Web sites become vital tools for small-business owners

 If the answer is no, you could be missing out on potential customers

Sacramento Business Journal - by Anne Gonzales Correspondent


When it comes to Web sites, Jennifer Hatfield understands that beauty is more than skin deep.“It’s got to be more than pretty — it’s got to make me money,” an exasperated Hatfield said of the Web site she’s been trying to put up for her business SKINovative Laser Center. The Folsom skin care business specializes in Botox and acne treatments, laser hair removal, dermofillers and other skin rejuvenators. But the web-surfing public might not know that because Hatfield has been struggling with the design of her site since last June.

Like many small businesses, she knows she needs a Web presence, but doesn’t have time to run a business and learn the technology. And she hasn’t found the right designer at the right price to guide her through the process. So far she’s spent $2,800 on the design of the company’s 24-page Web site, SKINovativeFolsom.com, which is still under construction.

Trying to get search engines to find the site has been a struggle, too.

“Google wouldn’t recognize the business name when you type in ‘hair removal’ and ‘Folsom,’ ” Hatfield said. Once she installed some keywords linking the search engine and her business, she got calls from three potential customers in the first week.“I know there’s a goldmine there, I just didn’t know there would be so many obstacles,”she said.Panda Morgan, executive director of Sacramento’s Small Business Development Center, said she asks every business owner who walks through the door about their Web presence.

“We always ask if they have a Web site, if not for products, then just an information page,” Morgan said. “Many don’t understand how important a Web site is for consumer awareness and for buying on the Internet. Many think it will cost thousands to design and that it will be a hassle and cost them every time they want to update.” she said.“When we start to work with them, they’re blown away with how easy and inexpensive they are.”

Vital for marketing

Web sites are not just trendy accessories these days, they’ve become a vital tool for small businesses to compete in today’s business environment. A well-crafted Web site can drive potential customers right to a company’s doorstep, or virtual window at least.

Mike Saccomano, a Web site specialist for the Small Business Development Center, said he tells businesspeople who are reticent about jumping on the Web to think of it as a large Yellow Pages ad that can steer customers to your business.A Web presence can also legitimize a small business, he pointed out.

“Do you have business cards, letterhead, a location and a Web site?” Saccomano said. “OK, you’re a real business.”Tough economic times call for more online marketing and even a plunge into e-commerce sites, or Web sites that conduct online sales, Morgan said.“Many companies have turned to online sales during the recession,” she said. “They’re not getting people through the door, so they have to balance that out with the Internet. Many people don’t even want a brick-and-mortar store because of the overhead costs and the uncertain business climate.”Hatfield wants to eventually sell her skin care products online. That will require her to set up a way for customers to pay, usually an Internet merchant account for accepting credit card payments. Businesses with e-commerce sites need an Internet service provider with shopping cart capabilities, according to the city of Sacramento’s small-business center. They also need an Internet merchant account from a bank, and a gateway, or connection from the Web site to the bank. The business also has to calculate and collect sales tax.

Infinitely customizable

When Linda and Paula Zehnder collaborated on a Web site for their new family business, Franklin Ranch Pet Hospital and Hotel, they hired a professional Web designer, but still wound up spending three months writing the text and making design decisions on the 28-page site.“We got involved because we wanted more of a say in the Web site design,” said Linda

Zehnder, a partner in the Elk Grove pet care and veterinary hospital that opened in July 2008. “Picking the colors was a huge item, and then we worked on the background and the text. We wanted the site to be more professional, not too cute and trendy, not too bright. We were constantly looking at color palettes and changing things around.”

Zehnder said it costs a minimum of about $1,000 to $1,500 to have a professional service design a site, but she wanted to add some interactive features such as a contact form, a survey form, an appointment form and client registration forms, along with an attention-grabbing header with rotating pictures of charming cats and dogs. The finished product cost around $2,500.


Source

The trend today many people will go for a web site because their is no hastle at all.