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Utilizing Websites
to Boost Sales
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Introductions
Go Around the Room
Tell everyone:
 Your Name
 What type of business you are currently
operating
 What you hope to get out of this session
 60 seconds!
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About SCORE
• Successful and experienced
executives acting as volunteers.
• National web site,
www.score.org, provides useful
information and resources for
small business.
• Seminars and workshops
• Free Mentoring
 One-on-one
 Email mentoring
• Contact Manasota.SCORE.org
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Mentoring Locations
SCORE Office
2801 Fruitville Road Suite 280
• Manatee Chamber of Commerce
Downtown and Lakewood Ranch
• Sarasota Chamber of Commerce
• Venice Chamber of Commerce
Your Place of Business
Location convenient to you and your
mentor
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Manasota SCORE Local Sponsors
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Classroom Safety – Argosy U
Emergency
Exits
Restrooms
You are HERE
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Classroom Safety - ComCenter
Emergency
Exits
Restrooms
You are HERE
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not wander
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building!
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Workshop Agenda
What We Will Cover
 Importance & Benefits of
a Web Presence
 Internet Strategy for Your
Business
 Key Elements of Effective
Web Design
 Web Development
What We Will Not Cover
x Social Media
x Search Engine Optimization
x Internet Marketing
These Topics are covered in the
Internet Marketing & Social Media
for Business Workshop
 Measuring Results
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CREATING YOUR
INTERNET
STRATEGY
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The Internet Strategy Pie
Internet Strategy Defined:
• A measureable plan of action
using the tools of the internet, in
order to get desired results
Internet Strategy
Goals





Increase Sales
Manage Reputation
Spread a Message
Build a Community
Build Relationships
Tactics (Tools of the Trade)
Goals
Tactics
Measurement
Adjustments





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Website
Search Marketing
Social Media
Blogging
PR, Email, Multimedia
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The Internet Strategy Pie
Measurements
 Traffic
 Goal Completion
 Trends
 Stickiness
Adjustment (Tuning Up)
 Focus on the 20% effort that
produces 80% of the results
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Every Business Needs a Web Presence
 To inform potential customers about your business with relevant and
concise information
 To advertise and describe offerings and location
 To sell products and services
 To generate business leads
 To brand your business and provide contact information
 To be “found” by potential customers using search engines
 To build a foundation for customer interaction
(ordering, returns, feedback, etc.)
Keep in mind: 78 percent of Americans use
the Internet every day.
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Benefits of Having a Web Presence
Professional
Web
Presence
+
More
Eyes
Looking
At Your
Business
=
Increased
Sales
B2C (Business to Consumer):
43% of all retail sales are expected to be influenced by or
made on the Internet by 2012 (U.S. Department of Commerce)
B2B (Business to Business):
83% of businesses use the Internet to research and find
vendors (Enquirio – B2B survey)
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Marketing Plan & Internet Strategy
Your Marketing Plan:
 Defines your target market
 Details your competitive
strategy
 Documents a pricing strategy
 Establishes a marketing budget
 Defines your Internet strategy’s role
in your marketing effort
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Consider Target Audience & Competitors
Competitors
Target Audience
 Who are they?
 Who are they?
 What are their
characteristics (age,
income, tech savvy)?
 What do their websites
do well?
 What are they looking
for on your website?
 What could they
improve on?
 What are the opportunities
for your business?
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Goals for Your Website
What do you need your website to do?
The answers will create your Internet strategy = a measurable
plan of action using the Internet to get desired results.
Think about:
• Your business goals
• Your marketing goals
• Your target audience
• Your competition
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4 Functions of a Website
•
Promote
•
Publish
your business by telling
customers about it
information that’s useful to
your customers
•
Communicate
•
Serve
with customers
customers by handling
business functions
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What Functions Does Your Website Need?
A website doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some
components different types of businesses might want to
include:
 Restaurant or Retail Store: Address, photo of location, product
photos, menu, phone and e-mail contacts, map, hours, online
reservation tool
 Consulting or Accounting Business: Most of the above plus
photos/bios of key personnel, explanation of services provided, client
list, appointment scheduler, articles or tips from owner
 E-commerce Business: Product photos/descriptions, online
ordering and payment, frequently asked questions/help, shipping
policies and costs
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COMPONENTS
OF A WEBSITE
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HOME
(WEBSITE)
ARCHITECT
(WEB DESIGNER)
ADDRESS
(WEB DOMAIN)
12
LAND (HOSTING)
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What Is a Website
A website is a collection
of Web pages, images,
videos or other digital
assets that are addressed
to a particular domain name.
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Web Address = Domain Name
 www.yourbusinessname.com or
www.score.org
 Keep it short and simple
ADDRESS
(WEB DOMAIN)
 About $10/year at most domain providers
 Buy your domain name before someone
else does!
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Web Hosting
Your website needs to be hosted on servers, which are
computers used to store your Web files.
Starting at a few dollars per month
Ask about:
 Uptime
 Support
 Backup
 Number of domains
 Shared or dedicated servers
LAND (HOSTING)
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WEBSITE
DEVELOPMENT
OPTIONS
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Choosing the Right Option
When assessing your development options,
consider the following:
 Your time
 Your tech skills
 Your budget
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Self Design ?
Considerations:
• You have time, money and skill or a
reliable web developer friend
• You make the site yourself using
either/or HTML, CSS or other
various coding languages
• You build the site with a free or
professionally designed templates,
or online site builder kits
• You use web development software
(Dreamweaver, CoffeeCup,
NetObjects, Expression Web, etc)
• Hosting will be additional cost.
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Could I Do it Myself ?
First Impressions Count
•
•
75% of web users admit to making judgments about the credibility
of an organization based on the design of its website
68% of US online shoppers say they distrust a site that doesn’t
have a professional appearance
Time
•
Stay focused on the critical issues for the business and delegate
other tasks to employees or contractors
Technical Requirements
•
•
Troubleshoot bugs and cross
browser compatibility
Professional software and training
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Choosing the Right Web Team
Consider:
 Experience
 Cost
 Similar companies / similar websites
 Professionalism
 Elements of desired site
 Future needs
 Maintenance and growth plans
 References
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Choosing the Right Web Team
Web Developer –
Helps you to determine the page
layout, graphics, text location
and colors of your site, as well
as the navigation and how
pages will cross-link to one
another. The project manager
for your site design.
Graphic Designer –
Search
Engines
People
Web Developer
Design
•Graphics
•Layout
Content
•Keywords
•Text
Creates the graphics for the site, including page layout,
colors, etc. Think of this person as the "visual artist" for
your site.
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Choosing the Right Web Team
Programmer –
Takes the design from the Designer and
creates the code for the backend to
make the site run. These are usually
used for complex applications.
Internet Marketing Consultant –
Helps you to determine how your website
fits into your overall marketing strategy,
and how to get more traffic and sales
from your website.
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Cost & Legal Considerations
How much will it cost?
-

