5 Ways to Give Your Web Site a Big-Company Look and Feel

We all DO judge a book by its cover, and the same saying goes for Web sites. I've seen many entrepreneurs offer great information on their Web pages, but compromise their image dramatically with a few amateur mistakes that can be VERY unforgiving.

If you want to attract high quality clients and customers, and convey that you're a legitimate, credible, and sought-after business, these five points are a great launching pad to give your site that "big company" look and feel.

1. Start with a high-quality LOGO.

The one your kid created for you doesn't count! I'm talking about paying a designer to do one for you, and it doesn't have to cost in the thousands. If you don't have much of a budget, consider the following options:

For my E-zine Queen site, I used an online logo service called "1800MyLogo" (http://www.mylogo.com). At the time they charged only $199 to design a professional logo based on my business, style, and personal preferences. The whole process only took about two weeks and was conducted entirely over the Web. (To see the final result, take a quick peek at Ezine Queen (http://www.ezinequeen.com.)

I've also heard good things about GotLogos.com, where you can get a quick Web site logo for only $25!

2. Get your own business DOMAIN NAME.

It's just a fact that folks will feel safer shopping at a site with its own domain name.

For example, if you were shopping online for a circular saw, would you be more likely to purchase from a hardware site called "...bobshardware.com" or the one whose URL is "...geocities.com/3339/bobshardware'? (This is a fictional example, by the way.)

Having your own domain name implies you're a "real" company, and not Uncle Bob working in his kitchen at night (even though you my very well be ; )).

There are several places to buy domain names at good prices, but one of my favorites is WebLaunching.net (http://www.weblaunching.net). (Only $12 per year.)

3. Get (and use) a business E-MAIL ADDRESS.

Nothing screams "amateur" like sending out professional e-mail from a handle like "fuzzybear4u@hotmail.com." Once you get a domain name for your Web site, have your hosting company set up a professional e-mail *alias* for you.

Let's go back to Bob, for example. Suppose Bob's e-mail has always been "BobSmith000002@earthlink.net." Now that he has his own domain name, he can instead use "bob@bobshardware.com". He still KEEPS his Earthlink address, because that's where he'll actually receive his mail. But he should only GIVE OUT the new one on his Web site, business cards, etc.

If you use Outlook or a similar e-mail program, you can set it up so that your e-mails ONLY show your e-mail alias and your personal e-mail address. (To do this in Outlook, go under the "Tools" menu. Then choose "Accounts." Then select the account you use, and click "Properties." Enter your e-mail alias in both the "e-mail" and "reply address" fields.)

4. Get a professional-looking Web site DESIGN.

This can mean either hiring a designer to do a custom site for you, OR designing it yourself. Unless you're both trained extensively in HTML and have a background in design, it's well worth the money to hire someone.

Find prospective designers who work with small businesses, ask to see samples of their work, and be upfront about your budget. If their rates are higher than you can afford, ask them if they have any pre-designed Web site templates they can just insert your information in, cutting down tremendously on design time and cost.

Whatever design you choose, make it CONSISTENT on every page of your site, by using the same design elements such as borders, fonts, and colors.

If your budget is next to nil and you'd like to choose from a variety of templates that you can customize, check out Ken Evoy's new "Site Build It"! This innovative tool lets you create your own site very easily, and it has some of the most professional-looking templates I've seen. The affordable package (less than $350 USD) also includes hosting, a list service, and more. (http://www.sitesell.com/websellsecrets.html)

5. Tell us WHO YOU ARE and HOW TO REACH YOU.

Most of us (and rightfully so) are leery of purchasing online from a company we've never heard of before. To alleviate our fears, put contact information on every page if you can, with a physical mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address.

If you're uncomfortable posting your home address, lease a box around the corner and use that address. Avoid using "P.O. box" in your address if possible, which can appear suspicious. Real companies have real addresses!

Also, get a *Toll-free* number if you can - it says "big company" and "customer service." I got mine from my long distance provider, 1Com (http://www.1cominc.com), because they charge no setup fee or monthly fees - I only pay for the incoming calls at my usual great long distance rates.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author of the award-winning manual, "Boost Business With Your Own E-zine." To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/

More resources:

RELATED ARTICLES

Two kinds of Advertising for a Marketing Strategy
Advertising is the lifeblood of any business. If you do not learn how to advertise your products and services both efficiently and effectively, you won't be in business long.

