KRZ's Top NINE Steps To A Successful Website

You have been lying awake in bed for months, put together a business plan, told close family and friends about the business idea. Action item one, develop a website and make it a major part of your marketing and sales strategy. Sounds great, but no what?

The key to every good website is planning and strategy. You must think of your website as the ultimate sales rep. He or she is active anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year!

Here are NINE steps to a successful website.

9. What are your business goals? Can your website help you achieve your goals. Educate your clients about your product or service on your website.

8. Who is your target market? How can your website attract the client or customer you are looking for and how can your website add value.

7. Are you branding yourself or your product? Let your website help brand your business or product. Stay consistent in colors, logo, and style with all forms of company advertising.

6. Do you have the time to prepare your own content? As a small business owner you are wearing many hats, do you have the time to prepare your own content. Most don't, so find someone else to do it and don't get bogged down in content.

5. Can your website be interactive? Engage your client or customer on line with competitions, product demonstrations, live help.

4. What is your website budget? Surprisingly, this can get lost in a business plan and realistically in order to implement a great web presence you should budget a few thousand dollars. Do it right the first time!

3. How can you promote your website? Put your domain name on everything and send everyone, I mean everyone, to your website! The more traffic you have to the site the greater your web presence becomes.

2. Will you manage your own website? Make sure you keep your website fresh and provide a reason for visitors to return to your site. If you have the time, do it yourself, if not, have a company manage your site. You need to decide where you want to spend your time.

And No. 1

How do you know if your website works? After your website is up and running evaluate the gains and leads generated from the site. Set a regular schedule to review. Google Analytics, http://www.google.com/analytics/, is a great tool to track visitors, time on the site, where searches are coming from.

Hopefully, this top Nine helps, happy hunting and go get those customers and clients!