"The Who, What, When, & Where of the Web"
Part 2

By Crystal M. Thomas
True Prism Technologies

The following is the conclusion of the article began in the last edition. Part 1 can be found at www.summervillesun.com.

When Visitors need to know when they can expect to reach someone. Operating hours should be posted online, just as they are in the window of a shop.

For online stores, customers usually have one major question, "When will I get my stuff?" Preparing the answers for shipping, returns, refunds and billing questions offer visitors a quick reference guide when purchasing from a web store. This helps instill a greater degree of confidence in purchasing goods and services online.

Where The internet has been around long enough now that users have become savvy in their online dealings. In some cases, they may have already felt the sting of unscrupulous vendors or fly-by-night websites.

It is important that visitors are reassured that they are dealing with an honest and reputable company.

One of the best ways to ensure this is to simply state "where" the business is located. Address information -including city and state-, phone numbers, and a general email address (or Contact Us form) visitors can use for questions should be easily accessible on every website.

If the business operates from a brick-and-mortar location, stress that fact in the homepage text. Web users desire the ability to "reach out and touch" the businesses they interact with. Whenever a business can promote the fact that they actually exist in the physical world, they should take every opportunity to do so. Promoting the fact that a business is "local" can have even greater benefits.

Summary Once a business has provided the answers to the basic who, what, when and where questions for their customers, managing a website and online presence become an easier task. A website should strive to be a functional tool for every business, not merely another cog in the machine. Taking the time to provide the basics from the beginning will go a long way to building a firm foundation for the future.

The preceding was written by Crystal M. Thomas (cthomas@trueprism.com) of True Prism Technologies (http://www.trueprism.com).
The beginning of the article was published in the previous issue and can be found on www.sumervillesun.com.