
“Yes, I am very diversified” was my answer.
So, my message? Keep it simple for you and your prospects and don’t ask them for more than one or two clicks.
Too many choices won’t allow you to target your audience or convert to a sale–which means a poor ROI (return on investment).
And the other message?
Leave the web related work to your online professionals–it will save you time and money and save everyone a lot of grief.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
LOL thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Yes, my new team is discussing some of the top issues and for some reason people tend to think the job of the web professional is to educate the client–so not so but we have a guide coming out soon to help with that!
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
A very good article to all the small business owners! Especially the points you had mentioned on the ” its not the job of an internet professional to educate you” is very correct.