Today most of the entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are aware that having a business presence on the Internet is essential for the positioning of their brand, products and services in the market they serve.
When an SME wishes to have a presence on the Internet or modify the one it already has, it is essential to start by having its own Website.
A Website is equivalent to a paper presentation but is displayed on a screen, thereby reducing production, storage and distribution costs. In turn, among the main advantages of an SME having its own website is the fact that its information will be seen by prospects or potential customers from anywhere in the world and at any time (since the internet sites do not download La Santamaría at night). Ultimately, the most economical means of dissemination and communication of your company in terms of exposure time, geographic scope and interactivity is a Website on the Internet.
Now, the question that those who are starting out on the subject usually ask themselves is And what should the most basic website have? What services should be included when you hire it?
Let's start by saying that a Website will not be successful if you have not previously analyzed why and why you want to have a Website on the Internet. In other words, the first thing you should be clear about is your objectives for your presence on the Internet. These objectives must be focused according to your strategic business plan, starting with knowing your current and potential customers very well as well as the attributes of your products and services that satisfy their needs and desires. This information is essential so that the content to be displayed and the images to be displayed on the Website are in accordance with what is required.
Once the target market or audience has been defined, having identified both the emotional and rational advantages and benefits that your products and services cover for your clients, and aligning this with your business strategies, then you can proceed to structure the navigability of your Website. That is, the definition of the pages that should exist on your Website and the way in which visitors can access them (using menus, images with links, linked texts, etc.).
At a minimum, in general terms, your basic Website should have pages that cover aspects such as:
A Cover where, through many images and few texts, the visitor can identify in no more than 5 seconds what your company does. This should be handled by gaining attention through a main image, a headline and a slogan that shows your main benefit in terms of the client and with additional texts that very briefly describe the rest of the benefits and advantages that represent your differentiating elements of market versus to your competition, to generate the desired interest.
A brief review of your company or institution, who they are, what their background is and why they consider them to be good suppliers, their vision, mission and company values (not necessarily cited in the form of a list but with a more convincing explanation).
A summary of the products and / or services that your company provides including the greatest and best possible information about them (perhaps through downloadable PDF documents using a link). This is a kind of small informative catalog (depending on the amount of products and / or services you may have to use many pages, so it is preferable to go from a basic Website to a Professional Catalog using a Web Portal or an Electronic Commerce). The images to be used must be clear and the products must be shown individually, allowing them to be enlarged for better detail.
It is essential that you let the visitor know where your company is or where they can go to visit your facilities or contact them. For this, it is recommended to publish a page with all the contact information such as the address, telephone numbers, emails, as well as add a Road Map with directions on how to get to your facilities through the main access roads. In turn, it is essential that you have a contact form where the visitor can fill in their data as well as indicate the reason for the contact in such a way that said information reaches their email so that they can properly serve the client.
When a client contacts you, always ask where did you learn about your company? It is normal for many prospects or potential clients to contact you by phone or email without having filled out the contact form, and by asking you will have a better idea of how to use your website.
Depending on your type of products and services, you could include a second form that allows the visitor to put together a request for a quote, adding to it the products whose prices you want to consult (in case you do not have them published) in such a way that this request will be sent by email to those responsible for the sales area.
Something fundamental today is to have your presence in the media or social networks, that is why we highly recommend that your company also have a presence in the main social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube and. This requires that you have someone updating said social networks as well as interacting with the visitors who contact you through them, and always adding value to your prospects and clients by publishing content of interest. For this reason, on your Website you must have links to each of your social media accounts (through their representative icons).
In order for you to be able to update the information on your website whenever you want, it is very important that your provider gives you access to an Online Editor that allows you to make use of icons with the typical functions of text editing, management of images, among others. At the same time, they must assist you in registering your Domain Names and provide you with the Web Hosting service to publish your Website and manage your emails with your own domain.
Finally, if your company or institution still does not have a presence on the Internet or your website is outdated and does not comply with these and other aspects of interest, contact a professional provider as soon as possible that will take you by the hand in the success you require to your organization.
Success for all…
