Business Websites – Do you want a Business Website? Do you need a Business Website? What you want your Business Website to do? What is a Business Website for?

• Ever thought websites are not for you or your business?

• You may think its only large online retailers or big companies who need one?

• Maybe you think that you have to be clever on a computer to have one?

• You may think ‘what the heck do I need a website for, as I advertise elsewhere?’

Whatever you think and whatever else you are doing to promote your business, if you don’t have an online presence, then you are not ever going to reach the full marketing potential of your business.

You know as well as I do, no business leaves marketing and advertising to chance. I bet you also know that no smart business owner keeps to one method of marketing. Like me you understand the need for what we call in the marketing world, the ‘pillars of marketing’ approach.

These pillars are made up of a variety of ways to market and advertise your business. All the top successful companies do this. They leave nothing to chance and maximise all opportunities. As they know that if they don't they are limiting their chance to maximise their on-going potential to attract new customers. 

Consider this. Did Woolworths know that after a hundred years of trading it would disappear from the high street overnight? Did Habitat realise, that after growing so successfully and with a loyal customer base, it would have to close up its high street outlets and move into a small convenient corner of Homebase? Did we expect some of the big banks to crash and leave customers stranded? The answer to all these is no.

 



Regardless of their ability to market or advertise their business, when push came to shove these giants of the business world were vulnerable. As all businesses are.

And that's why if you have decided that your continual flow of self referrals, word of mouth recommendations or responses from that one and only paper directory you advertise in is all your going to do, think again. 

Don't take your business or your personal future for granted. You may well have had a nice steady flow of customers conning to you on the back of your current advertising. But whose to say how it will be next month, next year or in the years to come. One day you could be another business which succumbs to the unknown consumer market which will be with us as we proceed toward 2014 and beyond.

Businesses close down for a number of reasons. The main reason is cash flow. That cash flow needs consumers. Consumers need to know you are there. They then need to be made aware that what you have on offer matches what they need. They then need reassurance that you can deliver on what you say you can offer.

So if you want to ensure you attract the people who are going to supply you with the money to keep that cash flow ticking over, you will need to take a serious look at your marketing strategy. And if you haven't yet got a good number of different ways to market your business, then get cracking and get some ideas of what you can do.

Because by having these different pillars of marketing in place. These different ways to advertise and promote your business. You are much more likely to maximise your chance to hook in new customers. Because potential customers don’t just read one newspaper. They don’t just respond to  a direct letter or flyer.

Out there in that big wide world of potential customers are people like yourself. People who respond to different things, in different ways, at different times. Some of these potential customers will hear about you from a previous customer. That’s great because people will then trust in you and if it fits with what they need, they will more likely contact you than anyone else.

 

But what about those potential customers who don’t hear about you ‘word of mouth’, how will they hear about you? Well maybe they won’t. Maybe they will see you. See your van or an advert in the local paper. Happen to come across an article in a magazine.

 

Then there are those potential customers who know what they want and will go searching for it. We all are the same in this way and this is sure the way we shop for things the most. After all, word of mouth and just coming across an advert are marketing approaches that are kind of left to chance. It would only be by chance that whoever your customers talk to are looking for your particular service or product at that very given moment. And of course they may well keep hold of your contact details until such time they do need your service.

 

So if you agree with me that most people, most of the time, will have an idea in mind of what they need. Whether they need new shoes, new windows, a new hair style, new central heating, an extension to the house or a back massage to relieve stress. Generally people do know what they need at any given time and therefore most people will go searching for the people who can supply them with what they need. Makes perfect and logical sense to me. Therefore, the next bit is easy. Where do they look for the people who will supply them with what they need?

 

You may be a new business or an established business with or without a website. It is quite surprising how many businesses do not have any web presence whatsoever. One would imagine with the dramatic and swift rise of the Internet and the ever growing use of mobile phones and with the expansion of tablets that those businesses without a website would have caught on by now. I wonder what it will take for the penny to drop. 

 

I can imagine that there are types of business who may not think that a website is going to do them much good. A business that has established a good flow of customers who return or word of mouth referrals. I could see certain retail pout lets and shops thinking that their presence on the high street is all the advertising they need.

