Considerations for Your Business Web Site

The Internet and business. What's the point, why and how? If you have considered starting your business web site, you probably have asked yourself these questions. And you've heard that many businesses are on the Internet, and some are making good money from it. Here are some down-and-dirty things to think about as you put your business on the Web.

Everything Depends on Your Audience and Your Purpose
While some generalizations apply, there are a few questions only you can answer for your business:

• Who are your customers?
• What do they expect?
• With your web site, what do you want to do for your business and customers?
• When is the best time to put your business on the Internet?

Fit Your Business

You have to decide how and when a Web site fits your business. Some businesses may not need a Web site just like some businesses don't need a fax machine, business cards or a listing in the phone book (for example, a street vender).

But customers expect businesses to have a phone, fax machine, and a phone book listing, and more and more they are expecting to find information on the Internet. As the capabilities of the Web improve and as more businesses create sites, it will be expected that a business have a Web site—at least a small "brochure" site and more if needed.

And more and more people are getting on the Internet every day.

Think about this: Estimate the number of your potential customers who use the Internet now. Six months from now that number will be larger. Six months after that, the number will be larger again. For some businesses, this trend may not matter, but for most it is very important.

What's On A Web Site

It is no surprise that options range from the very simple to the very complex application site.

The Brochure Site

The simplest site is a "brochure" site. This includes basic product and company information—the company name, address, phone and products. If needed, there would be a picture of each item. Depending on the product involved, it may be as simple as one page, but could require more. It really depends on the specific business, the customers and how much information they need for a basic product introduction. The simplest sites don't change very often.

The Web Application Site

On the other end is a complex database driven site that includes e-commerce, sound, and video. Programming on the site would create dynamic buttons and allow a user to search the site for specific keywords. A site that uses all the technology available today could be an interactive, multimedia presentation to potential customers. And more than that, it could be a multimedia two-way connection to customers. A site like this would require constant maintenance. It would quite literally be a computer application that informs customers, gathers information and sells product.

In Between

Here's another no-surprise idea: Web sites can be anything in between the simple and the complex.

Some Trade-offs

And one final no-surprise consideration: The complicated sites cost more and take more time to create and maintain. The simple sites are rather inexpensive.

Another less obvious trade-off is Web-site speed. The more complicated sites with video and large pictures take longer to download. This could frustrate potential customers who have to wait for pages to appear on their screens. While some pictures and graphics can make a site look better, keep it to a minimum. Only use a lot of pictures when you know your customers want them or need them, and design an online catalog so that customers get only the product pictures they need.

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