Fast fact, in August of 1995 there were 18,000 websites. Fast forward, by late 2009, there were over 234 million sites. Yes, 234,000,000.

It’s a little harder to stand out in the crowd these days, right? Of course, there are many tools and ways to help stand out: SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Email Marketing Campaigns, Blogging, Social Media Strategies (Twitter, Facebook, etc). These are all great tools, but if not effectively used and communicated to a ‘listening’ audience, mean very little, if nothing at all.

If a tree falls in the woods…You get the point.

I’ve have had the great fortune of working with some amazing web and internet marketers over the past few years, and can honestly say there is no perfect solution for any company regardless of industry.

Even the best have failed to achieve the results they had ‘promised’ clients. It’s easy to speak of past success stories; a taboo topic to openly admit what didn’t work. But yet, many web firms and agencies continue to push products that do nothing for the client’s bottom line, except bleed money.

Everyday people are finding new ways to dazzle potential clients with slick presentations of all the ‘bright, shiny objects’ that will pour revenue from clouds. The prospect gets excited about the possibilities not the probability or reality. Unfortunately, when reality does occur, relationships are broken, and you're bitter and you've lost money. What happened to those clouds of opportunity?

You can avoid these pitfalls by asking some important questions when choosing a Website development company:

• How long have they been in business? 1-3 years, 5-10? (The ugly truth is most web companies last only a few years or have downsized to almost nothing);
• What are their core competencies? Web development/ design, SEO, Database Applications, Social Media, Email strategies etc. ( Beware the Jack -of -all -trades);
• What’s the experience of your staff? Are they industry professionals (5-10 yrs) or interns learning the ropes or do they outsource? (Remember, you’re paying for this);
• Do they have a track record of success in your industry? (Ask for examples and references!);
• Do they provide ’solutions’ without thoroughly understanding your business objectives? (Always meet with a potential partner and be wary if they try to sell without building your trust);
• Is your potential web partner forward- thinking about potential solutions, but not forcing you to buy everything now? ( It’s better to do one thing correctly before going ‘all in.’)

This is not a comprehensive list, but you get the idea. You will undoubtedly have questions that are specific to your business.

In 2009, it’s obvious you must have a web presence regardless of industry. The main thing to consider with having a Website is simple: does it accomplish your business goals and objectives or does it just exist out in cyber-space?

Business objectives?  Your Website should be directly in line with accomplishing your company’s objectives.  If you don’t have your business objectives for your Website clearly outlined, chances are you will be left twiddling your thumbs, wondering why no one is filling out your contact form or calling your phone! If your web site is more than a few years old, there’s a good chance that you’re not reaching these goals.  I would imagine that your business goals and objectives have changed in the last three years, and believe me, the Web has certainly changed in that time as well…A LOT!  So how do you know if your Website is accomplishing what you want it to?  The answer is simple: Web analytics.

Every time I hear people say ‘the web doesn’t work for me’, it’s usually for several reasons, one of them being that the site is designed so poorly, that it’s not user friendly and visitors end up leaving in a short amount of time.  If you’re tracking your web site with analytics you will show ‘real’ data such as how many people visited your site, where they came from, did they get to your contact form or make an on-line purchase.  If they did, great!  Improve it.  If they didn’t, why not?  Improve it.  Websites today must have analytics to be effective because you can’t know if you’ve achieved success without data.  And you can’t make improvements that will have an impact if you don’t have information.  Everything else is just a shot in the dark.

Are you ready to start generating measurable return from your web presence?  Then get Web analytics on your Website and begin reviewing the data on a monthly basis to see what your visitors are doing.  If you want help analyzing the data, BitWise has consultation services that can help get you on the right track to making your Website the revenue generator that you intended for it to be!