I was referred to a prospective client recently that had their website redesigned. They paid $60,000 for a site that really does nothing for them. It is a simple brochure site that provides visitors nothing and it certainly does nothing to convert traffic into sales. Since all their budget went to design, they have no money left over to properly market the site. Mistake #1, don't pay $60,000 for a branding exercise.
A corporate website is about supporting the business. The beauty of the Internet is there is no guessing. You can measure pretty much anything. What are you trying to accomplish? Increase traffic? Generate leads? Increase sales? If it is yes to one of these questions, then a $60,000 investment should get you another $600,00 to your bottom-line? Can a brochure site deliver a 80-95% ROI?
Web design is a commodity today. The cost of design should represent about 25% of your total spend. Design costs are competitive today, so spending more than you have to should be the last thing you do. There are excellent open source Content Management Systems (CMS) that give you the power to manage your own content. The cost of the software is $0 to you. We recommend using either Plone or Joomla. Both of these platforms provide you with Web 2.0 compliant back-end at low cost for setup and maintenance.
The value in web design is working with companies that can properly market what you do. To properly market the site, you should be spending 10-12x what you should spend in design. So, it is possible to get a Web 2.0 website at an affordable cost. If you are a small company that is spending $4,000-$8,000 on a basic website, you should plan over 12 months to spend an additional $30,000-$80,000 on marketing. The dollars spent on marketing brings the traffic to the site. Simple rule, more traffic through the front door means more business.
Unlike other advertising, you can control your spend and measure your ROI pretty quickly. You can turn your marketing dollars on and off depending on the performance, it is all measurable.
DeFabis Photography is an example of a client that went through the redesign process. We built a Search Engine Friendly website that allows him to manage content on the site. Prior to working with us, his website was not listed in the top 100 on Google for the popular keywords. Since working with us, his visitors and page views have increased. But most important, he has doubled his bookings from this time last year. And, he did not spend $60,000 on his web design.
If you need help in evaluating a prospective vendor, here are some question that may help you understand their knowledge:
1. How do capture visitor traffic off the Internet? Can you track their movement through my site? If so, how? 2. How do manage pay per click advertising dollars to ensure I am maximizing my spend and not wasting money? 3. How do you measure whether my site is friendly to my users? 4. How many page views would you estimate my site would get to determine the right level of hosting? 5. What things will you need to change on my website? What things can I change on my own? 6. If I want to change the look, does it require changes to the backend scripting on the site? 7. What will it take to add a new page to match an ad we are running to the new site? For instance, I want to advertise a special and build a page specific for it, what will it take for us to do this? 8. What do you anticipate the average cost per lead for the website to be? 9. Who owns the source code to the site?
So, think about your objectives. Think about what you want to accomplish and spend your money according to the results you want to achieve. A pretty website just does not generate the type of results you should and can get using the Internet. Don't get mugged for $60,000. It's bad for your business.
The internet has made it possible for anyone around the world to cash in on a successful internet home based business if they are willing to sacrifice 15 minutes a day to work. This industry is expanding rapidly and research from Newsweek shows that at the end of 2005, over 50% of households in the US alone are involved in a home based business; and revenue generated from an online internet business will increase by 17% yearly through the year 2008!
An honest internet business opportunity can be highly successful if it has more than just get rich quick schemes. Remember!! This is not a J.O.B! It is a business! What proves to be a little harder is how to make your internet home based business profitable. To get you started, I have listed some methods below that have proved successful for me and many other people.
What method is BEST?
There are a lot of companies out there that are willing to sell information that claims to have companies looking for work at home workers. My advice is DO NOT buy information on companies who are looking for 'at home workers'. Instead, start your own online business providing those information and services that there is a need for. This is what we call "Affiliate Program" and "Affiliate Marketing", a proven, easy and fast way to earn a sizeable income online. By joining affiliate programs, you are awarded for every visitors or subscribers introduced. Compensations are made based on: each visit (Pay-Per-Click), registered free (Pay-Per-Lead), or commissions for each sales (Pay-Per-Sale). All these methods will provide you with multiple streams of income. My suggestion is try to enroll at least 5 legitimate affiliate programs that provide residual and leverage income to make a profit online.
Remember to enroll companies that match the theme of your site. If you sell weight loss products, then you shouldn't choose affiliate programs like match- making service. Companies with good affiliate program will provide traffic-generating banners, text links, recommendation email templates and a website with products that you can sell without handling them. Further information includes paying commissions, following up with customers, collecting money and etc. They will also allow you to access your entire sales statistics in real time.
Look for programs that offer top commissions ONLY and promote them to the best of your abilities! It is also important to research the company background and to communicate with those who are already involved so you understand any risks you may be taking. Expecting to make enormous amount of money in a very short time is unrealistic. Most honest internet home based business do not, and will not promise instant wealth, but may offer a steady income stream that can increase gradually. That's why joining an affiliate program can be a great way to start your very own internet home based business!
You must have a domain name that hosts with a legitimate hosting company to promote your 5 affiliate programs in one place. A domain name may only cost you as little as $6.95 per year, and hosting $7.95 per month. I would advice you to buy an expired domain name that was once registered but have expired. The benefit of buying an expired domain name is they are already indexed by most search engines online. The chances of getting to the top of search engine are higher then a new domain name. This is one of the cheap and efficient ways to represent your business. There is no reason to put effort and money to register a domain that you can begin building your online presence with from scratch.
Next is to follow the marketing methods provided by these affiliate companies. The reason affiliate programs are so great for newbie is that you only need to focus on the marketing side - not making your product. Although affiliate marketing is relatively cheap to set up as a home business, there are still some costs involved in getting up and running smoothly. All good affiliate companies will provide you with effective internet marketing tips and techniques for your affiliate marketing success! Some even offer pre-written articles and a free short course for their associates? members.
It is also good to write a business plan as it may be your roadmap to reaching your financial freedom. This is not the time to "pick it up as you go"! A brief description of the entire business should be given, follow by listing the objectives and goals that you want to accomplish. Next and perhaps most importantly, develop your marketing plan which will address all the specific of your online internet business.
An experienced top internet marketer can give you his whole proven business system which he personally uses to earn a 6 figure income online. However, you will not be able to benefit from his system if you are not prepared to work!
Both Paul Lorinczi & Bibi Liew are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Paul Lorinczi has sinced written about articles on various topics from The Internet, Bankruptcy Law. Paul Lorinczi is a Partner in Indy Associates, an Internet Marketing Consulting firm located in Indianapolis, IN. Visit their website at: