Suzanne Carter

Over the past two decades, as the Internet has grown into a place of entertainment, knowledge and limitless marketing potential, it has become increasingly important for businesses to market themselves online. Whereas the last big revolution was in the way we handled content and search engine optimisation to catch the eye of Google and Yahoo! users, we are currently experiencing a huge boom in the use of social media and networks for marketing brands and products.

Hiring a website developer to take care of an online web presence for your business can seem like a trade off. While a developer will have the skills to create a more professional looking page that better attracts the attention of the customer, relinquishing control of content and relying on somebody else to update your site with the latest news and business information is scary.

With many companies increasing their focus on the Internet and online marketplaces, those who aren't up to speed on "how it all works" can get lost behind. As technology improves and more and more people find themselves connected via mobile devices, laptops and PCs 24/7, it's incredibly important to understand that the web is the biggest market that you can tap into.

Making your online presence work for you is all part of tapping into the most important business resource of the IT age. For the past five years, consumers have started to become more connected than ever and, just recently, we have started to see how true this is in New Zealand.

In the competitive world of online marketing, presentation is essential. With the vast number of websites that cater for every subject and need, if you don't catch the eye of the user and provide superior functionality in addition to great content, there is almost no chance that your presence will be effective.

Building a more effective web presence for your business often means going outside the company to get the best results. Employing a website developer is a great decision for taking advantage of what has grown to be the largest international market in the world.

The constantly changing and evolving world that exists online demands that businesses keep up to remain relevant and interesting to users. A successful web presence is more than just a flash looking website - social media presence, Search Engine Optimisation, blogs and up-to-date content from using an effective CMS (Content Management System) are the things that will keep your traffic statistics high.

As websites have evolved over the past decade, the most noticeable changes have been in terms of aesthetics. We have come a long way from basic HTML and animations to the intricate and well-designed sites that have become today's standard. Everything from colour themes and spacing to shadows and flowing animations have been developed into a science and taken the place of the blocky websites filled with dull text that existed before them.

In marketing it's important to be as well informed as you possible about your customers. Web marketing is no different and, as we move into a time when what a user does online is as important as what they do in the real world, having the most up to date and accurate information about their actions can be incredibly beneficial.

Computers are like cars: everybody thinks they know everything they need to until theirs stops working for them. This concept starts with basic functions and continues right up until you hit more niche areas of computing like website development and Internet marketing. Everyone who has taken a website design course thinks they can build the perfect website - but be warned - there is more to making the Internet work for your business than you think!