Well folks, ever hear the term "measure twice, cut once"? Proper planning is very important when you build anything. Especially your 24/7/365 marketing tool. Your website.

So, here are 7 things to think about when formulating your vision:

1. Domain names - This is where it all begins. Naming your domain, or your website is step one for having an effective website. Register your name for a few years. Also, try to get your line of work in the domain name as well. If your companies' name is "Smith's bath and tile", try getting "www.smithsbathandtile.com" not just "smiths.com". This can help you rank higher on search engines. But don't get a url that is too long. People will not remember it, and may cause them to have too many typos and then end up going elsewhere for the service you are offering.

2. Hosting - This goes hand in hand with domain name. DO NOT shop by price. You get what you pay for. If you are having any problems on your site or have any questions, it is important that you have excellent customer service. And that is what the few extra bucks will get you. And when the day comes that you are having issues, you will be glad you did.

3. Design - Small business does not often equal big budget. Here at the Lab, we understand this. We are a small business ourselves. But, the biggest tip I can give is "DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME". Here's why:

• Your website is your forward-facing, 24-hour marketing tool. You want this to be well designed, easy to use and easy to read. I have seen so many small business websites that do more harm to a business than good. You don't show up for a client meeting in sweatpants and an old T-shirt do you? Then take the time and money to hire a designer/firm that is budget conscious, listens to your needs, and has experience (that would be us here at The Hype Lab). Your cousins first nephew doesn't count. Sorry Billy.
• Templated websites such as MS Office Live, or any templated site builder, hides the content of your site. Why is this a big deal? Well, if Google can't see it, then your potential customers won't. Not to mention, these sites usually look similar to each other, and bring no real advantage. You will lose business off a templated site.
• In this down economy, when you have a small budget, put it towards a redesign, or get a small and simple website. You will see results almost immediately. By putting the money and effort in now, while times are hard, you get a leg up on your competition who does nothing and waits for times to get better. This is a big boost to your business, you come out ahead now and in the future. A well designed, and browser compatible website with SEO built into it will do that. Leave your competition behind!

4. Content - Try to remember that attention spans are short these days. Keep the writing on your site to condensed, engaging copy that works well with your company's brand. Keeping your content short and engaging can also be a big help for SEO. Something to always keep in mind.

5. Social Media - If you use social media like Twitter, have it feed to your site. This lets visitors to your site see that you are using Twitter, it can drive people from Twitter to your site, and is yet another way to gain new business. If you use any social media, add links to your site for people to join your network. This is a great way of expanding your network, and keep your business in front of people.

6. E-Commerce - If you already have an online store, you should always have a well designed and laid out main site to go along with it. This adds a level of legitimacy to your business, and lets people know who they are buying from. We all feel safe buying from Amazon these days, but, there are still a lot of folks out there that are skeptical about online shopping. Reassure them by making sure they know who you are, and how they can contact you.

7. Usability - This is extremely important. Usability on a website is about making it easy for people to find their way around your site to get the information they need. Navigation, information architecture, ease of contact and clean, easy to read copy are just some of the things to keep in mind when considering updating, or creating a website. We recently posted an article about Usability. Click here to read it.

These are just a few tips on topics to look into when getting your business started. The best piece of advice I have to give, would be to at the very least, consult a professional on giving you proper advice on how to go about it. Or, call us, and we would be happy to work with you, within your budget, and build your online marketing efforts the right way.

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