9 Ways to Leverage the Web

Question: I created a Web site for my business several years ago. It seemed great back then, but it's starting to look simplistic compared to other sites. Although I was a skeptic at first, I see now that the Web is becoming more and more vital to my business every year. How can I put it to better use?

Answer: With every passing day, small business owners are finding ways to leverage the power of the Internet to help them build profits, save money and operate more efficiently. Businesses just starting out have an edge in this regard because they can use these features from day one.

Established small businesses must sometimes work harder to adopt what the Web has to offer and replace methods of doing business that worked well in the past. Here are a few things small companies, or even solo operators can do to put the Web to better use:

1. Make your Web site more interactive. Add surveys, guest books, auto responders, downloadable documents and maybe a newsletter. Your current Web host may offer some of these. Three resources that can help are: Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com), Topica (www.topica.com) and GetResponse (www.getresponse.com).
2. Add a simple shopping cart feature to your Web site and take orders online. Shopping cart resources include: PrestoCart (www.prestocart.com), MyCart (www.mycart.net), PayButton (www.paybutton.com) and EarthStores (www.earthstores.com).
3. How about some animated art, professional quality buttons, bars and banners for your site? Or maybe some fancy new text, hover buttons, backgrounds and bullets? They can all be yours quickly, and at low cost, with software and online delivery from providers such as NetStudio (www.netstudio.com) and ScreamDesign (www.screamdesign.com). You don't need any special design or art skills to tap in. See the handy online demos. Screamdesign's FreeVault even has graphics, animations and sound effects you can download free. Custom flash files start at $29. NetStudio's Easy Web Graphics software is $99.
4. Submit invoices by e-mail. Sending invoices over the Internet is fast becoming accepted practice for many small businesses. It's easy and cheap. No money spent on postage. Two main methods are widely accepted: Create your invoice in a standard Microsoft Word document, and send it that way as an e-mail attachment. Or create the invoice in any software format and convert it to a PDF file that anyone can read. Both methods work. In all cases, ask for confirmation of receipt.
5. Research your competition. The Web offers tremendous potential for researching your markets and competitors. A few top resources - some free, others fee based - include: Business.com (general business research), KnowX.com (public records research), Hoovers.com (company profiles) and Fuld & Company (www.fuld.com), a competitive intelligence consulting firm.
6. Get proactive about driving visitors to your site. Make sure your Web site is listed in search engines and get more out of your listings. You'll find just about all the search engine submission help you need at a site called Search Engine Watch (www.searchenginewatch.com). This premier site for search engine marketing, part of the JupiterWeb network, offers search engine submission tips, Web searching tips, search engine reviews and resources.
7. Add interesting and timely content to your site. This is something you may need to do yourself. Consider hiring a freelance writer to produce original news, feature and how-to articles for your site that are related to your business. Look for someone locally or post your needs at a Web-based service such as eLance (www.elance.com). Putting fresh content up monthly could cost as little as a few hundred dollars.
8. Order supplies online for huge time and money savings. Whether it's basic office items, bulk shipping supplies or maintenance products, you can get great prices, quick delivery and excellent service. Consider Staples (www.staples.com) or Office Depot (www.officedepot.com) for office supplies; Uline (www.uline.com) for shipping supplies and Grainger (www.grainger.com) for maintenance products.
9. If you don't already have one, get a high speed Internet connection. This is a must for making better use of the Web. Call your cable TV company, phone service provider or national long distance firm to inquire about a cable modem connection or DSL service. Quick and simple to install. Find help at Everything DSL (www.everythingDSL.com).