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New Business Websites | Businesses need a website to take advantage of searching customers

New Business Websites

We are still surprised how many businesses do not have a website. Now, because we are a web design company, we may be a little biased : ). We have also seen the effects that a website can have on a business, especially certain types of businesses. Even the businesses that we do not conduct a full out search engine optimization campaign, still get business from the web. It is amazing how many people search the internet looking for solutions to all sorts of questions and problems.

Online Searches

New businesses can capitalize on the fact that people are searching for many different types of products and services on the internet. The other great part of this is that many of the searches done today are focused for a more geographic local search. This gives the business a great chance to be found on the top of the search engines, just by having a website online. This trend for a more local search can have a significant effect from sales generated from your website.

Decision Makers

We know many decision makers that attempt to look for a website on a given company before they call to do business with them. It is expected that businesses have a website that has the necessary information that is organized in a way users can easily find the information they are looking for. We have also talked with the decision makers about what they do if they find a business that does not have a website, or if the website is not easy to find, and they all say the same thing, “I don’t do business with them.”

This speaks volumes about how important it is to make it easy for your business to be found online. If your business does not have a website, decision makers knowingly overlook your company for a competitor that has invested in a website for themselves. This reason alone should tell you how critical it is to be easy to do business with online.

Conclusion

New business websites are a great place to start in the world of advertising, especially with how affordable internet advertising is compared to other forms of advertising. So if you have a new business and are looking for fast and affordable advertising, we would highly recommend looking into investing in a professionally designed website for your business.



Minnesota Startups Need a Budget for a Website and Online Advertising

Minnesota Startup Businesses

Minnesota startup businesses need a website and a budget for online advertising. Having a website is one of the most cost effective forms of advertising. This makes a website a great business tool to invest in. Minnesota startups need to leverage the power of the internet to help grow their business and get the best bang for their buck in advertising expenses.

Stay On Budget

It is critical for new businesses to find the best means of rolling out the business while staying within budget. This can prove to be a difficult task, but one piece should be set aside for the website and advertising budget.

Invest Wisely

A professionally designed website for a Minnesota startup business can help make or break a business. Everyone knows that more and more people are searching online rather than going to a big phone book. This is a great opportunity for business startups to take advantage of the search engines and get in front of customers without paying phone book front page rates. In order to get front page space on the search engines, it is critical that all of the website pieces are in place. If a startup is serious about getting found online, we would recommend going with a professional web design company. Let the pros do their job, so you can focus on your business. After all, the only way your new startup will survive and thrive is if the business model is scalable and people can get tasks done for you.

Online Advertising Budget

If you conduct some advertising research, you will find that businesses are turning away from the traditional large phone books and pumping more dollars into online advertising. It is hard to blame them too. When you can put your business in front of motivated buyers, what is that worth to your business? Answer: as much as you can afford! Another reason that startup businesses should take a look into online advertising is that they can set their budget as to how much they would like to spend. Minnesota startup businesses should definitely take a look at an online advertising budget.

Anyone who has been involved with a startup knows the importance of keeping within a budget and spending their money wisely. In today’s business market, one of the best places to invest is in a website and online advertising.



Can your company afford not to have a website?

Affordable Web Design

Thinking about a website design?

No. Of course we are in the business and this is how we choose to make money, but when you really sit down and think about if your business can afford not to have a website, a few ideas come to mind:

More and more people are using the internet

Everyday, more and more people are turning to the internet to find out more information about services or products that they are looking for. It is easy to see the reason why. Where else can you find just about everything you would want to know? You may have to wait for the commercial break to see what is fed to you, or you could just log on to the internet and find the best local deal. This is one of the reasons why search engines have seen such a high growth rate over the past 10+ years. It is easy to type in a few words of text and have the results brought to you rather than lug out the ol’ phone book and guess where you should start first.

Your competitors are getting all the traffic

Another reason your company should be able to afford a website is that your competitors already have! Odds are that your competition is already enjoying a nice spot in the search engines and getting phone calls and email requests for their services. Now why would you let your competition have it so easy? Even if you don’t rank #1, online searchers will still go though a couple of listings until they come across something that makes sense to them and trust. But without a website to speak of, your business isn’t even in the running!

