OK, so you have your website up. Is it selling your business in the best possible way?

Does your website need to be fancy? Should it be complicated? Should it have flashing lights and music? No to all of the above!

If by some chance you don’t have a website, it is 2009! Time to get moving. A website provides proof of credibility and proves you exist. This is critical for first time customers and you want your existing customers to be able to easily find you.

What information should be on your website?

Contact information: Your existing customers and potential clients will most likely either turn to the telephone book or the Internet when attempting to get a hold of you. You wouldn’t dream of having an unlisted business telephone number. Why would you not let people find you on the Internet? As a matter of fact, among people online, 54% have used the Internet to replace the phone book.
Contact information is frequently relegated to the bottom of the homepage or “Contact Us” page on your site. If you are a local company trying to attract business, you contact information should be the prominently displayed both on the homepage and any other pages throughout your website.

Your professional experience: Your website may be the last thing potential customers see before deciding whether or not to contact you. Make sure you sell yourself the same way you would if you were personally pitching a new client. Key elements you want to include are:

• A description of your business, area(s) of focus and expertise
• Testimonials from existing or previous clients
• Pictures of your work or jobs (if appropriate, of course)
• Licenses (e.g., contractor license) and affiliations (e.g. BBB, Chamber of Commerce)
• Educational information relevant to your business
• Any articles you have published, blog posts you have created , or links to any local service communities you participate in, such as those on HelpHive

Your image: Your website is your chance to shine. It should be done as professionally as any piece of marketing collateral, with the same attention to style, color and design. Your website reflects your business values, attention to detail, and the quality of your work.

A good article about the design of a small business website can be found here: What Defines A Good Small Business Website

How often do you need to update your business website?

If you want people to regularly return to your website you need to provide them a reason to come back. That means continually adding new information. If your website is really more of an online brochure then you only need to change it when your business changes. But, in the same way you update the printed promotional material for your company, you will want to update the website to make sure the content stays current.

It is still a good idea to review your website monthly and make sure all the information is relevant, and links you have still work, contact information is current, and any promotional offers you have are relevant and current. You might want to consider updating your site seasonally to reflect different services you offer at different times of the year.

Graphics, music, and all that

Your website is supposed to get people interested in your business. What might be cute or fun for a personal website is not so cute for a business. People generally do not like music on websites they visit and tend to leave or turn the sound off. Graphics that are not necessary get in the way of the true purpose of your website and again may cause people to leave. Your goal is to get them to stay on your site and get the information they need.

Here is a reasonable list of website don’ts:  Why I just clicked away from your website

Seth Cohen is an online marketing expert previously with Spot Runner and Ebay.