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	Creating A Successful Website

Creating A Successful Website

The process of creating a successful website can be summed up in two statements: 1. Give people a good reason to come to your website. 2. Let people know that there's a good reason to come to your website. Now, these statements might seem obvious, but think about them for one moment—and consider, perhaps, how you came to set up your own website. It seems to me that most people think about what their websites can do for them. If they consider at all what to do with a website (many companies still have the "we've got to have a website, and quick!" mentality, without really thinking about why), they look at it from their own perspective. "We can provide product support," "We can sell our products," "We can promote our products, and so on." But it's important to change shoes and look at the website from the visitors perspective: "Why should I go to that website?" There has to be a really good answer to that question, and far too many companies are not thinking the whole process through. For instance, many companies post their products at their site, then sit and wait for people to arrive. Why should people arrive, though? What's going to bring them in? No, the answer is not "because our site is cool." The old story about how your site must be cool and exciting or people won't come is complete nonsense, perpetuated by graphic designers who make money by making websites cool. The real answer is, there has to be something at your website that is useful, or interesting, or entertaining, something so useful, interesting, or entertaining that people are willing to take time out of their busy day to visit. I can't say what that something might be for you, but you'd better figure it out pretty soon, or you'll be wasting time and opportunity. The second step in this two-step process is to let people know that they should visit your site. There are many ways to bring people to your site, but all the successful techniques revolve around one idea; you are letting people know that there's a good reason to visit your website. (If there isn't, they won't come back.) Don't just put a line in your paper catalog saying "Visit Our Website!," for instance. People don't care about your website, however proud you are of it. Instead, give them a reason to visit. Tell them they can find additional information about your latest products, product support, useful articles, etc. Tell them they'll get a discount coupon, or can sign up to win something. Think about why they should visit, provide that information or service and then tell them it's there.