Relatively speaking, it’s very inexpensive when compared to print, TV, and radio advertising

If you thought your business count afford a website, is it really necessary to talk about affording print ads, television commercials or radio spots? I’ll give you a little piece of advice. More and more large businesses are shifting dollars away from those types of advertising and funneling them into more effective kinds of advertising, a.k.a websites and internet marketing.

Simply speaking, a website can have a dramatic effect on your business.

How much are you losing by not having a website?

Affordable website design
https://www.flickr.com/photos/amagill/ / CC BY 2.0

Tough to say, how much is it worth to close a sale? If your competitor is on the top of the search engines for an even remotely popular term, he is getting at least phone calls. Wouldn’t you like customers to be doing the same to you? Even simple websites are found locally very well in Google. It is possible to build a quick website and have it give enough information to spark a visitor’s interest and have them contact you.

Also, a website helps to advertise other services or products that your current clients aren’t aware that you offer. We have had many people come to us and have a website built and then say, “Oh, I didn’t know you did ______. Sign me up for that.” There are people searching right now for the services you offer. Give them what they want! Many people today are reaping the benefits and giving customers exactly what they need.

So what are you losing from not having a website? $3,000? $15,000? $128,000? Figures such as these are not uncommon for companies to be losing from not having a website presence.

So I ask the question again. Can your company afford not to have a website?



5 Critical Key Factors to Keep In Mind When Building an Affordable Website Design

Affordable Website Design

When building an affordable website design, there are 5 key factors that can help guide the project to completion while keeping it affordable. These factors tame the project from going out of control and spending unnecessary money. Follow these factors and you will be well prepared and shouldn’t have a problem building an affordable website design:

  1. Know the goal of the website before you get started with the project.

    This rule is listed first for a reason. It is very important to know where you would like to go or what you would like to do before you put out any money to get something done. It may seem like a no-brainer, but people sometimes jump into building an affordable website without any idea of what to do. When this step is skipped, there isn’t a focus and clients tend to get a little of everything and often not in the areas that they had expected. This step is crucial when trying to keep within the boundaries of an affordable website design.

  2. Building an affordable website design can take time.

    There is an old saying in the design business: “quality, price or time, pick any two.” This explains the trade-offs when working on a design project. For example, the project can be made with “price” and “time” as factors, but the “quality” of the project will suffer. Another example, the project can be made with “price” and “quality”, but the “time” or the quickness of getting the project done will suffer. With an affordable website design, the “cheap” or price is the focus of the project right away, pick the other factor: “good” or “fast.”

    “…it is important to focus on providing easy ways for the customer to get the information they want.”
  3. Put less focus on the overall design and make sure the usability of the website is clear.

    When building an affordable website design, it is important to focus on providing easy ways for the customer to get the information they want. The design of your website doesn’t have to be revolutionary. We have seen websites that offer “cutting edge” design, but when it is placed in front of users they get confused and leave to find the information they were looking for on a competitor’s website. Most of the time in business, your customers don’t care about how fancy your website is, they want to know what you can do for them. Information that is readily available and easy to read helps them with their decision making process.

    “It may seem like a no-brainer, but people sometimes jump into building an affordable website without any idea of what to do.”
  4. Help your affordable website design grow by including it in your other advertising.

    This is one area where you can help, that not every business takes advantage of. It seems like a no-brainer, but some businesses do not put their website address on their other marketing items. We see this as a huge waste of such a valuable resource. It is similar to shutting the door in the face of a person who wants to do business with you and then sitting down and wondering why your business is struggling. It takes very little effort to include a website address on all your marketing materials for your business and it helps tremendously. An affordable website design can help convert traffic from your other marketing activities to your front door.

  5. Talk with your professional website designer to see what options might be available for you.

    When you deal with a professional web site designer, they know what certain items and features cost and can make suggestions of what is possible within a certain budget. This can be a very useful tool when trying to build an affordable website design. It is best to know what options are available to you so you can make the best decision when utilizing your resources.

In conclusion, keep these 5 factors in mind when building an affordable website design. Know the goal of the project. Realizing that the project will take time to complete. Focus on usability for your customer. Include the website address in your other advertising and keep the lines of communication open with your website designer. These factors will help guide the project and make sure that it gets done effectively, efficiently, on time and on budget.