Get Results: Start with Your Marketing Message and Objective
Recently I was talking with a very bright traditional marketer on the value of integrating Internet marketing into an enterprise's marketing mix. Personally, I have witnessed significant and measurable increases in the online results of an enterprise when they include traditional marketing strategies like direct mail, radio, television or publicity with their internet marketing strategies.

The Power of Thank You
Sometimes we loose site of the small things in life that are incredibly important. As a child growing up in America, most people are taught from a very young age to say Thank You in appreciation of a courtesy extended by someone.

How To Go From Under Dog to Top Dog by Unleashing The Power Of a Postcard
The Tale of Two Dentists..

Attracting Clients With Ease
Whether you are already running your own business, or still thinking about starting your own business, I suspect that deep down you know you have gifts and talents that can really make a difference to others. In an ideal world, you'd spend the majority of time doing the work you love to do, with a steady stream of clients knocking at your door as and when you want them.

What You MUST Understand About Your Web Numbers
Two years ago, when I first started selling online, I focused on doing what I did best: generating useful content that people would want to pay for. But I quickly learned that selling a product online required me to have to learn about .

Networking Basics Turn Yourself Into A Profit Making Giant
I would like to introduce you to one of my brick and mortar business I run. It is called AFM Computer Repair.

Your REALTOR� Marketing Plan
The steps to creating an effective marketing plan begin with identifying who you are going to be targeting, what you are going to spend, and how many sales you are going to receive as a result of your efforts. By identifying this information in the initial stages of your market plan development, you will significantly increase your return on investment and substantially increase your sales.

What Is Multi-Level And How Should It Be Worked
Multi-level marketing is really a partnership. You go into business with someone that has the same interests and goals you have.

Are You Losing Business?
As a small business owner, you are grateful for all of your clients or customers. But did you know that small business lose over 62% of sales because they don't follow up? You are caught up in the business of running your business you don't take the time to follow up with your clients.

Promotional Freebies
What's a promotional freebie? A promotional freebie is something you can give to your customers, visitors or subscribers. Giving away "freebies" is an excellent marketing tool.

Collecting Customer Data The Easy Way
Market research is a critical component of any marketing strategy. There are many expensive sources of customer information available today.

Starting Small Business Promotional Campaigns
So you're starting a small business. You figured out what you wanted to sell or do and went out and got it all set up, had your DBA framed and on the wall and now all you need is for someone to buy your product or use your service.

Two Methods of Marketing Using Joint Ventures
Whether you're a contractor a local merchant with 150 employees, whichever, however or whatever, you've got to know how to keep your business alive during rough economic times. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to be run as a "tight ship.

Direct Mail Response Devices and How to Craft Them
Successful direct mail packages contain three things: an attractive offer, a call to action, and a response device. The offer is the Incentive.

Marketing Through Associations
�2004 Jeffrey DobkinIf you're in direct marketing, you're continually looking for new list sources - everybody's tired of mailing to the same lists. If you're not in direct marketing and thinking about putting a mailing together, here's something a little different: take a look at marketing through associations.

9 Highly Effective Marketing Tips
Here are 9 low-cost but highly effective marketing tips to help you boost your sales and profits fast.Tip 1: Look for some low-cost ways you can enhance the perceived value of your product or service.

The Future of Marketing Part 1
It used to be if you were a small business, you were at a distinct disadvantage with your marketing compared to the bigger companies.No more.

Take a Leap! How To Take Your Business To New Heights
Take a moment to reflect on the current reality of your business. Is it everything you dreamed it would be or is it more like a nightmare?Regardless of the current reality, your business can always improve.

How To Bond With Customers So That They Stay With You Longer
How many of your customers are loyal customers? More importantly do you know why they are loyal customers?Customer loyalty has been a buzz term in marketing for some time and with good reason. Estimates suggest it can cost 5 times as much to get a new customer as it does to keep an existing one.