 

No doubt that certain trades such as hairdressers, beauty salons, osteopaths, beauticians etc. may wonder how or why their customers would go searching on the Internet when they have adverts in local newspapers or magazines. Do scaffolders, roofers or bricklayers see a benefit to a website when they spend all their time outside in all weathers and are as far from the webisphere as you can get.

 

Well what can I say? Plenty really as Mrs Bingham will verify. It all boils down to how can a website benefit your business. And what do you want your website to do for your business. Do you want it to advertise the fact you are there? Do you want it to act as a brochure or online shop? Do you want it to be informative regarding the services you offer and the experience and qualifications you have to do the work? Do you want it to show off the projects which you have already completed or show examples of recent work? Well a website can do any one of these things or all of these things for you and your business.

Maybe you already have an idea of what you want and not sure how to go about it. So how about giving the professionals a call who can take you through step by step what you can do and how it can help.

 

Bath Business Web Ltd - Bringing your Business to Life

 

Call for a free consultation and find out more about how you can help your business grow

 

01225 920 503

Wishing you and your business every success for a future unknown.

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd
Your local Internet Marketing Specialist, Business Directory and Website Design Company

Building Websites for Business Success in Bath

Bath Business Web Ltd is an Internet and Social Media Marketing Company specialising in the construction of websites and is committed to the success of all businesses in Bath and the South West.

Bath Business Web Ltd 7, Pierrepont Street Bath BA1 1LB

At Bath Business Web we run a number of successful online business directories covering Bath, Bristol, Warminster, Trowbridge, Chippenham, Frome and Calne.

The age of paper directories is coming to an end. The majority of people are now turning to the internet when looking for a tradesperson or service local to them. For nearly ten years Bath Business Web have built up a large online presence helping put people get in touch with a range of professionals to suit their needs.

Hundreds of companies across Bath and the surrounding areas have discovered the many advantages of being listed with Bath Business Web. Our Bath Business Web Directory alone receives an average of 5,000+ visits every month.

At Bath Business Web we not only run a range of online directories, we also offer a comprehensive website design and optimisation service. Having a website to represent your company has a number of advantages. Not only does it ensure that your information is available to potential customers 24 hours a day, it also allows you to advertise your business across the world's most successful resource for information, the internet.

As soon as you have a website up and running, you need to get it noticed. This is where our extensive knowledge and experience of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) comes in.

With our fully qualified website designers who are trained in SEO, we can provide you with a website that works for your business. Not only are the websites we create fully optimised, they are also W3C compliant, a major advantage when getting your website recognised by Google.

We also have proven front page results for many businesses, throughout Bath, Bristol and the South West. You can watch a range of video testimonials left for us by companies happy to recommend Bath Business Web, by clicking here: Bath Business Web Ltd - Testimonials 

Or watch various business owners in Bath or the South West tell you about us in video testimonials here: Bath Business Web Ltd - Video Testimonials
 
You can also view a portfolio of some of the websites we have created on behalf of the businesses of Bath and the South West here: Bath Business Web Ltd - Website Portfolio
 
If  you’re not advertising or marketing your business on the internet then think again. All those hundreds, sorry I mean thousands of people with tablets or mobile phones, of which you are inevitably one, are looking on the Internet 24/7. They just reach into their pocket and get in touch with the world your business is not yet part of. A world that reaches more people than any advertising medium has ever done in the history of marketing, whether that is newspapers, radio or the telly, combined.
Business owners in Bath, Bristol or the South West, don't wait any longer, let us help you improve your company's web presence today.

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd

10 Essential things Businesses in Bath and Somerset need from a Website

If you own or manage a small or medium sized business in Bath or Somerset, then there is a very good chance you have not got a website.

Surveys show that a staggering 60% of small businesses in the UK do not have an online presence. I wonder if that same percentage may well equate to the businesses based in Bath or Somerset. Are you one of the 60%?

