What's on Your Website?

I understand that dial-up is still profitable, but if that is your lead on your website home page, you are in trouble. Why?

Used to be the term ISP meant a company delivering emerging technology to the community. Emerging tech is not Dial-up.

I know dial-up is profitable, but is that your focus?

Your website is your yellow page ad today. It's your main advertising.

Ideally, you would have a website - for example, JoesISP.com and JoesISPdialup.com and maybe JoesISPDSL.net to segment your marketing. The story you tell the marketplace about Dial-up, DSL and Metro E are very different. The sales process varies as well. Your website is a part of your sales process.

Your website is where customers go for information. If you tell me that you are an internet company and your website is from 2005 or looks amateur, how does that reflect on you to the prospect? Not well, I am betting.

Your website should be selling your most profitable service. (So should your salespeople). It should have a call to action.

If you tell me that you understand value-adds, then you should reflect that on your website. All too often, ILECs like Windstream and CenturyLink are doing a better job of cross-selling value adds like back-up, security, and hosted email than the independent companies. A value-add is not webmail, dial-up access or static IP address. These are taken for granted since RoadRunner has been including it for free for a long time. Value-adds change as they become either commodities or an accepted feature (like voicemail on a cell phone).

And be truthful in your marketing. It's not about semantics. It's about telling a story that resonates with your audience. I've seen some funny ones recently like "Lowest Price" (lower than the ILEC giving it away?) and "It's our infrastructure" (when it is resold ILEC services).

Today, your website is more than your online brochure. It's a sales tool. Use it wisely.

Have you made certain that you are listed in all the local search pages?