Making your Website an Effective Marketing Tool

The Internet is rapidly becoming the primary source for the way most people obtain information. Studies have shown that the volume of content on the World Wide Web has tripled since 2003. Future generations will look back on newspapers, magazines, phone books and numerous other printed materials as the dinosaurs of the information industry. The central piece of any company's online presence is their website. This marketing tool has become one of the most effective ways for a company to promote their business. It allows them to reach out to new markets and attract new customers in ways traditional advertising can no longer supply. Like any tool, when used properly it will yield excellent results, but when used improperly it is likely to do more harm than good. The following are some basic concepts that must be taken into consideration in order to gain the maximum benefit from your website.

The first question you need to ask is, how do you envision using your site to grow your business? It needs to be more than just an online brochure that provides a pretty snapshot of your business. It not only has to be designed to attract visitors, it has to engage them as well. You need to give people a reason to stay on your site, as the average attention span is rather short. The longer someone stays on your site, the more information they will absorb. Your ultimate goal is to create a "call to action" that brings a visitor one step closer to becoming a customer. With today's technology, there is very little a website cannot do, so take the time to explore all the options that are available to accomplish this.

The next step is to find someone to build your website. Resist the temptation to be a "do it yourselfer" when it comes to website design as trust me, it as not as simple as it appears. Also avoid the urge to go cheap by using a novice designer. What you save upfront will end up costing you much more in the long run. You need to view your website as a major marketing investment in your company. Designate the proper resources to create a first class website that includes professional design and content. With so much information already on the Internet, your site needs to be able to cut through the clutter and grab someone's attention.

Finally you need to determine how you will maintain your website. Most companies fail to take this step and end up letting their site become stagnate. This is like investing in a brand new piece of equipment that you never plug in. Constantly adding, changing, and updating content keeps your website fresh and alive. When done properly, it will naturally keep you high in the search rankings attracting new visitors on a regular basis. This is another area where a trained professional can be extremely beneficial in making sure your website remains up to date and relevant to potential and existing customers. Even if you do decide to maintain the site yourself, make sure you do it on a consistent basis and never let it become dated.

For more information on the entire process please visit VBWebsites at VBWebsites.com This is a professional website design firm I have worked with in the past, that has numerous examples of first class websites that were designed specifically for one purpose, to be a growth engine for the company.