Ask the Master Newsletter Archives

Welcome to the previous editions of the Ask the Master newsletter. On your left you will find links to tips and the how to’s of running a Virtual Assistant practice. We hope you enjoy your stay and if you have a question you’d like answered send it to submission@vatp.ca.

Your Web Site

Does your web site speak to potential clients? Does it accurately reflect who you are and how you can help?

In a virtual profession one of the greatest and far reaching brochures you can have is your web site. This marketing tool allows a unique way to showcase who you are, what you do and how you can help potential clients.

Let’s see what we need to know about building your web site.

Warmly,
Mary-Lou Ashton
Master Virtual Assistant

• Where do I start?
• How do I find the right web designer?
• What happens now I have found a web designer?
• What do I need to be aware of as I create the site?
• Where should I host my web site?
  

There are a few things you can do to get started on building a web site. First gather all your company information and marketing materials as you will need to provide the content for the site and it can usually be pulled from what you already have. Check to make sure the materials are consistent and brand your company i.e. colour, logos, missions etc.

The second thing you need to do is make sure you have your domain name registered and the user name and password from the domain registrar. Make sure you register the domains yourself so you actually have ownership not your hosting company or web designer.

Finally you need to find yourself a web designer. This may prove to be a more daunting task than you may think and you want to make sure you take the time to find the right person.

You may find, especially if you do your own web pages, that I take a strong stand on web designers, however, for me web sites are about professional image and how you present your company to the world so I believe I need to have a strong stand. There is nothing worse than an unprofessional or poorly functioning web site. That said…

Front Page is not a software program used by professional web designers. Adobe Go Live, Macromedia Dream Weaver or Fireworks are some of the top design programs. Ask potential designers what they are using.

Ask to see their portfolios. If they are professional designers and know what they are doing they will have one and be very open to sharing that information. Be wary of someone who is just starting out and remember that you get what you pay for!! A freebie site is a freebie site.

Ask for referrals and talk to previous customers. Find out what they liked and what they didn’t like about the service. What was the turn around times like for requests (this is a big problem in the industry)?

A good web designer knows about site architecture and navigation. They know how to do graphics for the web, they know HTML and they know how to convert graphics to HTML. They have tools for site management, which include the ability to install functionality such as newsletters, and forms. They also know about building good metatags for your site so it can be found on the net. They know how to build a site that works and looks professional. I have seen too many VA sites that don’t work well, or properly, and look unprofessional.

You will need to begin building your site map, which you can think of as similar to a flow chart or organizational chart. You will need to decide what your main navigation or sections will be. They will typically include a home page, products and service, company information and contact page. You can make them anything you want and remember these will be (or should be) site wide. From there you will have to decide what subsections under each may exist.

As far as the content of the site is concerned start with the five “W’s”. Who, what, where, when and why. You want to make sure you include your company name (obviously), logo, tagline, company mission statement and the site mission statement (what is the purpose of the site?). Remember to use existing materials to pull information from.

Make sure you speak to your potential clients. If you were considering hiring a VA what would you need to hear in order for you to move forward with that decision? What is the benefit to them should they hire you? Why should they hire you over all the other VA’s?

Always remember to add value. Offer them something for free such as a newsletter, an assessment, a consultation, resources or a free trial. Make it worth their while to visit your site and they will tell others about it.

I recommend you use a national hosting company versus someone with a server in their basement. Be careful of resellers. This is another one of those you get what you pay for deals.

Pay attention to what you get for your dollar. Does the package include email aliases, pop accounts, auto responders, domain forwarding, web site statistics, 24/7 technical support etc. How much storage do you get and how much bandwidth? This site provides monthly top hosting companies http://ca.tophosts.com .

I personally use NetNation at http://www.netnation.com .