QUESTION: "We are considering an Internet Web site for our company. Can you point out what's involved in putting one together?"
- JDuno33 via the Internet
ANSWER: As the World Wide Web is fast becoming the largest global shopping and information center - with apparel on many visitors' wish lists - you're on the right track to consider a Web site for your firm.
And you're not alone. Registrations for Internet domain names (i.e., the "www.your-company.com" address) now exceed 17,000 per week, and many major apparel firms and retailers already have set up extensive sites on the Web. So even if your company does not want an Internet presence at this time, chances are that your competition eventually will stake a spot on-line, and force you into this expanding arena.
Why are so many firms jumping on the Web? A key advantage is that even the smallest of companies can reach potential customers worldwide faster, less expensively and with a more tailored impact than they can through any other medium. Moreover, studies show that companies that use their Web sites to educate visitors - via information designed to build positive perceptions about products or services - are doing meaningful Internet business.
Yet amid the opportunities that come with an on-line presence, there also are important risks and challenges to consider, especially if on-line sales transactions are a part of your Web site strategy. For one, apparel manufacturers should consider whether on-line selling will strain relations with traditional retail customers, and be ready to respond to these customers' concerns. Also, there are taxation, shipping and customs issues that come with global exporting that apparel firms should understand before they open their Web sales to the world.
Consultants, software vendors and Web site development firms can offer guidance when it comes to establishing and expanding your site. Also, many industry associations feature Web-related services for their members. Some offer site development, and will add member firms to their on-line directories or searchable databases of manufacturers, while others offer technical guidelines for conducting on-line commerce.
Gene Levine Associates' AwardWebs[C] subsidiary, which specializes in Web site development, offers the following 10 tips to help your company get up and running on the Internet:
1. Plan What You Want Your Web Site to Accomplish.
Remember that everything in life works by the "Law of Cause and Effect," and carefully consider what you want your Web site to achieve for your company. Product sales? Information distribution? Customer service? Lead generation? Positioning in the market? Sales support? Get input from every key person involved in the project, outline a list of reasons your firm needs a Web site and list capabilities you want the site to have.
2. Choose a Reputable Internet Service Provider and Register a Unique Domain Name.
To have your own site on the Web, you must register for a domain name, which will be the home page address for your site. You also will need to arrange to link your site to the Web via a reputable Internet service provider (ISP). The best ISPs will have a reliable up-time rate of almost 100 percent, and should have at least 5,000 on-line clients. Remember: If your ISP goes down or out of business, your Internet presence temporarily shuts down too.
Your company's Internet presence will lack credibility without a unique domain name - one that best describes your firm and its products and services. For more information about registering a domain name, visit the site of the World Wide Web Domain Name Registration Service, otherwise known as InterNic, at http://rs.internic.net/cgibin/whois/. The cost of registration is approximately $35 per year. If the name you want already is taken, you may have to try another variation.
3. Explore the Web for Ideas and Hire an Experienced Web Site Designer.
Before you begin building your site, surf the Net and see what your competition and other companies are doing. This research can provide you with design ideas as a starting point for your site. Next, you can begin to experiment with building your site using in-house resources, or you can hire a professional Web site development firm. I suggest you opt for the latter because you can profit from an outside firm's experience and avoid inventing a square wheel. Remember: If your site is poorly designed or lacks meaningful content, visitors will leave, and they won't come back.
Once you decide to hire a Web designer, don't let a cheap price and/or an impressive graphic arts portfolio be your determining factor. Many graphic artists, while very creative, may lack the specific technical skills and business acumen that is necessary to make a Web site truly successful. Bigger design companies charge more, but are more likely to have business consultants and Internet marketing strategists on hand to guide their design staffs. The right design firm to hire is one that has a hard-earned reputation for producing effective yet distinctive Web sites, and one that is willing to train you to maintain your site.
4. Focus on Function.
Perceptions drive sales, and so your Web site's design should project a positive image of your business. The site should offer a valuable and information-filled experience, while being a fun site to surf. Interesting and useful pages will get results and stimulate response. "Pretty" pages alone won't cut it, but meaningful content will.
Your home page is likely to be the most frequently used entrance to your site, where most visitors will gain their first impression of your firm. Make sure, therefore, that your home page is one of the fastest-loading and most interesting pages within your site. Simple is better. Less is more.
When designing your site, first make a storyboard, or mock-up, for each page in the site. Create logical, intuitive and easy-to-find sections so that your site will be easy to navigate. Visitors are an impatient bunch, and they want to rapidly find what they need. For example, it's all right to expect visitors to scroll down a page to view information, but don't expect them to scroll side to side. Most visitors won't do it; they'll just leave. Also, think long and hard about using frames, as most visitors dislike them.
It's also a good idea to put a navigation bar on every page so that visitors always will have a way to: 1) get to your home page; 2) get out of your site; and 3) contact you. They'll also appreciate your thoughtfulness in not sticking them on a page with a "dead end."
Maximize your Web site's browser compatibility, as all visitors to your site should share the same visual and functional experience. Pages that suggest they are "best viewed using XYZ Browser version 4.20" (or any other disclaimer) could backfire on you. Visitors who don't have that browser will leave - because they're impatient and may even feel you're telling them they're unimportant.
5. Make Sure Your Site Downloads Fast!
Don't get carried away with graphics. Dazzling graphics and pictures are nice, but if it takes too long for your pages to download, they'll chase visitors away. Test your pages on computers that use a variety of different modems. If a page takes longer than 20 seconds to load on a computer with an older, slower modem, then streamline your content. Remember that many of your potential customers will not have cutting edge computers, up-to-date browsers or fast, 56K/V-90 modems in their homes. If you must use a big graphic, put it midway down the page so visitors will have something to read while your "big picture" is loading.
6. Allow Your Visitors to Interact.
Use your global presence to its best advantage - interaction. Provide an internal search feature so that visitors can rapidly find the information they are looking for, and in turn, request information from your visitors, offering incentives for their feedback. For instance, you might establish a "guest book" that prompts visitors to provide information about themselves in return for a special offer or a free gift. Make sure your information forms contain the appropriate fields for all of the information you'll need to provide outstanding customer service.
7. Be Prepared to Serve Your Customers.
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