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By: Jay Gilmore, Mon Jul 17th, 2006
Make your small business website into an ongoing resource for visitors and an aid in marketing your business, products, services and people by avoiding the "Its done!" trap.
All too many small business owners build a web site that is considered complete once the final copy is placed. Do not stop there, if you really want to make your investment into the Web part of a profitable marketing solution, you need to ensure that people return to your site, refer it to others, and use it as a resource in their lives or businesses.
If you have a site that is 'done', you will certainly get new visitors to your site from links, search engines and other marketing, but those visitors will scan through your pages, get whatever information your site has to offer, return once more to see if you have anything new to offer, find nothing new and end their relationship with your site and company. How does that increase your profits?
No, but you are an expert at your business, otherwise why would you have started it. You already offer information, tips, and help to your customers over the phone and in person. In your real world of business, all sorts of people will ask you questions about your business and industry on a daily basis. It is these answers that people are looking for, write them down in a or journal and then refer to it when it is time for your next update.
Ensuring that your web site is a constant resource and beacon for visitors requires you to sit down and write articles, provide links, resources, white papers, demonstrations and answer frequently asked questions. If you don't have the time yourself designate someone from your staff or hire a writer to put together the items that will help your targeted audience.
Great web sites are not finished. Great web sites become another part of your business.
About the author: Jay Gilmore is a Developer, Consultant, and Author who develops for real small businesses. Jay publishes his articles, insights and resources on Marketing, Website Development, and Small Business, whenever he is not helping clients achieve their goals.
Copyright 2005 Jay Gilmore, SmashingRed Web & Marketing. All rights reserved.