 

You may still advertise in Yellow Pages or place leaflets through doors. However, many other businesses, such as newspapers, magazines, book stores, food stores, hair salons etc. do have a website and pay far less attention to paper advertising. Even Yellow Pages has a website. And what of your competitors? Do they the edge over you with an online presence?

 

One day all businesses based in Bath and Somerset will have an online presence.                          Why? Because consumers will expect it.

 

When the automobile (car to you and me) was first on our streets, people said it would never take over from the horse. When electricity was invented people said it was far too dangerous. When home computers became available they were only for scientists or gadget geeks. Who ever thought 15 to 20 years ago that  we could buy our shopping, play a game or watch video from a phone. In them days phones were for phoning and not much else.

 

The world is constantly changing. Every single piece of research on the matter shows us the use of online facilities is growing more extensively by the day.

 

So what potential customers will want to see from your Business Website:

 
1. An easy to remember and functional web address
Your domain name and your business name or the type of business you offer should be reflected in your domain name.

2. A clear description of what your business offers
Statements that are clear and precise to what you do, what services you provide or the products you sell.

3. A website that consumers can navigate easily
No point having a super duper website with fantastic pictures and great text if when they get there the viewer cannot work out what to do next or which page links to what.

4. Contact details that are accessible and obvious
So many times I have been onto websites, some of which owned by some big name companies and for the life of me I cannot find the address, contact number or email. Make it clear and make it obvious.

5. Testimonials and galleries of your work
Consumers like to know that other people have been satisfied with your work. There are many ways to ‘show off’ your work or have people talk positively about your business. Word of mouth really does help sell your business. 

6. A website is an adverting and marketing tool for your business
An excellent means of generating new sales and keeping present customers aware of new products or services. It’s a brochure and catalogue all in one. A good website links to social media sites, video sites, professional bodies or associations. And with Pay Pal one can offer safe and secure online transactions. With unlimited space you can convey your message for unlimited time. New ideas can be tested in real time with instant results.

7. Ensure your business advertises the right impression
Make sure your website is up to date. Make sure it promotes your business in the best light. If you advertise in magazines, on billboards or posters you would want your adverts to be very professional and send the right message. Whatever you do, however you do it, always bear in mind; The impression your business is making to the world around you.

8. Be sure to get your website visible
Always ensure it is professionally built and correctly coded for search engine optimisation. Your website needs to be compatible with mobiles, tablets and computers. Remember, most people now have a mobile phone in their pocket, which acts like a mini computer. Basically they have the opportunity of finding your website wherever they are and at any time of day.

9. Make yourself accessible
Websites extend business hours 24-7. Any updated information, offers or product promotion is seen immediately. Your customers are going onto Google or shopping on EBay or Amazon when they get home from work. People are online all the way till bedtime. They may well want to find a plumber, builder, electrician, fitness instructor, or osteopath as well. Why on earth would they search through a paper directory when they are probably online anyway, and all they have to do is tap into Google ‘hypnotherapy bath’ and there it is.

10. Keep up with social media
Increasingly people want to know more about the people behind the business. They want to get feel for the ‘human side’ of the people behind the adverts or the websites. Social media sites such as Facebook and particularly Twitter, enable a business to engage on that ‘human’ level to an audience of thousands. When you buy a product in a shop you are more likely to return if the shopkeeper has treated you well and given you that ‘human’ contact. Well that’s exactly what business is now doing with social media.

Some small business owners think that having a website will cost too much money. Well compare the price of a five page website to the money you spend on Yellow Pages, magazines or printed leaflets.

Ask people when was the last time they picked up a paper directory. Ask people what they do with the leaflets that come through their door. I can guarantee you are spending much more money on directories that people no longer read and on paper advertising that goes straight in the bin.

 

Yes your 16yr old could possibly build a website. Yes you can go cheap and do it yourself with the likes of 1&1 My Website. Yes you can get a website built very cheaply indeed. But consider this. In all my time working closely with local business in Bath and Somerset, none of them have told me that these sites do what they want for their business. Why? Because there is more to building a website than a few pretty pictures and some fancy Shakespeare style writing. To me it’s like buying a car on the grounds it’s a great colour, has black leather seats and a badge suggesting it’s a GSI. Totally without knowing how it works under the bonnet or if all the relevant parts are in order and functioning properly.

