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Posted on 03 May, 2011

Keeping the web in your sights

The internet is making it much easier to launch businesses as entrepreneurs latch on to its global 24/7 sales and promotional opportunities.

However, it’s no good just having a website – it has to be visible so it can be quickly and easily found by customers using search engines to find the right deal.

Unfortunately, some start-ups could be undermining their chances of success because they have not designed, developed and maintained them properly – all essential if they are to be picked out by Google.

A recent BT Business survey of more than 70,000 SME sites found alarming and damaging weaknesses in many, with 13% actually rating their own website as ‘very poor’.

Only one in 3,000 were using keywords – relevant words or phrases that a customer might use to find a company’s products or services on the internet. And 42% have websites with bad pages – containing broken or invalid links.

The stark reality is that some businesses are squandering thousands of pounds on sites that few customers are able or willing to find – a worrying state of affairs in normal trading conditions, let alone in the challenging circumstances facing them now.

Businesses must realise it’s not enough to have an attractive website and then just let it take care of itself. On the contrary, they have to adopt coherent web-hosting and search engine optimisation strategies that maximise a website’s full potential and make it easier for customers to find.

Many of these measures are free or cost-effective and enable small companies to perform as effectively as big corporations online.

Business owners should not feel intimidated or overwhelmed by developing an internet presence but realise there is a wealth of accessible advice and support which can transform their websites from expensive follies into dynamic sales and marketing tools.