No. I’ve just been reading this:

There is no better opportunity to pick up new customers and increase your company’s profile in the marketplace.

This is exactly the sort of mind-set that small businesses are founded on, so it ought to come naturally to all of us when an economic crunch comes. Alas, as we know, we smaller businesses tend to dug behind the barricades just like the mammoth corporations we used to work for.

But the Internet now makes it easier than ever to increase my marketing in a downturn, with its availability of cheap web sites and even cheaper blogs, and its many opportunities for free promotion using press releases and articles. The nimble businesses will be using these Internet-based marketing levers.

For my own money, an inexpensive web site would be my first choice. I would recommend a business under economic pressure ought to use google and find a web site designer for small business. You can find people who will build perfect decent small business web sites for under $500. (We do this at Telford Square, by directing Indian designers and making back-end sales to some customers, later on.) That is affordable.

But the payoff is disproportionate to the cost. Because from a web site a business can brand itself in new opportunities and use the other, free means of promotion to bring visitors to the web site where, many of them, hopefully, will become buyers and clients.

Right?

The Internet has given us strong, effective marketing tools at no or low cost. Irrespective of the state of the economy. So even in a downturn we ought to be increasing our web presence. (But of course I’m at Telford Square and I’m biased.)

A stranger coming to your site is not going to forgive ugly design. If your site looks bad he’ll go looking for something better. As you know only too well.

So, you have to have pleasing design, then. But where do you find it?

Well, it is partly fashion.

The styles and themes, even the colors, of websites change over time. For example, I can remember (not too long ago) the time when most corporate websites had gray backgrounds and burgundy as the key color. Visit any big business site now and you will find different combinations. In the same way, Web 2.0 is changing site design also. The large fonts, gradients and sharp lines of this latest web look look good and many sites use them.

Welcome to Web Fashion. Keep your site somewhat in line with fashion so it stays up-to-date for your visitor. For this reason you will need to look at your site every two or three years and possibly redesign it.

Design is also influenced by Internet technology.

Maps and satellite pictures from Google Earth, and the now-simple email form on a contact page, are examples of this. New technologies in their respective days, these tools are now routinely built into web sites by designers.

If some new technology will help your visitor, for example by making something faster or more clear, then design it into your website

What is cool, and what is technically possible, are the things that drive web site design.

To keep you and your visitor happy, take them both into account when you design your web site.

A stranger coming to your site is not going to forgive ugly design. If your site looks bad he’ll go looking for something better. As you know only too well.

So, you have to have pleasing design, then. But where do you find it?

Well, it is partly fashion.

The styles and themes, even the colors, of websites change over time. For example, I can remember (not too long ago) the time when most corporate websites had gray backgrounds and burgundy as the key color. Visit any big business site now and you will find different combinations. In the same way, Web 2.0 is changing site design also. The large fonts, gradients and sharp lines of this latest web look look good and many sites use them.

Welcome to Web Fashion. Keep your site somewhat in line with fashion so it stays up-to-date for your visitor. For this reason you will need to look at your site every two or three years and possibly redesign it.

Design is also influenced by Internet technology.

Maps and satellite pictures from Google Earth, and the now-simple email form on a contact page, are examples of this. New technologies in their respective days, these tools are now routinely built into web sites by designers.

If some new technology will help your visitor, for example by making something faster or more clear, then design it into your website

What is cool, and what is technically possible, are the things that drive web site design.

To keep you and your visitor happy, take them both into account when you design your web site.

He’s exactly right. And you know this without having to be told. Your visitor would never accept a poorly designed business web site. You wouldn’t either.

OK. You’ve got to have good design. But where do you find it?

Fashion drives site design.

See the fashion change occurring right now on the web sites influenced by Web 2.0. The clean lines, bright colors, gradients and big fonts are popular and spreading widely. An earlier change can be followed on corporate websites. Ten years ago they put text on gray backgrounds and often emphasised burgundy colors: today you most likely will never see this combination on a big business website. Just as design is contantly taking new directions off-line, it is always changing on websites.

This is fashion. Keep your site somewhat in line with fashion so it remains crisp and cool for your visitor. For this reason you will need to look at your site every two or three years with a view to redesigning it.

Design is also affected by technology on the ‘Net.

Maps and satellite images, from Google Earth, are appearing on more and more websites. Because a map can be very useful for certain types of customer, many web pages are designed to incorporate this cutting-edge technology. Or look at email. The first web sites didn’t have the email form we now recognize on our contact pages. In fact, they didn’t have contact pages. Visitors clicked on the words of email addresses and sent an email with the email box that would popup from that click.

Design your site around any new techology that will make your customer’s visit better.

Website design is moved by what visitors think looks cool and what designers know is technically possible. To keep you and your customer happy, Think about them when you design your web site.

And if you’re looking for a web site designer for small business Telford Square gives small businesses web sites that look good and work exceptionally well in the commercial process … for under $500.