Recession, depression, global downturn, GFC, choose your favourite term. It’s time to batten down the hatches of your small business, put that new idea on hold, reduce expenditure, slash the marketing budget, sandbag the door and ride out the storm, right ?

Wrong !

Let me share with you something I read today^:

The recession of 1923 to 24 plunged the United States into an economic quicksand that destroyed more than 10,000 businesses. Yet this was precisely the time that a man who lived by the creed ‘if you can dream it, you can do it’ risked everything to launch a small cartoon studio called Disney Brothers.

About 15 years later, doomsayers told two young electrical engineers they were sure to fail when they started their tiny electrical machine business during the Great Depression with $538 and one product. Undeterred, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard got to work in a rented garage.

Fast forward to 1975. Oil prices are soaring, bankruptcies reach record levels and one-fifth of the US population becomes eligible for food stamps. As economists declare a recession, two childhood friends make the first sale of their computer programming language and Microsoft is born.

Ok, there are not too many Bill Gates per generation, but the point is that keen entrepreneurs see the current crisis as a great opportunity.
Here are some reasons why:

Where does your website fit in ?

Lets assume you’ve budgeted for a new website design to support your new venture. (You have, right ?).

How do you machete your way through the jungle of information out there screaming for your attention and your website design budget ?

Simple. You find some web designers you can trust, and you ask their advice.

Ok, so how do you know who you can trust ?

1. Personal recommendation.

Talk to friends and colleagues, ask them who they use for domain name registration, website hosting and website designs. Ask them about their experience with their ecommerce website, what was the development process like, were the web designers fast, accurate, professional, trustworthy ?

What about since the website was live, are the developers noticeable by their absence ? Even if your site is built on a Content Management System model – and hence updateable by you – you will probably still have teething troubles.

It’s a huge weight off your mind to have chosen web designers who will continue to offer help and advice after the invoice has been paid in full.

2. Go surfing.

You know the websites you admire, the clear, easy navigation, cool colours, great presentation. Most people are proud of their small business website and (with the possible exception of direct competitors) will often be happy to tell you what they thought of the web designers they used.

Look at the foot of the web pages, you will often find a link to the web design firm who developed the site. Visit their website and browse their portfolio of websites. Then visit those websites, email the owners and ask for their opinion of their web designers.

3. Google for opinions.

You’ll find no shortage of opinions, blogs, forums etc with views about the best cheap hosting, domain name registration, small business website design and so on.

Just be cautious as this is the wacky world wide web and you shouldn’t believe all you read.

There are often entire websites setup to offer product comparisons, reviews, recommendations, top 10s and so on with the sole aim of promoting one product or company.

Caveat Emptor.

What can you achieve in 3 seconds ?….

Of course a website is neccesary for any and all businesses these days, but did you know that vistors typically form an opinion about your company within 3 seconds of arriving at your home page ?

I’ll just repeat that.
“…vistors typically form an opinion about your company within 3 seconds…”

That is important for any small business website, but it is crucial for your ecommerce website. Your ecommerce website must give a flawless, professional appearance if you are to inspire confidence and convert visitors into customers.

Don’t put it in the Too Hard Basket.

Once you have located the guys (or girls) you can trust, you’ll be surprised by how fast and painless the process can be. Make sure you know what you want in terms of design, have your products measured and weighed, have great digital photos ready to go and you may well see the birth of your new website in under two weeks.

And finally.

While you are talking to the owner of an eCommerce website, ask them how it felt the first time they made a sale while they were asleep…

…notice how you can detect a smile even over the ‘phone ?

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Author: Paul Jenkins of Australian Internet Solutions

^Quote credit: Darren Horrigan - Nett Magazine 19th November 2008

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