Are you going to catch-up and join the online success stories in Bath and Somerset?

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd

　

Advertising & Marketing for Tradespeople

Whether you’re a plumber, bricklayer, roofer, electrician, plasterer, landscaper, shoe repairer, window cleaner, gardener, clock repairer or any of the many trades that we all need from time to time – you have to advertise and market your business.

You may well be in the fortunate position of getting most or even all your customers through ‘word of mouth’, which is great. When it is working that is. However, you have no control over whether or not it is working. But you can manage it. You can encourage it.

How do you therefore influence word of mouth, create more work or keep up the momentum of the numbers of customers contacting your business?

There are a number of ways you can do this. All have their benefits and of course all have a cost implication in time or money. What we know as ‘paper’ advertising, such as directories or business pages are getting thinner by the year.

Once upon a time there were people who would test their strength by ripping in half a Yellow Pages with their bare hands. Well that has just got easier. Have you seen the thickness of Yellow Pages or Thompson lately? Talk about a crash diet.

Alternatively you can take out a page in a local glossy magazine. The type we read in doctor’s surgeries, dentists or hair salons. Many of these magazines are often out of date. Not only that but your business may get lumped together in the advertising pages at the back of the magazine and get lost in the crowd. People don’t generally go looking for trade’s people through such magazines. The other thing to bear in mind with local magazines, is that each month you can be forking out the cost of building the equivalent of a five page website. And a website will always be visible and can always be kept up to date.

The ever increasingly and most popular way to find a business is on the internet.

A few years back we went to our computers and looked in such places as Yell.com or some other national directory. Then, we went to Google and typed the nature of the trade we wanted and the place we live. We could then see any trades person with a website, see who they were, what they had to offer, read testimonials and gauge how qualified or experienced they were. All their details being up to date and informative.  The website could even draw us in with video displays or galleries of photos showing previous jobs done, the products they use or examples of the skills of their trade.

Now mobile phones and tablets are taking over as the number one technology to seek, explore and contact local business or trades. This has meant all business getting up to date with websites that are compatible with the variety of mobile viewing platforms. When people are searching for a business in their area on their phone or tablet they want the information swiftly at hand and be able to view it with ease. To then follow it up easily with an email or phone call.

Increasingly people want to know more about the people behind the business.

People want to know the person, get feel for the ‘human side’ of the people behind the adverts or the websites. And that is where social media comes in. Social media sites such as Facebook and particularly Twitter, enable a business to engage on that ‘human’ level to an audience of thousands, if not millions. When you buy a product in a shop you are more likely to return if the shopkeeper has treated you well and given you that ‘human’ contact. Contact which has left you feeling important and that your custom is appreciated. Those shopkeepers and any sales people who have such insight to this will know and manipulate this psychology of human need. Then both shopkeeper and customer have a ‘win win’ situation. Well that’s exactly what business is now doing with social media.

Sometimes for many trades people the idea of advertising or marketing on the internet, whether by website or social media, is a million miles away from their everyday work. When you are working on a customer’s house, installing new windows, digging up a garden, repairing a boiler, up a ladder or fixing an electrical appliance, the world of the internet can seem an alien concept to advertise your business. After all, most trades are very practical, structurally substantial or have been created by blood, sweat and sometimes a few tears. Whereas the internet is more of a virtual world, a visual experience of text, images and videos which tempt and draw us in sometimes seductively and intellectually. The two worlds could not be more different.

However, you plumbers, bricklayers, roofers, electricians, plasterers, landscapers, shoe repairers, window cleaners, gardeners, clock repairers or any of you trades people out there in the real world.  You just go look in your jacket pocket, go look in the glove compartment of your van and pick up your mobile. Because that’s where that virtual world of advertising and marketing is. That is where all that social media chatter is taking place. Right in the palm of your hand.

