posted by steve | Category: Random Rants |

When I started working with small- and medium-sized businesses to help them create web sites (circa 1995), I encountered some level of difficulty in convincing business owners of the value of a web site.  “Why would I need that?” and “The Internet is a fad” were two common themes among the naysayers.  Even today I’m amazed by the number of small business in my area that aren’t on the web… at all.

However, some business owners see the need for a web site but don’t realize that putting up a horrible site is much more harmful than having no site at all.  Therein lies the predicament:  If you have a web site for your small business, you need to make it look professional and provide value for visitors or you will do more harm than good.  If you can’t create a simple site that looks professional then you’re probably better off not having one at all.

Here’s an anecdote:  I recently searched for a local photographer.  I found several in the area using $searchEngine and clicked through to a couple.  Some of the sites were so terrible that I immediately moved on to the next search result.  A little digging reveals that many of the sites were created in WYSIWYG-type HTML editors or worse yet, created in word processors and then exported to HTML.  The design elements are all-too familiar, bad backgrounds, loud colors schemes, no sense of eye tracking and navigation, no consistency.

Having a bad web site ensured that I wouldn’t do business with those companies.

Getting a not-so-bad web site isn’t all that difficult.  If you have a bad web site, spend a couple bucks and hire someone to redesign it for you.  And no, this does not mean getting your neighbor’s kid, nephew, or niece to do it “because they’re good with computers.”  This means hiring someone who actually does web design.  You can usually get a small (1 to 5 page) site for under $500 (usually under $300).  Alternately, incorporate your content into a free css template and move on with your life.  Don’t fall into the trap of “getting to it later”.  Get to it now.  It shouldn’t take long and will almost certainly turn into results.