Why Have a Website?

Businesses choose to have an online presence for multiple reasons.

Connecting with new clients is typically a motivating reason for moving online.

Tired of paying phone book directories which seem to be archaic means a business has to be somewhere in order to compete.

Some of my clients wanted an online brochure.  Presenting your past workmanship is a breeze, with the ability to show more content than hauling portfolios to prospective clients.

A wesbite can serve to give basic information from your phone number to hours of operation for a past client who lost your phone number.  It’s a time saver for businesses answering phone calls to give this basic info – everyone is happy.  A website is your 24/7 contact point.

Here is the one which the Internet has taught us: a website adds legitimacy to any business.  When considering doing hiring a company their website is just the place to research them before picking up the phone. While they have built the website and control the message – it’s a beginning.

I recently needed a product which was “difficult” to find.  The online community  buzzed with resources to find this item.  A simple Google search on the company name and I found they are located 3 miles from me.  Despite the location not being a typical retail store, they do sell at this facility.  A huge time saver for me.

Not having a website is no longer an option.

http://www.brendasimon.com/website-design.html

Online Advertising Marketers

With online advertising marketers soliciting your ad dollars things get confusing quickly.  It’s a lot of information to absorb and digest.  My biggest concern is ad campaigns including a “new”, “second” or “mirror” website.  Your website is the cornerstone of your business online.  It has never been more critical to know the value of your website, your domain name.  All marketing needs to point to this very website-your domain name.  Everything pointing to it helps drive traffic to your site, and that’s the goal.  All your advertising needs to be directed to your website.  You are then in control. 

This second website benefits the advertiser seller, typically giving them a tracking phone number – so they can report to you, which sounds good.  But the same can be accomplished by pointing to your website with your phone number, (Google AdWords do this very thing).  They simply give code to you to place on your website.  This hands the control back to you.

 As I’ve mentioned before, having a duplicate website (“mirror”, “second”) is NOT a good thing.  Google made this clear a year ago when it began penalizing and banning duplicate content.  Even if the content is not exactly duplicated the more one site looks similar to another – the less Google gives weight to it, thus effecting how it returns your site in searches.  Currently one client has a second website and both this mirrored site and his true website are suffering in Google’s ranking.

 Perhaps the simplest way to view advertising online is to ask: Is it strengthening YOUR website?