When YOU Sit Down To Search

When YOU sit down to search for a product or service provider, what do you do?

This is a really important question that many small business people never consider before throwing up their own website. And, it's a shame because thinking through this process can mean the difference between having a powerful marketing tool reaching every user connected to the world wide web and having an electronic flyer taking up room in cyberspace.

If you've just been served with divorce papers unexpectedly (yep, it happens all the time -- usually to guys) what are you likely to do?

You're going to sit down at the computer and find out everything you can about divorce. You'll want to know what the property laws are. You'll want to know how child custody is determined. You'll want to know how much it's going to cost you. You may even want to know whether there's mandatory counseling to save your marriage.

Now let's say you're clicking around on the web and you find a lawyer's site. On this site, he answers all of your questions, even the ones you haven't thought of yet. So, you think that maybe this is someone who can help you.

You click on to his biography. You find out that he went to a good law school and that he's a state Certified Specialist in family law. So far, so good.

He has a link where you can ask him questions. So, you shoot off an email with some of the things that are specific to his case.

He responds within 24 hours inviting you to set up an appointment for a free consultation.

You go in and meet with him. You like him. It's a good fit. So, you put down the several thousand dollars that he asks for to start your case.

That's how the buying cycle works on the internet.

So, now put yourself in your customer's shoes. How does she find you in cyberspace? When she gets to your site, is she "pre-sold" on the quality of your goods or services? Is there a way to contact you? Is there a spot for you to collect her email address? Is there a planned follow up for each internet contact?

Putting yourself in front of your customer's computer is a good way to expand your business.

For more information on how to build an information rich site, you can stay tuned for the next blog entry or go to Site Build It now.