I have been in this industry since 1994 (or there abouts) and I distinctly remember the turn of the last decade. At that time IPO's of Dot Com's were all the rage, that was until March 10 2000 when everything came down in a heap. Everyone wondered "now what?" could the old paradigms of business succeed online? Fundamentally in those days we lost sight of solid business rules, we thought of the Internet as a new business landscape when in fact it should have been an enabler of business.

Over the last decade many Internet businesses have come and gone but the one constant has been the use of the Internet to allow business to work more effectively, with greater speed and to erode geographic barriers. Customers are much more accessible, however they are also spoilt for choice. This means as business owners we need to be smarter and better in order to compete.

I believe there is not a business that cannot benefit by using the Internet. It is not always in the ways you think. Many prospects have said to me over the years, I don't need a website, my customers don't use it. I can categorically tell you that is not the case.

Even if you feel they don't use it with you, you can bet they do with others. Maybe not your competitors at this time but they will if it is offered. Why not? They do everything else online, research buying decisions, send emails, do their banking, pay bills. So the choice is do you want to provide these services as an adjunct to your existing business? Streamline your customers experience or wait for the phone to ring? Do you want to spend thousands on traditional advertising like the yellow pages or direct mail that has a small percentage of the reach of the Internet or do you want to create a strategy that works for your business.

Sure just having a website in cyberspace isn't going to do it. The content needs to be relevant, the design professional and most importantly you need to have the technological tools in the back end to allow you the control of your website to accomplish this.

I know I'm biased, but it pains me to see companies spend tens of thousands of dollars on a website that is effectively a prototype. It gets old and decays from the day it is put live. The technology is superseded almost immediately. Ultimately you will go through the same process and expense on average almost every 2-3 years, some even quicker. It doesn't need to be this way. With Webarena we have already created the system to run your website. We have the modules you need now and we constantly upgrade the technology behind all our sites which means your site never gets old. It is in effect, a Living Website.

It's a new decade, and time for new decisions, it's time to make 2010 the decade for REALLY using the Internet to it's true potential. 

So you're thinking about taking the plunge and investing in a website for your business. Regardless of how and where you get your website developed there are those important key things to think about. Coming from a design background and working over ten years in the industry, I'd love to give you some of the handy information and inside knowledge I've picked up over that time.

In this post we'll overview one of the many important things you'll come across when working with your website developer. Concept design. Without getting too technical, initially you'll want to ensure your designer and processes are set up to allow you to view pre-visioned concepts of how your site will look before any costly production development. Usually this consists of a simple still image which depicts general key elements that are very much universal regardless of what your website is for. These include (but not limited to) navigation areas, content areas, footer information and a feature of some form; be it a flash banner, a very eye grabbing photo, or a special or event - the list goes on!

The important thing is to have some knowledge of how your site will look and feel before you're sitting down at the end of a costly development cycle. Even more importantly it allows you to work with your designer to ensure your website isn't just someone else's vision - it's yours. I can't tell you the amount of clients I've sat down with who have explained their 'anti-climax' when dealing with developers that promise the world but then don't follow through. Having a website for your business isn't just a groovy tech-tool, think of it (especially if you're a retailer), as your store front. Remember the care and effort you put in to get it just the way you want? The same should be said for the look of your website. Your designer will gladly work with you during the process ensuring your expectations are met, ensuring your site is one to be remembered!

Next week, I'll fill you in on some of the big secrets to keep your site looking as professional as possible. Stay tuned!