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Page 1 of 6 Every day, over 20000 people launch websites. Recent statistics state that if you're not in that group, you are missing out on 250 million people who are probably buying stuff directly on the internet, or basing their decisions on what they will buy online. These 250 million people are your business.
The Business of Websites The following article is taken from www.free2code.net which is a great resource for programmers and web designers. It has been included here for it's informational value for people considering building a website and should not be interpreted as or quoted as the words of John Pitchers. This article was written by the author of www.free2code.net. The original article can be found here.
Introduction
Every day, over 20000 people launch websites. The mere fact that you're reading this means either you have an interest in websites and coding, and you're trying to expand that interest on the F2C Tutorials forums, or you're planning to create a website soon. Recent statistics state that if you're not in that group, you are missing out on 250 million people who are probably buying stuff directly on the internet, or basing their decisions on what they will buy online. These 250 million people are your business.
That was the situation. Here's the problem:
99% of the sites today are awkward in defining the very reason why they exist. Coca Cola's last Chief Marketing Officer states that marketing's goal is simple: it is "to sell more stuff to more people more often for more money". That same goal applies to websites. Generally, the goal of a site is to get more people to visit your site as often as possible, and get them to buy as often as possible.
This tutorial is for those happy amateurs, (like me), webmasters and designers who think this way about the function of a website. It's not for those who are selling directly to the public online, but anyone wishing to draw out direct responses. Convincing your audience to look into the idea of your company will lead to eventual sales. The guide is meant as a practical guide, not an academic lecture. It is structured on my observation of the web since 2000 and the experiences (good, as well as bad) I've felt communicating and selling using the web. I'll try to be as specific as reasonably possible in the tips without wasting time on the boring stuff. This is not an answer to every challenge you see in making your website appealing or successful.
Most people (or at least the people I have met) think the first priority is to drive traffic to a website and then to worry about selling stuff after that. That's right in some ways, and wrong in others. I believe there's no such thing as a 'selling-machine', and at the same time, what good is a heap of traffic that if you don't have the resources or appeal to convert it all to your side? From what little experience I have, I'll try to extract what I know of converting your visitors, and then move onto traffic. There is some good stuff though, embracing common misunderstandings of search engines and techniques to get sites found.
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