| There are certain things your business website needs | | | | visible on all pages. |
| to be successful. While some features are super | | | | Hours of Operation: |
| important while others are optional. I will explain as I go. | | | | Whether you have a physical store or work from your |
| I have always felt that you need to look at your | | | | home you should set hours of operation. If you don't |
| website or blog through the eyes of your visitor. | | | | then people will be calling you at 10 pm on a Sunday |
| Ask yourself these questions: | | | | night. If you work at home and the phone rings after |
| - What are they looking at when they see your | | | | your hours of operation you should discipline yourself |
| website? | | | | not to answer the phone. Also, don't assume that the |
| - What do they want to see? | | | | visitor to your website lives in the same timezone as |
| - What do they need to see? | | | | you do. Include the abbreviated timezone next to your |
| - What information is vital that the customer or visitor | | | | hours of operation as well. |
| will not do without? | | | | Search: |
| Read this article, thinking about your website and put | | | | If you don't have a way for your visitor to search on |
| yourself in the shoes of your visitor. | | | | your website you just might lose their business. I visited |
| What key features or pages should your business | | | | a website recently looking for fabric and while their |
| website have? | | | | website was very well organized they had no way of |
| - About Us | | | | searching for fabric. They probably have over 2,000 |
| - Contact information | | | | pieces of fabric on their website. Without a search I |
| - Telephone number (optional, see below) | | | | would have to look at every category and at every |
| - Hours of Operation | | | | piece of fabric until I found what I wanted. Unless |
| - Search Feature | | | | someone really wants your product that bad they will |
| About Us: | | | | just move on to the next website if they can't search. |
| Too many business websites are impersonal. This | | | | There is so much competition out there why wouldn't |
| page gives the visitor some information about you and | | | | you include a search feature to keep your customer |
| or your business. You don't need to get too personal. | | | | at your website instead of sending them to someone |
| You could share how or why you started your | | | | else. If your shopping cart doesn't offer that option you |
| business, your goals for your business, or what your | | | | can also use the free Google or Yahoo search |
| main product line includes or hat services you offer. | | | | features to embed on your website. They will provide |
| People like to connect with a real person and this page | | | | you with full instructions for installing the code. |
| gives them piece of mind that you are indeed a "real" | | | | If your web host or shopping cart software does not |
| business and they would be dealing with a "real" | | | | include a search feature then add this free search |
| person. | | | | feature to your website. You will need knowledge of |
| Contact Information: | | | | copying and pasting HTML code into your website. |
| Believe it or not, many websites forget to include a | | | | You will find many free search services out there such |
| way for the visitor to contact them. You should include | | | | as They can be customized to blends in nicely with |
| this information, whether just an email address or | | | | your website so it looks like part of the design. |
| physical address or phone number, on ALL pages. You | | | | Adding these few "key elements" to your website can |
| never know how someone is getting to your website. | | | | make all of the difference in whether you get the sale |
| They could be coming in "through the back door" | | | | or someone else gets the sale. |
| meaning they don't come to your website through your | | | | Ask yourself these questions: |
| index page and if they never visit your index page | | | | - What are they looking at when they see your |
| they still need a way of contacting you. | | | | website? |
| Telephone Number: | | | | - What do they want to see? |
| If you want visitors to contact you by phone this | | | | - What do they need to see? |
| should be easily visible on all pages as well. Put it at the | | | | - What information is vital that the customer or visitor |
| top of the page so it is clearly visible and your website | | | | will not do without? |
| visitor doesn't have to search for it. This information | | | | Now that you have read this article, take a few |
| can be optional if you really don't want to give it out | | | | minutes and look around your favorite website. Does it |
| but you could be losing business if they cannot contact | | | | have the 5 key elements discussed here? If they didn't |
| you by phone. It all depends on what you are selling. | | | | would you move on to another website? Think about |
| For Contact and Telephone information, never make | | | | it. |
| the visitor search for this information. It should be easily | | | | |