Jones & Partners Chartered Accountants

[9 May 2006] “A fifth of small businesses do not recognise the importance…

consumers place on a company website, new research warns. Although 53% of consumers would shun any company without a web presence, one in five small firms place little importance on setting up a website.

The report also showed 85% of customers were put off by poor quality sites, another factor it said many SMEs ignore. It is clear that consumers nowadays expect every business to have a professional web presence and are turned-off by second-rate websites, yet clearly many SMEs are confused over the importance of the issue.

If businesses want to maximise sales, they must be online with a website that gives the right impression.

Websites are all about image and perception…

the business image you want to portray and how you want your business to be perceived.

• Keep your site clean and simple
• Keep the look and feel of the website consistent (keep your colours and themes consistent throughout your site)
• Have an easy navigation bar that a 6 year old can master
• Catch them in the first few seconds (you normally have 4 seconds to get a fast and effective message across on your Home Page)
• Good content will sell your product/service (does your site convey the message you wish to get across to your visitors?)

Likewise, customers will also judge you on the ‘quality’ of your business card and expect you to have a ‘proper’ e-mail trading address rather than your personal e-mail address (joe-bloggs@btinternet.com). These oversights could discourage potential customers.

The business image which you project to new and existing customers is of key importance!”