Doing business on the internet can be confusing and frustrating. The usual approach most companies take is to build a web site 'because people kept asking if we had one'. So, the web site gets built and launched, some efforts are made to get it on the search engines and then it languishes, getting a trickle of traffic and adding little or nothing to the company's bottom line.

The key to a successful business internet experience is planning. If you know where you're going, then getting there and obtaining the business is a mechanical process that doesn't so much require extensive skills as time and commitment.

Whether you've just made the decision to use the internet in your business, or have been doing it for a while, it's a good idea to tackle your online office with a plan that will keep you pointed in the right direction and poised to use the internet to drive prospects and business to your company, both online and in the 'real world'.

How many times have you looked at a web site and wondered just exactly what they were trying to accomplish? Probably a lot. Around 80% of business websites are completely ineffective, mostly due to lack of planning at the outset.

When you start a 'brick and mortar' business, you plan. The same goes for your digital office. Without a good plan that outlines your intent and your goals, your web site will not reach its potential.

First things first. Sit down with a notebook, and jot down the following information about your company:

• a brief corporate history
• mission statement
• current 'real world' marketing mix
• descriptions of your products and services
• your 'Unique Selling Proposition' (what makes you different?)
• words and 2-3 word phrases used to describe your products, services or market - these will be the core for your keywords later in the process
• your goals for your web site, here's a few examples:
  • getting prospects
  • selling products
  • providing information

• brochures
• news releases
• prior year marketing plans
• annual report
• company newsletters
• identity manuals
• direct mail pieces
• profiles of executives and staff
• stationary and business cards
• product and service literature, catalogs, data sheets
• press pieces, magazine articles about your company

Gather much the same sorts of material for your 'real world' competition that you gathered for your own company, as much of it as you can reasonably obtain. Notice also what advertising they are using. After gathering the 'real world' materials, its time to find out who your competition is on the web. You'll be surprised to find that some of your regular competition won't be there yet. Go to Yahoo! at http://www.yahoo.com and type in the names of your competition now, with double quotes around the names if they have more than one word in their company names. If you know their web address, type it in (ex: www.competitorsname.com) . Write down the categories that they appear under. Next, search in Yahoo! for the keywords that you wrote down in the first section. Again write down the categories that appear, and the names of the companies that are in the top 5 spots (some of these will be paid spots, but don't worry).

Once you've written down the categories and the competition you find there, go take a look at their web sites. Notice what they talk about, and what phrases seem to appear more often than others. Look at the source code (in Netscape do a View, Page Source. In Internet Explorer do a View, Source). You may see a line of code that starts with What appears after the '=' is the list of their keywords. The keywords towards the front of the list are most likely their top ones, and what you'll find most often in their text on their pages. It will also be the keyword or keyword phrase that they rank highest for on the search engines.

You'll also want to see what they say about their products and services. This will give you an idea of how they're differentiating themselves. This is critical. With over 2 billion web sites on the World Wide Web, being able to stand out from the crowd is essential. Remember, you are only one keystroke from oblivion at any time on the Internet.

If you have a Unique Selling Proposition, differentiate yourself, provide good, valuable information, and above all a Call to Action (ask for the sale!), you will be able to convert a larger percentage of your visitors. Remember it isn't who gets the most traffic, its who converts a greater percentage! If you get 10,000 unique visitors and only 1% of them are converted to customers, you have 100 customers. If you get 5,000 unique visitors and convert 5%, you have 250 customers! Quality, not quantity is what counts for your web site. Strive to provide a well organized, informative (90% of people who go to the internet do so for information) site that asks for the sale, and you're on the right track.

As you can see, gathering your information and doing research before getting on the internet can make defining your web site a lot easier. If you have your company information together, research your competition thoroughly, and define specific site and reasonable revenue goals you're well on your way to being able to define the layout and 'look and feel' of your web site.