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To
Web or Not to Web?
So
the internet has been around a while now, and the dazzling
growth rates of the early years have leveled off somewhat.
We all know that this Holiday Season (2004) millions of shoppers
will spend billions of dollars online. Recent numbers say
something like 46% of all US shoppers will make at least one
Holiday purchase online.
Maybe
you've thought about getting a website, and maybe you've even
done so with limited success. Is it really worth it to build
a site and maintain it? You can now find web site hosting
for under $30 per month with lots of bells and whistles like
ecommerce capability and merchant services (credit card processing).
The most
important part of starting a website having a strategy. You
should consider several issues when making a decision to start
a website for your company. What is the ultimate goal of your
site? How much time and money are you willing to spend?
For most
businesses, selling retail products on the web is a difficult
proposition. At last count there were more than 45 million
websites on the internet. Add to the mix ultra-competitive
sites like Ebay, Amazon.com and Overstock.com, and it can
be difficult to generate enough traffic to make any money.
For this reason, many brick and mortar stores use their website
as a means of promoting the store itself rather than as a
vehicle for online sales.
Keep it
simple: showing your hours of operation, store location, upcoming
specials or events, a list of products, and photos of merchandise
can be a great way for customers to find your business. More
importantly, the website can serve as a means for repeat customers
to find out what's new and exciting at the shop. Of course,
this also means updating the site regularly.
Ten years
ago, you needed to know html in order to build a site. Now
most web hosting companies offer an interface that allows
you to make most or all of the additions to your site through
a browser like Internet Explorer. This user-friendly software
often comes bundled with the cost of monthly site hosting.
Often a web hosting company will have several options for
hosting, including initial set up, ecommerce, newsletter management,
site stats, merchant services, etc. Often it is best to have
an experienced designer do the initial set up so the overall
look of the site is attractive and functional. After the site
is up and running, updates can be done quickly and easily
once you get the hang of the software.
We started
indiasilver.com
in 1996 with a shoe string budget and a small product line.
With much less competition back then, we were able to place
in the top ten for search terms like "wholesale silver
jewelry" and "hanging lanterns." Eight years
and thousands of dollars later we are still generally in the
top ten for these search terms, but it is a laborious and
ever-changing proposition to stay above the masses.
Which
brings us back to the original idea of having a strategy.
If you are hoping to start a retail site from scratch that
competes with the big dogs, you better have deep pockets.
If on the other hand you want to use the site to augment the
business you already do face to face, then your website can
be a relatively inexpensive and effective proposition. As
the site grows in popularity, you may even want to start selling
online. The key to a successful site is all in the planning.
(This
article written by Mike McGinnis and published originally
on indiasilver.com.
We encourage republication but stipulate the piece be copied
in its entirety with links and attribution.)
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