Why do I need a website?
Answer: Hi Barrie, Let me answer the second part of your question first. As a small business, it’s important to make yourself as visible as possible to new customers- especially in today’s troubled times! A website will almost certainly help you achieve this. What you do with your website, though, depends on your business. Some people sell merchandise off the page (eg a shopping website). Some use the site as a brochure for clients whom they have already spoken to on the phone (ie the website is a reference point). And many people use their website like a shop front that’s open 24 hours a day: so long as a customer can find the website, they’ll get all the information they need about your products and services. Which of those is right for you is your choice, and depends on what you do for a living. But what I am going to do next is prove that, for very little money, you really can make a professional website and get people to visit it!
In just over an hour, we built the basic pages and registered the domain name http://www.grey-court-car-boot-sale.co.uk for the website. We chose this name because it was one people would remember, easily relate to and that internet search engines would pick up. Here is the result of our handiwork!
We also did as much free site marketing as we could, submitting the site to MSN/Live search, Google and Yahoo, along with a request for a directory listing on http://www.dmoz.org. Submitting sites means informing these big directories and search engines that you exist (it’s a bit like getting your listing in the phone book). Fortunately, there are also lots of free directories listing car boot sales, community events and so forth, so we were soon able to get the site featured on Carbootjunction.com, Gumtree.com, and several other relevant websites. Find out if there are similar sites catering to the sort of business you’re in; as this can represent great targeting. Registering with all these directories was time-consuming, but we felt the extra traffic would help the car boot sale’s chances of success. The Site Reports tool that comes with Office Live provides an easy way to track where visitors are coming from. It also lets you see the keywords people are typing, which can help you fine-tune both your website copy and meta-tags.
The proof of the pudding One last piece of advice. Once you’ve got your website is up and running, don’t forget - rather like that ubiquitous ‘A dog’s not just for Christmas’ car sticker - a website needs long-term care and promotion. Include your web address in all your sales materials and newsletters, and keep the site up to date. Remember also, the best sites are beautiful in their simplicity, so don’t overdo the fancy graphics. Keep it simple, factor in some ongoing maintenance, and your website will undoubtedly become a key part of your future success. I hope this answers your question and wish you every success with your website. Please let us know how you get on, and if you fancy popping down to a car boot sale, you know where to find us. --Tim | ||||||||||||||
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...with a little bit of thought and effort - and no financial outlay - a website can yield amazing results 
Building a website is child’s play
Meta-tags and directories
More marketing magic
Impressive results
