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Website

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I'm giving the answer 'website' along with an explanation: I understand a 'blog' (or web log) is a website too, it is just a specialist type of website. It's an interesting question, at any rate and in my answer I'm going to include the phrase: 'it depends' !

It depends on what sort of work you do, what you mean by promoting your work and what you want to achieve. No, honestly I'm not splitting hairs - I'm trying to encourage you to work out an Internet strategy for yourself, which will lead you to the most effective web presence you can have. And I admit: I'm learning more about this as each day passes.

Thinking in terms of the next five years, if you work out a plan for yourself on this basis of where you would like to be with your sales, your readers and your organisation - you will be closer to making a decision as to whether you need a static, or dynamic website, or a blog. Or both. The more you learn about both subjects, the less it will cost you when it comes to commissioning web developers, or someone who is going to design a site for you. In that respect it's like DIY. You may not be able to repair the electrics and so you'll have to pay someone to do that for you, but if you know how to put up some shelves yourself you will save some cash!

So - back (or forward to that five year plan). How many customers/readers do you have now? How many do you want to have next year?, in two years time?, in five years time? Do you have an existing website? If so, how are your stats on this one? (how much traffic do you have?). Would a static website appeal to your customers more than a dynamic one? (dynamic websites are usually defined as those with a search facility - where the content is rearranged to make life easier for someone who is searching for particular information). Once you have that information you can start to put a few more predictions together, talk to your web designers/developers again and use your research to move ahead in an informed way.

If you don't yet have a website and are about to create one, you probably need to go for a traditional website first and not a blog. (Although you could always add a blog later!). You need to track visits from the beginning and evaluate how you are doing once you start to build traffic. If you are selling items directly from your website, for example - then this is going to be a relatively straightforward way of measuring how well you are doing (simple compile a list of how many people are buying via your website). You may have a business which provides information rather than actually selling something, in that case you might need to track how many clients have contacted you and where they first heard of your business.

Some of the largest and most effective companies have built empires without blogs: Amazon for example. Whereas other companies appear to have benefited from them (Helium is an interesting case).

Whatever decision you make, traditional website or blog - you need to really analyse your communication needs and base your actions on that. A blog is a type of website that offers a much more personal way of interacting with customers as well as topical updates so you need to bear that aspect of your comms strategy in mind.

Learn more about this author, Frances Laing.
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