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Starting out on the Web

PFW.com - 2002 As PFW continues to introduce new products and services that allow dealerships to extend their business system to the Internet, many dealers are taking this opportunity to consider building a company website or are re-evaluating their existing one.

If your dealership is among the group that hasn't built a website yet, consider the following steps as you design and build your site.

Step one: Plan, Plan, Plan.
Before you begin creating your own site, spend a considerable amount of time surfing the Web looking for ideas. Determine what features you like and think about how to incorporate them into your own site. Using "story boards" (graphical representations of each page), lay out exactly what the pages of your site will look like and the content each page will have. Planning in this way will save you a considerable amount of time during the actual "coding" (or development) of the pages because you'll know ahead of time what each page will look like when complete. Remember, when you are designing a web site, you are essentially designing an interface, and your customers will notice if it is not well laid out and consistent.

While websites designed for equipment dealerships can look very different in terms of layout, most include the following sections: a Home page, an About Us page, a Service page, a Parts page, and Sales, Employment, Rental, and Links pages.

Also, remember that it is very important to carefully evaluate and determine the exact purpose of your site and who it is targeting. Design your site around the visitors you are trying to attract. What are their needs? What kind of information will they visit your site for? Including information that is not pertinent to the target audience you've identified can sometimes convolute the site and may end up confusing your visitors!

Step two: Write the copy.
As people tend to scan web pages, rather than read them from top to bottom, it is important that you make sure the text (otherwise called "copy") on your site is written in easy-to-understand language, and will appeal to people with extremely short attention spans. Keep word counts below 800 words per page. Placing meaningful images and other graphics within the text of a page is one way to break up otherwise long blocks of text and allows your readers to scan directly to the information they're after.

As well, note that choosing the right words to use on your web pages can have a positive effect on your visitors. Many words that are commonly used in package labelling, as well as radio and television advertising, also work well on the web. The following words can help grab the visitor's attention: You, free, money, new, easy, proven and guaranteed.

Be careful that the content (both text copy and images) you add to your site doesn't violate any other individual or company's copyrights or trademarks. If you're going to display the logos of your main suppliers (on a "Links" page, for example) make sure you have permission first (many logos come with "usage guidelines" that must be adhered to when the logos are used for marketing purposes).

Step three: Check everything!
Once you think your site is ready to go "live", go through it, page by page, and check the following things:

Step four: Market it.
There's no doubt about it, creating a web site is a lot of work, so once the site is launched, it is important to market it so people will visit it. Some simple techniques for marketing your new site include:

* Jason R. Rich, The Unofficial Guide to Starting a Business Online.

PFW is committed to helping dealerships create and build their presence on the Internet by offering a total web solution, including web site design and hosting at affordable rates. If you are interested in learning more about PFW's web services, contact Paul Harrison.

Step 1: Plan, Plan, Plan.
Step 2: Write the copy.
Step 3: Check everything!
Step 4: Market it.