My apologies for not having read your intent more clearly.

I agree.

Chuck

Chuck said: “There are some things I think that can be done to better serve the business. That’s why I’m offering a report to add to what is written here to make things more efficient for the business.”

Good for you – but please manage their expectations. The streets of the web are NOT paved with gold, but you *can* make money there if you work at it. IMHO!

Sorry – I did not mean to confuse. – it is *small business owners* that I encounter who have this attitude that a website will have order rolling in. As an example I have one customer who we put a website up for. With no SEO work it actually ranked very highly in Google (first page!) and after 3 months he phoned us up to complain that he wasn’t rich yet! Another business pulled their website 6 weeks after publication because the orders weren’t rolling in.

I know it is not just us that has this problem – other web companies in my area are experiencing it too. I’ve started the blog entry on this and I’ll post a link when I publish it – if you have no objections to that!

Chuck said: “For people wanting to help small businesses get started, this is a good report. But since you haven’t read it, you’re really just reacting to what you think is being said.”

You’re right, I haven’t read that report, but since we are registered with local business development agencies specifically to assist start-ups and we do a couple of dozen per moth, I’ve come across most of this stuff already as well as the unrealistic expectations many people place on websites.

Like all forms of marketing they require work and effort be successful.
Regards

Brian

The problem most small businesses have is

1) Having no website to capture the increasing use of the internet for local search.

2) Having no website that is positioned to obtain traffic from local searches.

And no I didn’t say orders would come “rolling in”. What was said was that if local businesses could begin getting local inquiries weekly or monthly, over a year, they could double their business from local customers.

That assumes they don’t otherwise antagonize them or fail to serve them.

For people wanting to help small businesses get started, this is a good report. But since you haven’t read it, you’re really just reacting to what you think is being said.

There are some things I think that can be done to better serve the business. That’s why I’m offering a report to add to what is written here to make things more efficient for the business.

Websites are like all other forms of marketing – they require good planning and sustained effort to make them pay off. Often the biggest obstacle faced by many small businesses is they have not yet acquired the “business mentality” of spotting opportunities coming their way.

Regards

Brian