What Accelerates Online Business Growth?
14 Aug 2009 by Mother Superior
The internet offers a platform for growth which has never before been as dynamic, practical or widely accessible. Online there are thousands of companies all competing for a place in the spotlight, so what accelerates those online businesses that are the most successful?
In 2009 we are ten years into the development of the internet as a viable business platform. We’ve overcome teething problems and websites have stopped resembling flat, single page flyers, and instead we’re offering dynamic, interactive services and added value for web users.
I believe that in summer 2009 we’re in a stage of rapid revolution. Mental states are changing, websites are no longer a whimsical last-minute addition to a marketing strategy they are intrinsic to our future success. I believe that the internet has truly taken off. But who is making the most of it, and more importantly, how?
At UKFast we’re running a campaign to persuade online businesses to speed their websites and yes, it has caused some controversy. But I’m sticking to my guns here, this is not some marketing ploy, I wholly believe a faster website will give you better business results.
As the host at the helm of 250,000 domain names UKFast has an overview of the industry and the sites which we have speeded up have invariably witnessed great results; whether that is in terms of search rankings, profit, turnover or PPC.
Speed always dictates a better customer experience whether you are waiting for a webpage to load or queuing in McDonald’s – and I welcome any feedback on this point.
One of the fundamentals of a great business has always been and will always be the level of service you can offer your customers. Is this different online? Do people prefer their content delivered slowly in order to exercise restraint? Or diligently matured for ten years perhaps? I doubt it.
Basically, a fast website through which to deploy your dynamic content is vital to setting a high level of customer service. Plus, Google wants to offer the best website to its search users because it needs people to return. Remember Google has an eye on the competition too.
Google says speed is of great importance online. It’s is naïve to believe it doesn’t take it into account in the search engines. But even if Google had never uttered the ‘S’ words I would still believe speed is intrinsic to online success because without it progress (ie. Your online video, ecommerce and interactive social networking sites) would cease. And where would that leave us?
Read UKFast case studies here from clients who have benefited from speed.
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Glad to here things are well Mother superior, back at the UKFast convent.
As one half of the duo that came up with the name UK Fast .Net Limited, the name should give you a clue as to what was important to us as far back ago as 10 years.
It is only now that the rest of the world is beginning to catch on. There is a common cycle that I come across when speaking with businesses. They employ a designer or web developer because they have been let down by the first. The new agency comes in with enthusiasm and says all the right things, after all they know exactly what to say as they are part of this common cycle.
Just like the agency that won the initial job, they to will have lost jobs in exactly the same way. Yet although they know how to win jobs, they are struggling to understand what maximises revenue for people online, time after time.
What is happening is agencies and businesses are not testing their sites to see what their visitors are saying. Businesses except what the agencies tell them as it is immediate relief. “we are the answer to your problems…” they say, but it is easy to pick holes in a 9 month old web site.
Where businesses and agencies are failing, is that they are not investing in the platform to host their brand new web site.
You could have the equivalent to Harrods online, but if you host in off the beaten track know one will go there. I have a client who says “you can’t save money on your hosting,” it is a great moto and music to my ears obviously.
That being said he has gone from a one man band to a company who generates over £1m per month in new business from just one of his web sites.
If he has the slightest slowdown, he not only drops down Google placements he also fails to convert at the same high level.
At the same time I have clients (some of whom are minors, that’s young people not the digging variety) who have built a corner shop, (on a shoe string) hosted it on a faster than average server and they have panned the opposition.
In fact, UKFast hosts thousands of such companies. In a recession it seems strange that so many of our clients are flying and they continue to grow.
Speed has been the best kept secret, the larger hosting providers have been cashing in on selling bandwidth over and over again. they have penalised their customer base and now that businesses are reslising, they will switch in their droves. If they don’t they will suffocate.
To find out more about speed and what Google says, and why clients love faster websites, there is information on the main web site, plus you can test your siote to see how fast it really is. http://www.ukfast.co.uk
It is precisely like building
Businesses who spend thousands on web development