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Think you're too small for a Web site?

The following story appeared in the Post-Dispatch
Think you're too small for a Web site?
By Rebekah Tsadik
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
07/16/2006

When Betsy Ibur started her home-based child-care service 12 years ago, she
relied on newspaper advertisements, fliers and referrals to attract new
customers to her small business in Webster Groves. But as her customers grew
up, so did their parents' sources of information. So she decided to move her
business online.

"I needed to bring in a new group of kids and those other ways just weren't
working anymore," Ibur said.

While investing in a Web site may seem an extravagant move for Ibur's
four-person child-care service, most small businesses no longer can afford not
to make the same transition.

"Having a Web site these days is like having a fax number or a phone
number," said Aldis Jakubovskis, a program specialist for the Missouri Small
Business Development Centers. "A Web site is a logical extension of who you
are as a company."   And an abundance of do-it-yourself kits, Web
development firms and freelance designers means that small businesses have
no excuse to stay disconnected -- no matter their type, budget or level of
technological savvy. But more important than launching a site is learning how
to use one effectively and why.
    In teaching seminars and meeting with clients, Jakubovskis emphasizes one tool essential for both small and large business owners
    -- Web presence. The Internet provides a space for small businesses to compete with big businesses, especially because they
    typically can make updates more quickly and more flexibly than their larger counterparts.

    Companies that choose not to have a Web site are at risk of losing their customers to competitors who can be found conveniently on
    the Web, Jakubovskis said.

    "I Google anything," Jakubovskis said. "If a (business') Web site is not there, I look for something else."

    Despite the competition and brand extension opportunities the Internet provides, some small businesses choose not to log on.

    Commercial consulting and service companies, for example, would benefit little from a Web site, said Jerome Katz, Coleman chair
    in entrepreneurship at St. Louis University's Cook School of Business.

    "And businesses that are totally local are not particularly cost-effective on the Web," he said.

    Aside from its location and hours, a small business may not have much else to tell local customers, Katz said.

    However, some small-business counselors and Web developers said a smartly designed site can benefit local businesses and their
    out-of-town vendors, visitors or local customers seeking information outside of business hours.

    Monarch restaurant owners Jeff Orbin and Aaron Teitelbaum found the Internet instrumental in attracting and keeping customers.
    Besides providing basic information about the restaurant, their site offers an events calendar, a seasonally updated menu with
    prices, photographs of the restaurant and its dishes, online reservations, gift certificates for purchase and a flashy introduction.

    "It was an expensive site," Orbin said, estimating a total cost of just under $10,000. "But it was worth it."

    Simply constructing a site did not guarantee the Maplewood restaurant success. Orbin hired Web developer Andy Waschick of
    Gestalt Inc. To redesign the restaurant's site in 2005, transforming it from a static informational site with contact information and
    location to one that was interactive. The new site attracts about 1,000 visitors per week.

    Orbin uses a statistics program that allows him to track visitors' zip codes, which search engine they used and other information.
    He can edit the site himself, without having to call and pay for support each time he wants to make updates.

    "I like to have full control over (the site)," Orbin said. "It takes that middle person out."

    Orbin advertises the restaurant's Web site through other functions of the business, such as customer comment cards, guaranteeing
    that the site won't be stranded in the Internet sea.

    "Design is secondary to being found," said Robert Minor, of St. Louis-based Cybermill Inc., the Web development firm designing
    Ibur's child-care site. A mediocre site that everybody finds is preferable to a beautiful site with few visitors, he said.

    Ideally, a Web site will have high visibility on search engines such as Google, which rank sites based on relevance and other factors.
    Do-it-yourself Web designer

    1and1.com sells software it says improves search-engine visibility. But some Web developers say there is no way to guarantee a top
    spot on a search engine.

    For example, a recent search for "St. Louis newspapers" in both Google and Yahoo returned

    www.stltoday.com as the No. 1 and No. 2 result, respectively. An MSN search listed the site at the bottom of page eight.

    Ibur doesn't worry about search engines. She's anxious to get her business on the Internet before she has too much competition,
    plans to include her location, ideology and references from other parents on her site, but is leaving the technical details and updates
    in Minor's hands.

    "I know Bob will do this for me," Ibur said. "I trust him."

    Cost of the Web

    Whether you choose a professional firm or a do-it-yourself kit, here is what you can expect for your digital dollars:

    Under $1,000: Web development program Adobe Dreamweaver retails at $399. Dreamweaver offers a trial period for its program,
    and upgrades range from $199 to $799.

    $1,000-$5,000: Network Solutions offers its "Custom Site" package for $1,054, which includes a one-time design fee and a monthly
    fee of $54.96.

    $5,000-$10,000: Gestalt Inc.'s Web management software -- called Gestalt 2 -- allows the user to edit all site content in real time,
    including pictures and text, without any knowledge of computer coding needed. Only highly customized content or complicated
    features might require the user to contact a Web developer, keeping maintenance costs low.

    Above $10,000: St. Louis-based Web developer Cybermill Inc. said highly customized sites, such as medical sites that allow patients
    to make appointments online, could cost $25,000 to $100,000.

    Web success

    Not sure how to get your small business’ Website started?
    Here are a few tips from a variety of professionals:
    •CHECK OUT THE COMPETITION’S Web siteand design yours better. But make pertinent information easy to find — who you are
    as a business, what you do, how customers and vendors can reach you.  
    • CHOOSE A DOMAIN NAME that is short and easy to remember
    (think: “Amazon.com”), and with more than one suffix, if possible — “.com” and “.biz.” If a Web development firm purchases the
    domain name for
    you, place it in your name, not theirs.  
    • UPDATE YOUR SITE as seasons change, when you gain new merchandise, if you offer specials or hold sales. Use layman-friendly
    editing programs so you don’t have to call for help each time you update.
    • MONITOR YOUR SITE TRAFFIC with a ticker or a statistics program that tracks the site’s visitors and how long they stayed. This
     will help you assess what features your customers finds most useful.