How do I decide what to put on my web site?

Knowing what options there are is half the battle. This is by no means an exhaustive list but consider any of these features to get your creative thinking primed:

• A welcome/home page (of course)
• A general list of what you have to offer: Food services, Pest Extermination, Dentistry, etc.
• A specific list of what you have to offer: Menu, treatment plans, insurances you accept, etc.
• Product photos: Spend a little extra to have your merchandise professionally photographed. It really makes a difference.
• Online shopping capability: Simple order taking or shopping cart with purchase capabilities.
• A contact page: Including hours of operation.
• A street map: Where are you located?
• Bios: A page of bios or life sketches of important people in the company.
• History: A history or background of your company. This helps people feel they know you better and instills trust.
• A Calendar: If you have events that attract your current or potential customers, place a calendar of events on your web site. We can integrate one into your site that is easy to maintain by you.
• Educational information: This helps your customers learn about your industry and why they should buy from you. Educating them instills confidence in you.
• Specials, coupons, deals or incentives: If your customer has come to your web site, they're already interested. Seal the deal by driving them in with an incentive.
• Drawing, contests or surveys: Creating a form for your visitors to interact will make their stop to your web site more memorable. After collecting their information, you can award prizes periodically and post the winners on your web site to mak it real. Their contact information can then be use to market back to them later.
• Other resources: By providing a list of web sites that are complimentary to what you have to offer rounds out the usefulness of your web site. For example, if you are a mortgage broker, link to an amortization calculator. Other companies may be willing to link to your web site, too, if you just ask. Having outside links to your web site increases search engine rankings, too!
• Brand Links: If you sell Nike widgets and IBM whatsits, include a logo of Nike and IBM with links to their sites. This adds legitimacy to your company.
• Testimonials: It's always great to have satisfied customers. Why waste these experiences? Share them with others. Most people are flattered when asked to share something to say on your web site.
• FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions are a popular way to share a lot of information in an easy to read format.
• Endorsements: Placing insignias from trusted entities such as the Better Business Bureau validates your business.
• Downloads: Do you have documents, forms, programs or other digital information you'd like to share?
• Support: Create a list of topics that provide answers to your products or services so that your customers can help themselves when they get stuck.
• News or Press Room: Share significant events about what's going on. This can be in the format of several newspaper-style articles. Add to it regularly; weekly, monthly or quarterly are good plans.