Now, if you tell me you’re not advertising on the internet or you’re not going to consider doing so, then bare this in mind. Those people with tablets or mobile phones, of which you are inevitably one And let’s face it, who do you know hasn’t got one or the other. Well, they don’t go searching through paper directories or magazines at home anymore. They just reach into their pocket and get in touch with the world you deny. A world that reaches more people than any advertising medium has ever done in the history of everything.

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd

The Benefit of Online Directories

Print, radio, television and traditional advertising mediums are beginning to fall off the map while the internet is taking over. Advertising online, on mobiles, tablets and PCs is fast becoming the only advertising needed for small and large businesses alike.

These days, everyone and everything has an internet presence, from Facebook and Twitter to websites and the increasing media of online directories.

The internet and its ease of use, has made it quicker than ever for people to find a local business and its contact details, while  also researching their work and reading reviews.

Online Directories are now the place where all of this important information can be found. Sites like Bath Business Web, Freeindex and Scoot help businesses connect with potential customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and joining an online directory has been proven to be one of the most effective tools to help a small business’ website get noticed on the web.

Online Directories perform especially well with “longtail search terms” which are more detailed or descriptive phrases that people use to search for something or someone online.
For example: “Walcot Street Italian Restaurant”
Because the listings in the directory are usually comprised of these terms, or very similar, and comprise of categories, sub categories and keyword descriptions they perform very well in online searches.

Having your business website linked on the listing is also very beneficial, forming a “backlink” from a well-known and trustworthy source, further driving your website’s results up in Google. It also brings more traffic to your site and gives a better chance of you being contacted by a potential customer regarding your services.

Many of our directories category pages have front page results on Google, meaning that certain search terms, such as “autolocksmith bath”, will bring up the Bath Business Web Online Directory. In one morning, we received four phone calls regarding services registered on our directories, had we any registered businesses on these categories – they would have received those calls instead!

Online business directories are getting better and better, giving local, immediate results to potential customers. With the internet unlikely to be going anywhere, it is vital that small businesses invest time and money into an online presence, including social media, websites, online directories and other forms of online advertising.

What success have you achieved from online advertising such as directories? Do you ask your clients where they found you? How do you track your online responses? 

Bath Business Web Ltd – Professional Web Design & Bath’s Premier Local Online Directory.

Website Content: Colour

Colour Matters for your Business

Colour plays a very important role  in the world we live in today. Colour can change actions and affect thinking. It can sooth or irritate your eyes, suppress your appetite or raise your blood pressure.
Colour is irreplaceable - therefore, colours used for a product, website, business card or logo can cause powerful reactions. To a potential customer, your marketing materials are the first impression of your business or product. Giant corporate businesses will spend huge amounts of money on colour market research and have discovered that people make a subconscious decision about a product or environment within minutes of viewing, largely based on colour alone.

Colour References

When deciding on colours for your brand or website, keep in mind the different reactions that people have to colours:

RED - danger, passion, energy, warmth, stop
PINK - love, femininity
ORANGE - stability, reassurance, warmth
GREEN - nature, energy, calming, go
BLUE - soothing, loyalty, protection
YELLOW - sunshine, energy, happiness
PURPLE - creativity, fertility, joy
BROWN - security, stability
WHITE - youth, cleanliness, pure
BLACK - drama, eccentricity, elegance

Colour & Websites

We've all had to deal with websites with unpleasant colour combinations. Although the colours used may be the owners favorite colours or colours from the business logo, they are either very hard on the eyes or make the text difficult to read.
Using too many colours, or the wrong combination of colours could turn off your potential buyers completely. On average, you should choose three colours (or shades of those colours) at the most. Match them with the rest of your brand, as using colours from your existing brand makes your website more recognisable and gives consistency.

Pick colours for your target market. Who is your target market? What do you want to say? How do you want to say it?
As the owner of your business, you should know your target market - demographics such as gender, age and location play an enormous part in business and marketing.
Ask friends, family and colleagues what colours they feel are suitable for your type of business, experiment and try to see patterns in your results.
If your target market is 40-50 year old females from Bath, ask them what colours they find attractive. It really is that important.

You want people to view your website. Remember, it's easy for your visitors to press the back button.

Professional Websites with Professional Results - Bath Web Design