The Web: Is It for You? 



DEB BREWER 



Can a web site be profitable for a small business? 

 can you get your money's worth in increased 

 sales? Can you afford one to begin with? Will 

 you have to spend a lot of time and money keeping it 

 current? Do you need to buy a new computer? These 

 are some of the questions that most small business 

 people have whether they are in retail — selling their 

 homemade salsa — or wholesale — selling plant materials. 



In this article, I will try to give you useful details per- 

 tinent to your industry. If, in the end, you still have 

 questions and/or concerns, feel free to contact me. 



Small businesses are definitely creating a presence and 

 making an impact on their bottom line through the 

 Internet. But, as we all know, nothing in this world 

 comes without a price. Most successful small businesses 

 have paid a professional to develop the web site; they 

 have learned how to market it online and offline; and 

 they continue to put forth the effort to keep the site 

 current and continue the marketing. These are the basics 

 to a successful web site. 



The creation and nurturing of a web site is similar to 

 opening a location on Main Street, Anytown, USA. 

 Would you renovate the space to accommodate your 

 needs? Would you open your doors and advertise by 

 putting out a sign and/or advertisements in the local me- 

 dia? Would you continue to advertise your products and 

 new products? And would you assist people by interact- 

 ing with them and helping them solve their problems 

 with your expertise and/or products? Of course, you 

 would do all these things and these all apply to a web site. 



Creating your "space" on the Internet is done during 

 the development phase. During this phase, the content, 

 aesthetics, and navigation are critical. To ensure the site 

 is useful and visitors will return, the web site should in- 

 clude free information pertinent to the target market in 

 addition to the information about your products. If you 

 are a retail grower, then you could offer information 

 about what the home gardener or the landscape contrac- 

 tor should be doing at a particular time of year — perhaps 

 a calendar with the tasks listed for the particular zone 

 and/or region. If you are a wholesale grower, information 

 might include new varieties that you offer or updated 

 pest control. Free information will draw the visitors back 

 to the site and will also, and most importantly, make 

 them think of your company as experts in the field. 

 They will remember your company name. The distribu- 

 tion of this free information is synonymous with you in- 

 teracting with customers in your store. 



Advertising your web site after it is created is the 



most critical part of the whole process. A web site can 

 be an excellent site in terms of aesthetics and content, 

 but if no one can find it, it will fail. Advertising a web 

 site can be accomplished many ways. The developer of 

 the site should be able to register it with the search en- 

 gines so that you are included in their indices. Other ad- 

 vertising would include local directories, which are be- 

 coming more and more popular. Sometimes assembled 

 by the state library, the local news media, or a web de- 

 veloper, "regional directories" are a common place to 

 find businesses that cater to a particular locale. Trade as- 

 sociations of your target market is another way to find 

 your customers. There are so many ways to advertise 

 your site, that it is impossible to list them all in this ar- 

 ticle, but hopefully you have the idea that advertising 

 your site is very critical to its success. 



NOW FOR THE COST ISSUES . . . Computer hard- 

 ware prices have come down in recent months to easily 

 below $1,000. Internet access usually amounts to be- 

 tween $ 1 5-$30 per month. A domain name costs $75 to 

 register and $35 per year after the second year to main- 

 tain. Developers charge for site development in a number 

 of ways. Some charge a set contract price for the entire 

 development job and others charge by the hour. As with 

 anything, make sure you get in writing what is being of- 

 fered by the developer. Since this industry is new, it is 

 easy to negotiate a contract without the deliverables and 

 costs being clearly spelled out. A five page site (a page 

 being equivalent to an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper) 

 could be anywhere from $500 to $1,500. And hosting 

 charges (web site storage) range from $20-$ 100 per 

 month depending on the size of your site and whether 

 or not you are going to accept credit cards online. 

 (These prices are only estimates and the actual prices in 

 your specific area may vary.) 



In closing, a web site for a small retail or wholesale 

 grower can be successful if the owner is willing (and has 

 the time) to devote to growing and maintaining the site. 

 In the end, the small business who ventures into 

 cyberspace now will be ahead of the game in the future 

 as finding products and services online will become the 

 normal way of conducting business. 



Deb Brewer is President of CrystalVision Web Site Design 

 and Internet Services, a company providing high quality 

 web sites, hosting, maintenance, and consulting services. She 

 has been in business for three years and continues to expand 

 as the need for quality web developers increases. She can be 

 reached at 6o^.4^^.(>;^p or db@cvwp.com. 



