SMBs: 8 Tips For Building A WebsiteSMBs: 8 Tips For Building A Website

During my frequent trips along the info superhighway, I've noticed that some small businesses still don't have a "pit stop" (i.e., website).Having read a number of recent posts at this very site about the Web woes of SMBs, it's apparent that many of my colleagues in the tech world are convinced that most small-biz owners have clambered aboard the Internet bandwagon by now. But not so, at least according to The SMB Group, a Northborough, Mass.-based consultancy. Laurie McCabe, a partner there, gave me an interesting statistic yesterday: She said that 40-45% of small businesses in North America don't have a web presence. Hard to believe, right?

I have two questions: How? And why? How can a small biz in this day and age not have a web presence? And why, with all the do-it-yourself books and tools available, would a small biz opt out of one? I know the answer to the first one, of course: word-of-mouth. Referrals can take a company far, it's true, especially if you're a mom-and-pop shop in Main Street, USA. But couldn't that company go exponentially further with a website? As for the second question, I know that answer too: Few small businesses have the time, energy, and/or money to devote to such a project.

But times are a-changing. The withered economy is forcing businesses (of every size) to raise the bar, and for some players, that bar-raising just may bring them online. Sure, there might be some time and energy expended, but easy-to-use tools for building a functional, rudimentary site are out there. A few examples: You can use Wordpress to turn your blog into a website (for free). Intuit provides prebuilt templates that make website creation a snap. And companies such as Network Solutions and Go Daddy offer a slew of hosting, site development, and customization services, so you can go about your business and leave the technical stuff to the experts.

If the idea of a free website with no service-level guarantee makes you a little jumpy, and you decide to invest a little cash instead, you shouldnt have to dig too deep into your pockets. Domain registration will cost you from $10 to $50; hosting is $100-$200; and you might spend anywhere from $200 to $2,000 on customization services, depending on how fancy you want to get. So all in all, you can build a respectable website for less than a grand.

But if you build it, will they come? Not necessarily. McCabe says your best bet is to do some e-mail marketing and make use of social media sites to drive traffic to your web page. The marketing might cost you a little bit (anywhere from $300-$2,000), but you'll be glad you did it when your phone is ringing off the hook.

Keep in mind that you don't have to go it alone. There are plenty of books and people (and online resources) with information and advice. And we're going to get you started right now, with some tips from McCabe on building the perfect website:

1) Make content count. "This is easier said than done, but you want to develop content that shows what you do in an accurate and compelling way," McCabe says. "Don't worry about bells and whistles. Just be sure to give the site a personal flavor and appeal that makes it stand out from the crowd." 2) Keep your site up-to-date. We've all been to those "stale" sites, right -- the ones that haven't been updated in about two years? You don't have to refresh your page every day, and you don't have to revamp the site either. McCabe says to set your sights on what's valuable to your customers and make strategic updates, not random ones. 3) Use multimedia. There's more than text to a website -- at least there should be. McCabe encourages small-biz owners to use podcasts, webcasts, and photos. "Say you're a landscaper. Take some pictures of the properties you're proud of and post them at your site," she says. 4) Make your site interactive. This keeps visitors engaged with you, so if you like Twitter, for instance, feel free to Tweet away on your website. 5) Give free advice. "This is one of the most valuable things you can do," McCabe says. "Yeah, you're giving away some information, but this is how you establish yourself as an expert." 6) Drive traffic to your site. As we mentioned before, social media is a great way to do this, and it's free. But you may want to go that extra mile and run some e-mail marketing campaigns to bump up the hits (more on this next week). 7) Take advantage of free tools. McCabe says you can use Google Analytics to test different landing pages and keyword usage at your site. Being aware of SEO (search engine optimization) can only make your site better. "If it's free, why not try it?" says McCabe. 8) Hang tough. McCabe cautions small-biz owners not to get frustrated if they don't see immediate results after creating a website. Just keep plugging away.

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Michele Pepe-Warren was an editor and reporter for CRN and VARBusiness and has 10 years of experience covering the technology channel.