Competing on the internet requires more than just a web presence. Basic pages went out of style long ago, and today you're challenged to bring content and uniqueness to the table. Yet, many still masquerade as productive Netizens, handing out business cards proudly with a something-dot-com plastered across the bottom, but providing little to no representation of a content-rich display. Flashing, blinking, swirling things may catch the attention of some but few will stay after the psychedelic show is over. It's entertaining at first, but then if you have to distract people into buying your product or service it probably isn't worth buying.

Junk In. Junk Out.

How much time are you spending on your web site? Are you updating it frequently, or have you left it to become stale and insignificant over time? Whichever is your answer, it will show in the results of your customer base and your sales. People don't like to see stale information. When you build your site, your maintenance plan is just as important as the build itself. As your information becomes stagnant and monotonous, you should be driven to change it on a regular basis. If you are tired of looking at the same page, your customers probably feel the same way. A classic case of getting out what you put in, web sites don't lie and neither does customer activity. Find the problems and fix them. They won't go away if you do nothing, but your customers will.

Your Web Site is Not for You.

When you shop for an outfit, you typically buy what you like and what you think looks good on you. Newsflash - Your web site is not an outfit, and it's not for you. Your web site is for your customers, and your focus should be on what they want and need to see. If you can honestly look at your page today and say that you have provided a customer-focused representation of your products and services, then great for you. If you can't, you need to evaluate what you've put on the internet, for all to see, and determine how you can move forward with some corrections or additions. Reading your material from a customer's point of view will shed light on the problem areas.