Website Marketing Before the Web Designer Comes: 5 Essential Strategy Questions

Right after deciding, "I need a website," clients often say, "I need a web designer!" Actually, before even whispering the 2 little words "web design," you need to answer these five questions. The answers will change the way you relate to your web designer (and maybe you will realize you don't need one).

(1) What is the purpose of your website? Suppose you primarily market a professional service through face-to-face networking and live referrals. Your website will look different from a marketer who sells info products to buyers all over the world.

When you're well-known through face-to-face contacts, your website serve as an additional source of information to potential customers. You may need only a basic "calling card" site: a list of contact information, coming appearances and basic brochure copy. But you'll need to use copywriting style because visitors read differently on the web than they do in print.

But suppose your website is your primary revenue source. In that case, you'll need to direct visitors to your "for sale" section and come up with a plan to collect money.

(2) Who will be your ideal target market? Can they afford your services? Where do they shop?

Most of us plunge into a business without going deeply into this question. One career coach wanted to work with clients who were unemployed. He soon realized that unemployed people need to think first about putting food on the table. They were looking for advice only from sources where they didn't have to pay.

Some markets just don't shop on the Internet. They go offline. They like to visit malls and brick and mortar stores. They may visit your website for background info but they'll buy from someone they can see face-to-face.

(3) What action do you want visitors to take? Do you want them to sign up for a consultation, call you for an appointment, buy a product or sign up for your ezine?

Your home page copy should motivate your visitors to take one simple action. If they sign up for your ezine and then leave, you've reached success.

Make it easy for visitors to take this action. More than once, I've had to prowl through pages on a website trying to figure out how to buy a product, subscribe to an ezine or attend a teleseminar.

(4) How will you maintain your site? Even your static pages need to be updated regularly if you're going to maintain a credible presence.

Many new website owners budget the cost of web design and a year of web hosting. But that's only the beginning. A website that's unchanged will grow cobwebs. It's easy to tell when you've landed on a website where nobody's home. Something's broken. The whole place looks abandoned.

You'll need to replace broken links, fix spelling errors, add updates to your schedule, and a whole lot more. And in my experience, your website will look different after five or six months. You've changed. Your market has changed. You've got new products, services and messages.

That's why I say, "You need to become your own web designer, marry your web designer, or be prepared to pay." Fortunately, in today's world, you can create a website where making a change is as easy as sending an email. I would not settle for less.

(5) How will you promote your site? The number one question I get is, "How do I attract traffic to my site?"

A website without promotion is like a 747 flying around the world without any passengers: expensive and useless. You probably don't need expensive, esoteric SEO strategies. Article marketing, blogs and social marketing can attract all the traffic you need in many markets.

(6) How will you convert browsers to buyers? Your message has to motivate visitors - fast. When visitors land on your home page, you have 5 seconds to hook them. When they land on your sales page, they are asking, "What's In It For Me?"

That's why many top Internet marketing gurus have invested in copywriting and copywriting training. Changing your content will have a powerful effect on your sales, more than any other factor. Your design functions only to help visitors read your content.

(7) How will you grow your website with your business? Very few businesses look the same after 6 months, a year or 2 years. I have seen people start as dog trainers and end up as business consultants (or vice versa).

Change means staying connected to your market. You'll need to keep testing and to find systematic ways to stay connected. You can use social marketing, certain types of teleclasses, and the right kind of testing.