ATILUS - Web Design | Internet Marketing

2009 - The State of Web Development

This post is primarily for web developers, but might contain some valuable information for business owners, and marketing & sales directors as well.doe

2009 is sucking!

Well, for the most part right? We’re having plane crashes, and fires galore, not-to-mention, the too often mentioned collapse of the global economy sparked from the downfall of the real estate market (and real estate backed securities) that subsequently toppled some of the oldest, and most prestigious financial institutions in U.S. history. There seems to be little hope.

But, I truly believe there is. Tight money is forcing businesses, small and large, to really take a look at themselves, and their spending, and demanding that changes be made. We’ve already started doing this and are continuing to do so on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Everything can be done more effectively, efficiently, and for lower costs if one really tries. Processes can be refined and new technology implemented to really make your company sing.

And, this brings me to the meat of this article. 2009, and years to come, will be phenomenal for the web industry. Personally, I believe this global crisis is really the match that will give blaze to the web as the de-facto way of doing, marketing, and managing your business - regardless of size or industry.

How To Grow Your (or Your Clients’) Business

Although there are many examples of the Internets power in terms of reach and exposure I can give you one simply and quickly. A client recently came to us, asking for assistance with their web development and internet marketing. This client was ahead of the curve. This particular business had a website, had some content, and had even made the time and money investment (and foresight) to participate in online marketing (pay per click marketing through Google AdWords).

Now, they were doing OK. With an average 3 - 4 leads/sales from the web per week. Not a bad deal. Does your newspaper ad bring in that kind of business? After evaluating their whole setup we came up with an action-plan (and are continually meeting with the client to refine and come up with additional creative ideas) in order to get more leads and sales in. The client is now averaging:

• 2 Leads/Sales Every Day
• Approximately $200,000 in annualized revenue per month (client service is monthly)
• At this level they are poised to bring in approximately $2.5 Million this year just from the Internet

Now keep in mind, this is over a 500% INCREASE from a company that was ALREADY ahead of the curve. Additionally, this is a COMPLETELY LOCAL BUSINESS. In this particular industry, conventional wisdom (as my team and I have come to learn) is that for this product’s consumers will never travel more than 5 - 10 miles to use it - it is VERY GEOGRAPHICALLY SPECIFIC. Additionally this does not account for sales that originate from the Internet, but are not being tracked (phone calls or walk-ins).

And this is a trend across the board. We have business owners who are finally switching their $5000 - $10000 print budgets over to digital mediums (albeit much less than before) and receiving the same or more traffic and sales. And they are bringing in 10’s or 100’s of thousands of additional dollars every month.

So what does this mean for us web developers? Well, the tides are finally turning. Magazines and newspapers are dropping left and right because they are just too heavy. Their infrastructure is so expensive and this can only be supported by expensive advertising. And, unfortunately, for the time being, the advertising is too expensive and does not get enough results to justify this expense.

So, 2009 and the years to come will offer a lot of opportunity for web developers, stemming from new and existing businesses looking to get the most from their advertising dollars. Keep in mind, it’s not about the best looking design, the best customer service, or the trendiest office, but it’s about results.

Does your marketing product (website and the steps you take to make it search engine friendly and marketable) deliver?

If the answer is no, or you simply don’t know, and you are simply trying to get your customers online as quickly or inexpensively as possible with no consideration for what your website must REALLY do Get out of the business, or start studying!

Because your website must get in front of your clients’ target audience and provoke them to act (purchase, signup, etc).

This is the direction every web developer should be looking.