5 Web Features that Every Business Should Utilize

by Joshua M Cox

Whether building your business a new web site or expanding your old one there are 5 key web features that every business should look into. In this article, which will be the first of a six part series, we will briefly go over each of these features. The features listed below are just five of the techniques that I have either used in the past or am currently using as of the writing of this article.

Each of these features suggests ways to increase traffic to your site, acquire more sales leads, and even turn a profit. Will this information make you wealthy? Not necessarily, to be straightforward with you: I'm giving you the hammer. Whether you build a doghouse or a castle is up to you. My suggestion: Think BIG! Isn’t it about time?

Referrals Program

An excellent way to obtain new customers or clients is through a referral program. Offer your existing clients a discount or a percentage when they refer a friend. I personally offer a program for both my current customers and a standard program available to anyone. For every referral they send me that turns into a project I pay the referrer a percentage of the sale.

The cliché it takes money to earn money is the idea here, but then again, the money you make will be a profit off of what the referrer makes you. It’s a way to give back to current customers and a way to gain new ones. Its also a good way to add to your sales efforts without having to hire an employee.

Awards Program

Web awards is also a great way to gain “cold” leads. In order to enter the program they must submit their information and website (which is a must) to you.

The best way to gain these leads is to not target a broad market but rather your niche and industry. Ex: If you are a web designer you could offer: Best Web Site Awards, Web Excellence Awards, and also Best (category) Web Site (i.e.: Best Business, Personal, Non Profit, etc.) Web awards make a statement that says "I worked hard to create this”.

They reward skill, effort, and enthusiasm while supplying the recipients with formal recognition. They acknowledge the hard work and dedication that each applicant has put into constructing their web sites and content. You should offer both web awards (for free) and certificates (for small fee) to winners for the best results.

Web Advertisement Program

I feel that this is a great way to capitalize on the blank space of ones website. It is greatly over looked by the masses of small business. No, web advertisement isn’t just for big corporations like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and others.

Even the smallest business can make a decent profit off of another businesses advertisement. Ex. If your office is in a strip mall than turn to the businesses in this area and say “Hello I’m So and So, I run the whatever company two stores down. I have a web site and I was wondering if you’d would like to purchase advertising space on my site.”

Don’t charge $150 a month if you only get ten or fifteen visitors a month. That’s just bad business. Instead be honest and charge $20 a month and $50 for a quarter (three months) for less than 2500 visitors per month. I personally only charge $50 per month and $125 per quarter. But I get between 3000 and 5000 visitors per month. Think about it, why charge exorbitant prices when you can on average fit two or more ads per page? With only five pages that is around $500 per month.

Give A Way Program

This is another program that takes money to make money. Generally; it only takes a small investment to create a large return in either money or prospective customers. The choice is yours. You can do this program like a raffle and charge to enter (this way you make a small fee per registration) or let people enter for free (and make cold leads).

As for what to give away it can be your products or services, or something related to a holiday like a dozen roses sent to the winners choice of recipient for Valentines Day. If you do something like the roses DO NOT put your name or business on the dozen roses. Send it to the recipient in the winners name. Things like that go a long way.

Web Search

The web search feature is another way to gain not only leads but too possibly make a profit. It does make it easier for your visitors to find things on your site, and when used for that purpose only it is not necessary for smaller sites only larger one.

There are other reasons to offer a search engine though. This type of feature can make you money or make prospective customers through inclusion. You can charge an inclusion fee if the overall goal is to make immediate money.

I think you can make more money by gaining leads from the inclusion though. Just think about it. They must enter their personal information for verification purposes and must enter their web site (which is a valuable resource of research information about a company that you can turn into a customer or client).

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About the author

Joshua M Cox, Owner and Creative Director for Business Solutions of America, has been active in the design field for over 5 years. With a background in design and business he worked his way up through the industry freelancing before launching BSA in 2001.

In addition to his own personal experience, Mr. Cox is privileged to work with an exceptional network of talented industry professionals on a project basis in the areas of photography, illustration, website coding, and multimedia development.

Web Site: http://www.businessamerica.us

Email: jcox@businessamerica.us

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