Have written contract covering:
-


Payment terms
Overall estimate
Price
Schedule
Support and Service Level Agreement
Detailed Scope of Work
Documentation
Release of copyright
Portability to new Web host
Content and Technology Ownership
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Choosing the Right Hosting
Consider:
 Tech Support
 Cost
 Space and Bandwidth
 Email Accounts
 Multiple Data Center Locations
 Control Panel
 References
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Exercise 1 – Web Design Planner
• What are your website goals?
What is the main purpose for the
website? What action do you
want visitors to take after visiting
your website?
• Who is your target audience
(income, interests, gender, age,
technical savvy)? Try to create a
profile for each.
• What websites do you like that
you might use for ideas?
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EFFECTIVE WEB
DESIGN
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Effective Websites Are…
1. Professional
2. Consistent

With similar sites

With website usage

With your brand

Within your site
3. Simple
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Elements of Website Navigation
 Top navigation bar should
be constant across pages.
 Side navigation bars are
optional.
 Bottom bar should consist
of simple text links to your
site; it is important for
search engine ranking.
 Page body is where you
put that page’s relevant
information.
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Tips for Navigation
 Organized structure
 Keep it simple – users
should be able to get
anywhere in 2-3 clicks
 Keep important links,
content, etc. “above the
fold”
 Use white space to simplify
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How Users Scan Sites: Hot Spots
“F- Pattern”: Focus user’s attention

USERS DON’T
READ – they scan!

Put most important
elements in places
where eyes naturally
go.
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Using Color, Graphics, and Text
 Use colors that work well together
 Keep colors consistent with
your brand
 Keep text size readable
 Keep text and background color
readable
 Use high-quality photographs
 Avoid sound unless that is your
business
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What Is Web Content?
“Content” refers to any written material on your
website, including:
 Titles
 FAQs
 Headlines
 Customer service information
 Product names
 Articles
 Product descriptions
 Blogs
 “About Us” page
 Help page
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Writing Effective Web Content
•
Know your target audience
•
Keep it short and simple
Headings 8 words or less
Paragraphs 40-70 words
•
Write active content
•
Write for how people search
•
Keywords
Google and Bing offer Search-Based Keyword Tools
•
Edit and proofread
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TURNING WEB
TRAFFIC INTO
SALES
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AIDA Principle
Attention:
Attract the attention of the customer
Interest:
Create customer interest by focusing on and
demonstrating advantages and benefits (instead of
focusing on features, as in traditional advertising
Desire:
Convince customers that they want and desire the
product or service and that it will satisfy their
needs
Action:
Lead customers towards taking action and/or
purchasing
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Getting the Attention & Creating Interest in Your Business
Attract Customer’s Attention and Create Interest by Using
the Following Technology Techniques:
• Leverage the power of your website &
give customers a good reason to
come visit
•
In addition to your physical address
and telephone number, include web
and email address on all collateral
•
Use online newsgroups and mailing
lists
•
•
•
Purchase web advertising
Use industry-linking web pages
Use web search engines that index
the web
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Moving from Interest to Desire

