Not only is an online presence vital for most companies, but it is also a perfect way to tackle the high street spending slump and build up a national, even international business. Broadband can jump-start a business’s growth and revitalise a flagging company.
The number of businesses online has increased 50% in the last year, and now includes 68% of UK businesses. It is easier than ever to get up and running online. Basically all you need is a good broadband package which offers simplicity, value for money and ongoing back up. Business packages are readily available, but it depends on your needs. Bulldog, for example, offers a simple package with ongoing technical support and fast broadband connection (up to 8M). This includes all your telecoms needs and IT as well as voice calls, in the same account. If you prefer a more personal service, you could try Brillbox, which has a hardware and software package for SMEs and includes a customised web shop.
There is plenty of help available. The Broadband Showcase recently set up by Digital Content forum as part of the government’s drive to encourage the inventive use of broadband by UK businesses is an excellent place to start. The website has been developed as a platform for business to showcase how they have used broadband in an original way and to show how it has benefited their company. The idea is that companies from all industries and sectors across the UK will submit case studies of how they use broadband to help their businesses and this will encourage others. Apart from well designed websites and e-commerce companies, there are examples web cams and voice over IP. The website also highlights companies that have developed communications technology which uses broadband in an inventive way.
Stephen Timms, minister for e-Commerce and Competitiveness, wants to ensure the UK digital content industry is a global winner: ‘There’s no doubt that the UK has a thriving content industry, but now more than ever, it is vital that we stimulate and promote strong and healthy content businesses’, he says. The Broadband Showcase will be continually updated. Companies can easily upload their own details, to enable the latest innovations to be passed on quickly.
Consider your internet address carefully. Make sure your domain name describes your services or products, is simple and memorable (see articles on domains and choosing names) .You may want to produce a simple website yourself, but unless you are competent, seriously consider seeking outside help. Contact Duport, or its sister company Edge of the Web Ltd (or call 0845 116 1202) for professional help and advice. Edge of the Web specialise in visually striking websites within tight deadlines for companies demanding value.
Your website will be the first point of contact for potential customers, so it needs to be simple, look good and be easy to use. Every word or icon should be essential. Do not slow the content of your site down with flashy, irrelevant detail – customers want an easy life and will be put off by jazzy, but useless content. Recent research shows that 95% of people will abandon a website if it is not up to scratch. Sluggish loading causes three quarters of potential customers to abandon a website and the vast majority of these would not wait more than a minute for pages to respond before abandoning a site. Thirty five per cent would wait no more than thirty seconds.
Complicated websites upset customers, as do sites which require you to fill in a lengthy login/account registration form before you can consider buying. Other complaints include incompatibility with internet browsers such as Firefox, Opera and Safari. Although Firefox users only average 5-10% of internet users, these customers will usually be web savvy visitors and are therefore much more likely to buy online. Recent research has also shown that a majority of small and medium online retailers do not carry stock information, and over half did not carry a delivery guarantee. Over half of the sites surveyed did not have easily available customer service information.
Consider the above issues and once you have a site you are happy with, you need to tell people about it. Send out an e-newsletter to clients and contacts, put your web address on all company stationery and consider advertising on internet search engines. Then it is simply a matter of keeping your website and content fresh, relevant and regularly updated.
Broadband definitely offers a wealth of opportunities for high-quality website content. An Institute of Directors survey found that 84% of those businesses currently connected observed a quantifiable increase in productivity, and 61% say that broadband has produced cost savings.
