You've probably received great encouragement-- if not downright pressure-to put your business on the Internet. Whether you already have an Internet presence or are merely contemplating one, you should realize that just having a Web site doesn't guarantee that the people you want to reach will actually see it. You may have hung out your shingle, but the Internet customers you seek might be nowhere in sight.
According to Russell Reich, a developer of Web sites and other new media for major corporations, 'There are two keys to improve visitation to your agency's Web site. First, make sure that links to your site can be found in the places where people are likely to be looking for your products and services. Second, provide useful, interesting content beyond the basics.'
Once your Web site is up and running, your first step should be to register your Web address (also known as your 'URL' or Universal Resource Locator) with as many Web indexes and search engines as you can find. Some of the biggest are Yahoo, Google, Lycos, Alta Vista, and WebCrawler. These sites help Internet users find the information they want.
Give a lot of thought to the short description you'll be asked to use for your Web site. Carefully consider the keywords and categories with which your site will be associated. If possible, think in broad, category-based terms. Categories such as 'insurance,' 'homeowners,' 'workers compensation' or 'risk management,' might help customers find a link to your site.
While you're on the Web, do some searching of your own. Check out your competition's sites. Look for related but non-competitive sites with which you can establish mutual links; their visitors may stumble upon a link to your site that they would not have discovered otherwise. For example, a relationship with a realtor's group may be mutually advantageous. To negotiate such links, contact the targeted site via phone or E-mail and request a link to your site in return for linking them back to your site.
An important warning about including links to other sites: Don't be too aggressive about directing visitors elsewhere. If links to other sites are too prominent, it defeats the purpose of keeping visitors exploring in your site for as long as possible.
All this effort to bring customers to your site isn't absolutely necessary, since some customers will easily find your Web site just by looking at your business cards, advertisements, and brochures. (You DO have your URL printed on these materials, don't you?) On the Internet, the real prize is the new customers you attract in addition to the current ones you want to inform.
Speaking of providing information, the structure and type of content on your site is probably the biggest draw of all. It's important, of course, to provide the obvious contact information, product and service descriptions, and perhaps pricing. But also think more broadly about what benefits your company offers and how they can be communicated and extended.
Here's an example. I recently helped a major insurance brokerage create a Web site. The people there wanted to market their risk-management services on-line. We didn't consider exposure to loss information and service brochures to be enough of a people magnet, so in addition to providing information about risk management, the site also has helpful information about OSHA requirements and recent OSHA bulletins. These additions gave us the opportunity to negotiate links with other sites, which opened up the risk-management site to a whole new potential customer base.
So don't be afraid to take risks. Ask yourself what insurance-related things you can do to attract attention: Humor and practical advice both work pretty well. Then enjoy the business you'll generate from your newly found customers on the Internet.