I wonder what proportion of shops have a website? Those who do, how much can you say it has helped your business, and how do you best promote the web address? Best wishes, Ian S-K
Posted by Gail & Dave Beattie (Member # 572) on :
Ian, i still recall a time when over 35% of our yearly business came from one customer... who by the way found us through our website
i look at them as a permanent add that is just another way of telling folk what you do
i think that even way back then folk liked to be able to learn a bit about us without having to pick up the phone and be confronted with someone who wanted to seel em stuff right off
what must be said though is that just having a website isn't enough... you have to have it well positioned (registered with the search engines and linked to appropriate sites or you end up with no-one knowing it's there, registration is sumthing that sooo many people forget about it seems
i know that we collected customers from much further afield than those who happened by our door, for shops that operate from home or are a little off the beaten track this form of advertisings is well suited
i veiw most shops websites as an introduction that can set the stage for further contact and it helps weed out the lookers from the buyers
for the very small cost the ratio of return has worked for us and many i know
nowdays folk expect to be able to find you on the net, in the old days it was phone and fax
i have found other side benifits of having a webpage, just one little thing that ive used before with great sucess is being able to post pictures of items for sale, machinery and the like, then when people contact you about the sale you can direct them to the page so they can see for themselves without the need to travel large distances or you having to send stuff to individuals, have a look at http://www.pittco.com.au/forsale to see what i mean like i said this is just one little extra benifit
so to answer your question... yup i do think they are worthwhile
cheers gail
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
We have a website.
I see it as an extremely valuable tool. It gives out little company a chance to look like a much larger, more professional firm.
We use it two ways... One is to qualify ourselves, establish what we can do, by referring folks who contact us directly or by phone to the website. They often ask for a brochure or pictures of what we've done. The website acts as our virtual portfolio.
The second way we use the website is for the folks who are seeking us or our services directly through the web or search engines. It amazes me the amount of business this brings to us. And it continues to grow all the time.
Our business is somewhat different than many here, with us doing far fewer but far larger jobs each year. Our clients are far flung, literally all over the continent and increasingly from around the world.
The web is the most effective way of reaching and servicing this clientel.
Each business and the possible effectivenes of a website must be carefully weighed and measured. THe type of business and clientel will determine the type of site you may need and it's ultimate effectiveness.
-dan
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Thanks Gail & Dan, what about the promotion of the http://www.yourshop.com ? Does anyone have any unique ideas other than registering with search engines, to direct the unknowing public to your site? Thanks & best wishes Ian
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
I sell almost exclusively through my website.
I don't worry so much about search engine rankings anymore. First, to get really good rankings, it costs $$$$$ to be listed at the tops (yes, you DO have to pay for those top listings) and even at that, there's no guarantees you'll get the listing cause nowadays they're positioned by who bids the highest amount of $$$ for the spot AND the site has to meet the search criteria your potential customers might use... basically you bid $$ on particular words that match your site content.
I rely mostly on word of mouth, just like any other shop does, but these words are spread by past customers who post positive feedback in online forums, and I post about my business in some of the forums I visit each night, not trolling for business but more or less helping others that share the same hobbies like car audio and car/truck customizing. Eventually the word gets out about the kinda work I do and these guys are comfortable sending their projects my way because they already "know" me.
Eventually you'll have people referring your site to others, and some will even say you do great work without having ever dealt with you! Posted by Jon Butterworth (Member # 227) on :
Hiya Ian.
I seem to have the only signwriter's website in rural South East Queensland, although Superior signs do have a front page up.
Katie (Kookaburra) Wright built it for me a couple of years ago. Initially, I had a analysis on all the hits. Of course the bulk of these were through Letterhead related sites, but I was amazed how many originated in Queensland. Evidently a lot of "rural" people are now doing their "shopping" via the net.
My first job within weeks of setting up was a $3000 road sign two hours drive away
As for search engines, there is a lot of free stuff out there. But I found once I registered with the business listings in www.toowoomba.com I got a lot more local enquiries. Cost is $90 a year but also includes web space linked to my original site.
Other than that, I have my web site in a prominent position on my van, business cards etc.
Posted by Rosemary (Member # 1926) on :
We have one. We use it exclusively as a portfolio for when we have a meeting with an architect or a general. It sure saves a lot of talking and lugging pictures around.
:^)
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Thanks Guys for the info; and the hidden $$$ to get to the top of the lists- so it's not just a matter of being simply registered with the right search engines.
Question again: Any more unique ideas for promoting your URL to the unknowing public. Best wishes, Ian S-K Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
I found it well worth registering on the Dmoz open directory project.
A number of the search engines use this to garner URLs and information. It’s a free service but could take a month or two for your name to appear. My sign site appeared within in a week but the glass-painting site never was accepted for some reason.
I now have entries in all sorts of directories, listings and search engines of which I had never heard. You will usually be able to tell when your URL has been sourced from Dmoz because you will recognize the description you supplied when registering.
Editing to add that despite the above, the glass painting site is much busier. This is due to just one particular Link so, Links are VERY important. Of course, it's also possible that glass painting has a wider audience than signwriting, but seems unlikely. My cousin has a site devoted to the Lithop. It was chugging along fine then overnight, his figures shot through roof. In an effort to find the cause, he checked his backlinks and found his site had been linked to an enthusiasts site in China. There's quite a few people in China!
[ April 19, 2003, 07:29 AM: Message edited by: Arthur Vanson ]
Posted by brian-the-brush (Member # 2258) on :
Hi Ian, I'm not sure if you should be targeting "Joe Public" or instead directing your web site to potential customers only ? being listed with as many search engines as possible is not always the best thing to do, as many charge a fee. I have a busy web site that brings in work, granted my work is quite exclusive as I only do hand lettering and goldleaf work, and as you know paint pushers are now becoming something of a rarity !! The way I promote my web site is to e-mail any groups of people who I think might need my services; breweries, banks, transport companies,etc, etc. I find that if I send out 100 e-mails I can expect an extra 20-30 hits on my web counter, which is worth the effort.I also ask new customers where they found my details and the feedback shows me that the internet is a great way to promote your business. Good luck,
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