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planning

Your Website9 Essential Questions To Help You Achieve Your Online Business Goals

by Sugar Websites

384 S Centerville Rd. Middletown, NY 10940 • hello@sugarwebsites.com • www.sugarwebsites.comCopyright © 2011 Sugar Websites. All Rights Reserved.

2planning your w

ebsite.Congratulations On Taking The First Steps To Growing Your Business Online!It’s an exciting time to be presenting your business to the growing Internet market. With 70% of U.S. consumers searching online for information before they make purchases, it’s essential they can access your business online 24/7.

Like any project, the planning phase is the key to getting the best results. When you get that right, the foundation is set and everything will continue ahead in the right direction. It’s no different with getting a website.

A poorly-built website is often the result of poor planning and regardless of what you paid it will end up costing you a fortune. Not only will you lose your time and money fixing or rebuilding it, you’ll also lose precious customers and business credibility.

The “9 Essential Questions” in this ebook will get you thinking strategically about your website and ensure it is on track to achieve your business goals.

Spend some time considering your answers and discussing them with your business partners. When you are clear on your answers, your direction will be set and your website will be just a few steps away from being completed and live on the Internet.

Warmest regards,

P.S. Feel free to share this e-book with your fellow small business owners and entrepreneurs who you think would also benefit from thinking strategically to achieve their online business goals.

384 S Centerville Rd. Middletown, NY 10940 • hello@sugarwebsites.com • www.sugarwebsites.comCopyright © 2011 Sugar Websites. All Rights Reserved.

3planning your w

ebsite.PLANNING YOUR WEBSITE9 Essential Questions To Help You Achieve Your Online Business Goals

1. Who Are You?If you had 30 seconds to introduce your business to a group of your perfect potential customers, would you know what to say? Your website needs to answer this question for your customers 24/7. Make sure it says exactly what you need.

Hints:• How do you introduce your business to a potential customer? Can you describe it

in a few sentences?• What problems do you solve for your customers?• What products or services do you provide to your customers?

2. What Are Your Values?If your customers were telling their friends about you, what would you want them to say? How would you want them to remember you? The answers to these questions represent your brand values, and your website should reflect these from first glance.

Hints:• What benefit do you hope to bring to your customers’ lives?• What words do you want people to use to describe you?• What do you want people to remember you for?• What is the first impression you want people to have?

3. Who Are Your Customers?Who are your ideal customers? If you answer “everyone”, it’s time to rethink, since no one can cater to the tastes of “everyone”. The better you know your customers, the better you can tailor your business and your website to suit their needs.

Hints:• How well can you describe your ideal customers? • Are they individuals or organizations? • Where do they live? • What age/gender/profession are they? • Why do they need your products/services? • How do they use the Internet?

384 S Centerville Rd. Middletown, NY 10940 • hello@sugarwebsites.com • www.sugarwebsites.comCopyright © 2011 Sugar Websites. All Rights Reserved.

4planning your w

ebsite.4. Who Are Your Competitors?Online you now have a huge new market, but also a whole new lot of competitors. Many websites in the same industry often appear very similar, making them very unmemorable to the customer. Paying attention to your competitors and their websites will make sure you stand out and be remembered.

Hints:• Who are my main competitors?• What are my main points of difference from my competition? Think about your

price, product and service.• How can I clearly communicate my difference to my customers?

5. Why Do You Need A Website?Being clear on what exactly your website should do for your business will save you a whole lot of time and money. When you align your website with your business goals right from the start you are definitely setting your direction straight for success!

Hints:• Do you need to sell or take bookings or donations online?• Do you need to build a customer/subscriber base? • Do you want to expand your geographic reach?• Do you need to interact with customers or members online?• Do you need to raise your online profile?

6. What Is The Main Thing You Want Visitors To Do On Your Website?A website without a Call to Action is like a store without a door. When visitors land on your site you need to have a way to focus their attention on taking action and convert them to your customer. Without it, they may leave your site more knowledgable but dissatisfied that they still haven’t taken action to solve their problem.

What is the primary action you want visitors to do on your site? E.g. make contact with you (phone/email/contact form/visit), make a booking, sign up, make a donation, or make a purchase.

Hints:• What action can potential clients take on your site?• What is the most important Call to Action you need?

384 S Centerville Rd. Middletown, NY 10940 • hello@sugarwebsites.com • www.sugarwebsites.comCopyright © 2011 Sugar Websites. All Rights Reserved.

5planning your w

ebsite.7. How Will You Answer Their Questions?Your customers are on your website because they want more information. Do you know what they are looking for? The more relevant information you can provide before they have to contact you the better. It will build their trust in you, save them time and make them more likely to buy from you.

Hints:• Do you have detailed information and images for your products and services?• Do you have pricing and payment information?• Do you have contact details, including phone, contact form and map location?• Do you have third party testimonials to build credibility?• Do you have useful information to add value for your customers, such as “How

To” articles, hints and tips, videos, etc.?

8. How Will You Deliver?You can promise the world on your website, but you have to make sure you can deliver! When you provide a good experience for your customer they will tell others about you and hopefully purchase again.

Hints:• How will you supply your products or services to your customer?• How will you handle communication with your customers?• Who will be responsible for managing the content of your website?• Who will be responsible for managing the service from your website?

9. How Will You Promote Your Site?Once your site is online, you need to drive your customers to visit. Do you know how they look for your products or services? Knowing how and where your customers shop for your products and services will help you be much more effective in promoting yours to them.

Hints:• Where and how do your customers look for information?• What incentives can you provide to encourage them to visit or take action when

they are on your site?• Is your website on all your offline marketing materials, such as business cards,

flyers, advertising and store signage?

384 S Centerville Rd. Middletown, NY 10940 • hello@sugarwebsites.com • www.sugarwebsites.comCopyright © 2011 Sugar Websites. All Rights Reserved.

6planning your w

ebsite.Contact UsSugar Websites is the small business websites specialist. We come to you and take the time to understand your business and train you to use your website. Our team of marketers, copywriters, designers and developers ensure that your site not only looks great, but is affordable and meets the needs of you and your customers.

Contact us to book your free, no-obligation Website Strategy Session with your Sugar Website Consultant who’ll visit you in-person to determine the most effective website solution for your business.

website www.sugarwebsites.com

phone 1.855.SUGARWEB toll free 845.204.8086 office

fax 1.855.784.2973

email hello@sugarwebsites.com

address 384 S Centerville Rd Middletown NY 10940

Sugar Website Consultants Are Currently Available In:

• New York City• New York State

websites

Fast Easy & Oh, So Sweet...

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