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Internet access has been easily available to anyone who wants it for well over ten years now – and a high proportion of the population use it regularly. It’s the first place a lot of people look when they want to find a business or a service of some sort. So why do most small businesses still seem unable to get themselves a decent internet presence?

A lot of local small businesses are struggling to survive against the overwhelming might of a handful of larger ones. I can buy almost anything I need online these days – and it’s often cheaper than buying the same thing locally.

However, given the choice, I’d rather do my shopping locally – even if it’s going to cost a little more. And chances are that it wouldn’t cost any more if I could walk round the corner to buy it and not have to pay postage costs.

But the local businesses seem blissfully unaware of this. Many of them haven’t got a web site at all. And the ones that have got a web site have mostly got pitifully inadequate ones. I could walk or drive to a local shop and find out if they’ve got what I want and how much they charge for it – but it’s so much easier to do a quick check online and find what I need that way. If your shop hasn’t got its catalogue online, you’re not even on my radar.

I admit that I’m more computer literate than average – and that, therefore, my approach to shopping isn’t really representative of the majority of the population. But that doesn’t mean you can ignore it. The way I shop is gradually becoming the way everyone shops. And if you wait till the majority are shopping like that before you adapt, you’ll be out of business before you find your feet.

But it’s not just shops – the same goes for almost all businesses. It doesn’t matter much what sort of business you’re running, if you’re not on the internet you will eventually become irrelevant.

A lot of small businesses do have web sites and email addresses. But most of the time they’re not very good. And it never ceases to amaze me how often I see an email address on a small business’s web site that clearly shows they don’t know what they’re doing.

What I’m talking about is using the email address you get from your internet service provider. Don’t do it! For a start, it looks unprofessional. If you’ve got your own domain, you should be using an address in that domain. And if you haven’t got your own domain you should do it straight away. If you don’t, your email address is free advertising for your ISP – when it should be advertising you!

Secondly, what happens when you get sick of your internet provider’s bad service? You can’t change ISPs because if you do you’ll lose your business email address – and that could lose you customers!

A large part of the problem is that cowboys are rife in the web design and IT support business. If the person who looks after your web site for you hasn’t set you up with an email address in your own domain, it’s time to find someone who knows what they’re doing!

The subject of cowboy web designers brings me to another common problem – badly designed web sites. It may look flashy, but does it work? Most small business owners know nothing about web design – and they’re easily fooled by backyard web designers. A plain white page, with nothing but writing on it is often better than a garish-looking site that flashes at you and plays music or videos. And if you think having an “intro” page is a good idea, think again!

How does your web site stand up under scrutiny? Can potential customers find what they need quickly and easily? Is there plenty of text, so search engines have got something to index? Will it work for a blind person using a screen reader?

You need to ask all those questions – and more – before you decide you’re satisfied with your web site.

Maldon IT can help you enhance your business’s presence on the internet. Contact us for more information.

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