A Clean Image

We are often asked: 'what is the benefit of having a website that can be accessed anywhere in the world when the services are only available in a discrete locality?'

First of all it doesn't matter if someone in California comes across a website for a company based in Aberdeen – you never know who they know, and maybe if they are impressed they will tell their contact about you.

Of course, a local company's principal objective is to appeal to their target customer base, so it is important to follow four golden rules.

1. Have a professionally prepared website - a crummy website does zilch for your image.

2. After launching your new website, write to your existing customers and ask them to take a look. It's an opportunity to maintain customer contact.

3. Make sure the website name appears on all letterheads and other stationery as well as any company vehicles and equipment.

4. Use a professional company to undertake Internet directory and search engine submissions, particularly those with a geographic indexing. (Google Local is not far away from launch in the UK and will be a major player.)