There’s just so much good stuff in this book, I might have to turn this into a multi-part series. Chapter 4, “Direct Response Marketing” (from Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet by Jay Conrad Levinson) really got me thinking about how many sites I’ve come across that don’t do anything for the business. In very few cases, having the simplest of ‘brochure websites’ (strictly informational and usually for credibility purposes) may be appropriate, but there are so many opportunities to get your web site to do more for your business.

The easiest thing any website can do is collect your visitor’s contact information. This can be used as a targeted list for your marketing offers (as long as you have their permission of course).

* A few sample ways to collect your visitors’ contact information.

Offer to email your visitors information on a topic they’re interested in.

Keep them up-to-date on the latest industry news via an email subscription

Discounts or special offers available only by email

Use a free quote, consultation, or trial to show how effective your product/service is

* Use your web site as the first resource for customer support.

Generating a list of your frequently asked questions can save you (or your staff) tons of time on the phone answering the same questions over and over. By making the support section easily accessible on your site, you can avoid annoying, time consuming, and costly calls to your support team.

* And, obviously, your website can sell your product.

You can successfully sell your product using only your website if you write clean sales copy. A brick-and-mortar location is certainly more expensive than a full-blown online retail store, which is a much smaller investment than you may think. A custom-designed, professional-looking site will give your small business a much better and more reliable feel than a template-based, hosted e-commerce product.

Depending on your client base, most Internet users feel comfortable making purchases online if they trust the website. Through other online experiences, your visitor has psychologically programmed him/herself to trust a site that meets their expectations. Conforming to these expectations is the name of the trust game. You don’t want to have any unexpected steps between the visitor first landing on your web page, and the end of the checkout process. Find a web design company who has experience in this area, and they’ll help you make back your investment many times over.

* Let your website advertise itself.

As an SEO (search engine optimization) expert, I can tell you the power of the number 1 spot on Google. Over half of searchers click on the first result they see. If you invest in achieving that top spot, you’ll have free, targeted traffic for your keyword as long as you maintain your optimization. If you’re planning on being in business in 2 years, this is something you should seriously consider.

The gold-digging step-sister of SEO is SEM, or Search Engine Marketing. She’ll bring you as much or as little traffic you’d like - for a price. This is an excellent complementary strategy to instantly attract visitors to your website. I wouldn’t rely strictly on this type of marketing, but if you need instant traffic, you can’t beat it.