Make an impact on the web

What is the first thing you do to find out more about a company these days? Well, most (if not all) of the time, we use the Internet search engine. In Singapore, I have met business owners who often tell me that if you do not have a website, there are less business opportunities come knocking at their doors..

However, setting up a website is not as simple as signing up, putting up introduction and contact information and then leaving it to breathe by itself. There is more to be done!

Raja, who owns a small printing business, looked me up the other day to ask if I could do him a “favor”.

“Buddy,” he started with a smile, and it was the first time he addressed me like that.

“Can you do me a favor and design and build for me a website? Recently, my clients have been asking if I have a website and if they can reach me through there.”

I looked at Raja puzzled because I knew he already has a website, although it was quite forgettable.

“What’s wrong with your current site? I thought you paid your nephew set it up for you?” I asked.

“You know, buddy,” he sighed, “Relatives la. In the beginning, they very excited to help. He got no experience but he knows the basics to design a website. It seemed to me that getting an amateur was not important in the first place, but now, we have lost a few customers and potentials because of this. They went to other printers who have better websites than mine.”

“Further, we never maintained the site and even our WWW is hosted on some free host. My nephew never told me anything about what to do with a site after it is build. I thought it runs by itself. Just the other day, I visited it and realize there were chat line ads running on my site!”

So I told Raja: “I understand. But firstly, let me tell you what went wrong so that you will get a clearer picture about your situation.”

Don’t use free hosting websites
I went on to tell Raja that a free hosting gets revenue from their advertisers and they usually run advertisements which the person or organization using the host has got no control over. It is not ideal for a business since A) Pop-ups ads are aplenty which B) kill your visitor’s interest and C) Chat hotline ads with sleazy images don’t go well with most organizations’ image.

It becomes worse if you get the free domain that uses their primary domain and places your company name as a subdomain, just like what Raja did. This makes it difficult for customers to look for him on the web, even if he already has a website but no domain to boot.

Better get a freelancer or a pro to do the site
The truth is, you get what you pay for and if the outcome isn’t ideal, you might end up paying more to get it right. If Raja had seek professional help in designing his website, he would appreciate the proper planning and execution from the beginning, launch and beyond. There is more than designing a website, there is also usability and navigation fundamentals to help ease visitor’s usage so that we maximize your organization’s web presence.

“Buddy, when our hair is long, it is best to go to a hairstylist to get it cut or trimmed,” I told him.

“Cutting it ourselves or getting someone who might know how to cut but has got no professional experience in doing so might just make you look funny.”

“So what do I do?” Raga asked.

“Since we are now ‘buddies’, I will give you a discount rate but it will still cost you. Don’t expect to be paying peanuts again!” I said.

Organizations, especially small businesses, can quickly make an impact with their online web presence if done properly from the beginning. Plan what type of info is needed to help your customers get the best out of your website. Going cheap is not ideal when potentially, there could be hundreds of people will be looking at it.

I remember reading a quote from Red Adair, a famous oil-well firefighter who once said: “If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”

Terence Lim, Partner, Aggro Design Studio