Desire is about connecting with
your customers in a way that
makes them want or desire
what you have to offer.

Just knowing about your
business is not enough.

Activate your customers desire
to patronize your business.
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Call to Action
Call to Action:
•
Hurry in Today
•
Buy Now
•
Call Now
•
Visit Now
•
Click Here Now
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Create Your Own Call To Action
Think about a web-ad that you are thinking of running,
or a website that you are about to create and answer
these questions:
Why are you running this ad, or creating this webpage?
Is it to:
- Generate leads?
- Create a database?
- Get your brand/company name out in the market?
- To get people to buy from you?
- Or what else?
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Exercise 2 – Call to Action
• What action(s) do you want
visitors to take when visiting your
website?
• What type of content will you use
to attract interest?
• What “enticement” will you offer
to get customers to return?
10 minutes
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MEASURING
RESULTS
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Your Site Is Up - Now What?
A successful website generates measurable results for
your business.
To get the most from your site, follow this 3-step process:
1. Know your goals for the website
2. Continually adjust site as needed
3. Measure results
All major search engines (Bing, Google and Yahoo) offer
sophisticated free analytics tools to help you track and
benchmark your website results.
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Understanding Web Analytics
Web Analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis
and reporting of internet data for the purposes of
understanding and optimizing web usage.
Two main approaches to
Web Analytics:
1. Log File Analysis
2. Page Tagging
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What Should You Measure?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Number of site visitors
Individual page
impressions
Average visit length
Most/least popular pages
Most popular site entry
pages
Where users come from (sites or search engine phrases)
Number of inquiries, leads or sales generated
Conversion rates
Total sales volume online
Average purchase per online customer
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Web Analytics Terminology Every
Small Business Owner Should Know

Hit: A hit is a request for a file from a server. A hit is registered for every
file that is requested, whether it is an HTML file, an image, a CSS file,
or a JavaScript file. Hits are in no way a measure of the number of
visitors that view a website.

Page View: A page view is a request for a file that is defined as a page
in an analytics program.

Visit: A visit is a series of requests from the same uniquely identified
client within a given time period. This is usually set to 30 minutes, so
that if a user waits an hour between requests, the server will register
two visits.

Unique Visitor: A unique visitor is essentially an individual coming to
the website based on their IP Address.

Repeat Visitor: A visitor that has made at least one previous visit to a
website.
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Module In Review
Summary & Questions?
 Benefits of a Web presence
 Developing an Internet strategy
 Components of a website
 Elements of effective Web design
 Developing your website
 Measuring Results
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Special Thanks
Special Thanks to Nicki Lynch for granting SCORE permission
to use this copyrighted material
Nicki Lynch Consulting
www.NickiLynch.com
941-564-9689
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Do You Have A SCORE Mentor?
• Fill out the online request for free, one-onone mentoring.
– Right after this session!
– manasota.score.org – click the
Mentoring tab
– A mentor will be assigned in about a
week
– Mentor will call you to setup a
mentoring appointment
• Ongoing phone and/or face-to-face
guidance to aid completion improvement
plans
• Mentor will be available for an ongoing
relationship
Take advantage of this free service to help you make the
best decisions as you grow and improve your business!
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SCORE Workshops
Simple Steps for
Starting Your Business
Grow Your Business !
• Start-up Basics
• Create Innovative Marketing Strategies
• Business Concept
• Attract More Customers - Increase Your
• Marketing Plan
Sales
• Financial Projections
• Improve Your Cash Flow and Profits
• Funding Sources / Next
• Improve Internal Operational Effectiveness
Steps
Specialized Workshops
• Building Your Business Plan
• Utilizing Websites to Boost Sales
• Internet Marketing and Social Media for Business
Visit manasota.score.org for Schedules and Registration
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Help Us, Help You
Please fill out the
workshop evaluation
form
Your feedback is
important to help us
improve our
programs!
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Utilizing Websites
to Boost Sales
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