To read some of the Internet literature, setting up your own Web site is an easy as picking up your dry cleaning. Unfortunately, that is also why so many online businesses fail to succeed. It takes planning and hard work and like any business venture, there is still no guarantee it will succeed.
However, you can reduce the odds of failure significantly by following some simple steps.
1. Decide on your message and your target market
2. Plan your site
3. Design the pages
4. Publish content
5. Promote the site
6. Process the response
7. Update the contents (at least once a month to keep it current).
These steps are just a guideline. Each area can be complex but knowing in advance the areas you must focus on will help you build your Web site.
Why 80% Of Web Sites Fail
Many businesses look at the Internet and see cash but few really plan their sites or even know what they want to achieve with their web site except make money. That is why so many fail.
We have all heard of the spectacular dot com failure both in Australia and overseas. It is usually caused by lack of research and planning. Someone had a bright idea, threw a lot of money at it and in no time at all, they were out of business. Even giants such as Yahoo and Amazon.com are reportedly losing money.
And why do they fail, when obviously these businesses thought they would succeed? It was because of a lack of business basics. When thinking of a web site, you must plan it and think through all stages just like any other business while focussing on these main areas.
How To Avoid Becoming A Statistic
First, you can’t start a web site or any business for that matter, without knowing what your source of revenue will be. You can have the best looking site in the world but with no way of generating revenue from it, it will fail.
Secondly, do the maths. Can you really afford to create a web site and then promote it, even if you do most of it yourself? With a web site, you can’t just build it and hope “surfers” will come, it must be actively promoted if you want it to succeed.
Thirdly, never forgot the main reason why people use the Internet – convenience! If you can’t offer them something which is “convenient” even if you are cheaper, then you are in trouble.
Fourth, in the midst of all that “convenience”, customers still expect excellent service. Your online presence must be better than your physical business otherwise they will just go elsewhere. You must set the standard for speed, efficiency and service.
