Website Success

Planning For Online Success and Creating Goals

If you are a Boise business owner and reading this, odds are that you are contemplating building a website or having one designed and developed by a professional for you. So first off, thanks for taking the time to read this article which is designed to help get you ready for planning a website and/or online strategy.

Often times, many people will figure that having a website will get you business, period. The truth to this, is that over 10 years ago, having a website was unique in itself because the internet was so young in age and not many people utilized this new “state of the art” form of technology and marketing.

Now fast forward 15 years and the dynamics have definitely changed. With literally thousands of websites being launched every single day, it is more important than ever to develop strategies that will help you win against your competition.

How do you plan for online success? Where do you start when deciding what exactly you need for your website?

Step 1: Know Your Market

This is such a huge step because many think that their business knowledge will cross over to any field they attempt. Although business is business, customer service is customer service, knowing your market dives in deeper including finding out what your competition is doing. Do they have higher SEO rankings on Google? Is it that really cool photo gallery that shows their awesome portfolio?

Step 2: Know Your Budget

Lets be honest. Some of the most successful businesses today started out from ground zero, and never took out a business loan. Know your budget going into any business start-up or project. The same thing applies for having a website built. Know your budget and use your market analysis to determine if your ROI (return of investment) exists in what you’re selling to potential customers.

The nice thing about working with a boise web design team that offers 100% custom development, is that we always build our sites with growth and expansion in mind. Therefore, the site you start with can be much smaller than what you may grow to need 5 years down the line.

Step 3: Be Willing To Fail Before Succeeding

I know this sounds like an old saying, something you’d hear from a veteran life-coach, but the words speak so much truth. The internet as a whole is very competitive. 9 out of 10 times, your first idea probably won’t be the winner, but it’s learning to accept the fact that any type of internet business is like running an offline business. You will still have competition, still find ways to beat the competitors at pricing or service, or adjust gears accordingly. The minute you throw in the towel because you think your brilliant idea is dead, you’re gone and someone else now has your potential customer.

Step 4: Build Trust With Your Customers Before They Decide to Hire You

When a customer is shopping online for a product, what do they look for in a website? What about a potential client looking to hire a painting company?

Trust and Experience. Whether you’re selling a product or service, customers want to read testimonials and feedback from other customers. They want to see examples of what you do or offer and if you can prove to them you’re capable of being reputable and sticking around for the long haul, you’ll have a good chance at earning their business.