Business Computing Tips
By Karen Fainges

I am frequently asked, 'What should I put on my webpage?" Well it depends on
what you want the page to do. For most people, they want it to earn them money.
For that, a webpage must have four main things:

1. A detailed list of who you are and how to get hold of you. People do not deal
well with someone they know nothing about. As embarrassing as photos can be, a
picture of you and/or your business goes a long way to building creditability.
So does a landline, mobile, e-mail & snail mail address that is on every page,
or is very easy to find.

2. What problems you can solve. People do not want to hear about your product,
they want to know how to make their life easier. So phrase your product details
in ways that solve their problems for them i.e. a pre-packaged meal isn't
flavoured with 123, but is quick ,easy and lets you spend more time with your
family at the end of a busy day.

3. How to buy. It is amazing how many pages out there get you all ready to buy
and then make it so difficult. Make the ordering process as easy, painless, and
intuitive as possible. Where possible, have a human backup ready to help them.
Don't have the product numbers on one page and the order form on another. If
it's that hard, they will buy somewhere else.

4. Something to bring clients back. Research differs, but it all agrees that
very few buy first time. Many need between 3-7 visits before they buy. That
means you have to get them to come back to you. Offer to subscribe them to an
e-zine, start up a chat room, give weekly tips and competitions, anything which
gets them thinking of you. Once they are comfortable, then they will buy.

"It has to be practical, it has to be cheap, and it has to work."