# Websites as a marketing tool??



## Flewster

Yes we use a website as a tool and as a store. Works great for us as the more people we meet at festivals and such we give them our card and they then reorder from our site. www.johnwaynehoney.com


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## Grant

I have a web site, following the advice of "everyone" who insisted it was the WAY to go...back in the day. Today "everyone" is hyping social media. I haven't updated my web site much at all. People do find me because of my web site, which is helpful for swarm calls, but I didn't want to go the e-commerce route. Shipping is way too expensive and a bugger to pack and pad. And I sell everything I produce locally. I don't need an on-line store. My site works best for me when I sell at the farmer's markets as an educational tool that I refer people to (it's on my label).

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## Stingy

As someone that has been entrenched in marketing and websites for quite a number of years I will simply say that if you aren't keeping an up to date and changing website that you are losing business. It's a great way to stay connected to your customers as well as to educate folks on your products and processes. Having a dead site or one that is not kept up is almost worse than not having one at all, as it typically relates to the consumer that you either don't care enough to modify it or that you are not really a serious business.


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## jrhoto

Your web site can be a very good way to get your product in front of the public.You will make mistakes but none that haven't been made before.We have a website www.poorvalleybeefarm.com and are in the process of opening an online store for beekeeping equipment,keep an eye out for it.I hope people will give us a try, i think they will be very happy with the service and prices.
www.poorvalleybeefarm.com


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## David LaFerney

A website is a great local marketing tool, but people will never find it if you don't develop it a bit. You want it to pop up high on the list when someone googles for something like: "local honey Mytown Mystate" Here's a hint - YourtownYourstateHoney.com is a great domain name and it is probably available for around $10 per year.


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## Stingy

jrhoto said:


> Your web site can be a very good way to get your product in front of the public.You will make mistakes but none that haven't been made before.We have a website www.poorvalleybeefarm.com and are in the process of opening an online store for beekeeping equipment,keep an eye out for it.I hope people will give us a try, i think they will be very happy with the service and prices.
> www.poorvalleybeefarm.com


Nice design. Very tastefully done.

As long as you make sure your business is registered on Google, you should attract a fair number of hits from your locals. It makes a significant difference.


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## alexstone

Flewster said:


> Yes we use a website as a tool and as a store. Works great for us as the more people we meet at festivals and such we give them our card and they then reorder from our site. www.johnwaynehoney.com


Flewster it`s good you have online store, but as for me(web developer) I think you have some troubles with layout and usability. I`m sure you should to change a lot to get better sell-result. If you want, I can help you with it


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## westernbeekeeper

I have my own website, mostly for the advertising abilities it offers. See my signature line.


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## The Honey Householder

My wife's has had a store to do sales, and now she has her website up and going. 
http://www.adropofhoney.net check it out.:thumbsup:


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## Dominic

I think a website is a great tool for visibility, but also for credibility. People _will_ judge you according to how you represent your business in the public domain, be it by a website or with ads and product labels. Even if you are the best and most well-known in your domain, if your website is ugly and out of date, amateurs who don't know any better will judge you for it and look elsewhere. It also allows you to give an idea of your philosophy, methods, and know-how to your perspective clients.

That being said, plenty of people go fine without a website or with an old outdated website. Depends on what your business model is and who you are trying to reach.


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## woodedareas

I have paid a company to create a website for me. After completing it I learned that no one would find it unless I had a good SEO (search engine operation). In other words Google controls most of the internet and simply doing a website does not mean anyone cam find it. I understand that the formulas and process used by Google is proprietary and that you need a good SEO and that over time as more people use your site, and as other changes occur such as blogs, etc you slowly develop more recognition from Google. I was advised that the process of gaining more recognition from Google and others does not happen in month or two but rather 6 months or more.I am paying someone to help me with SEO as Ido not have that skill. There are a lot of people offering this service but be VERY careful as they make promises that are false.


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## Rader Sidetrack

One way to improve your website's rankings in search engine results is to get other people to visit your site. And if you really want to do that, provide them a link that they can easily _click _on. 

Note that you can use the Beesource _Control Panel_ (click _Settings _at the top of this page) to add your website URL to your _signature_, and promote your website with every post you make.  No charge for that SEO '_optimization_' tip!


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## woodedareas

I made a mistake SEO means search engine optimization not operation.


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## Shouse

We Love ours!

Excellent results!

www.almondbeepollination.com


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## Mary Q

In today’s business world, having a website is as important as having a telephone.

Search engines give results based upon the IP address of the person doing the search and the address of the business that offers the goods (honey) or services the person is looking for.

For local businesses, it is easier than ever to be found.

A website works for you 24/7.


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## David LaFerney

woodedareas said:


> you need a good SEO


Yes and no. "Good SEO" can't hurt (Bad SEO can though) but really all you need is for your website to have something - information, goods, services - that people want to find. If you are selling local honey then make sure there is plenty of location and honey information on your website. Modern Content Management Systems (Wordpress for example, which is widely available and free) include an awful lot of built in (or easily installed) Search Engine Optimization if you use it. 

There are plenty of non-SEOed websites out there that dominate for certain search terms because they have something original or unique that people want to find.

Think of your website as a phone number, and google is the phone book - your number is in there, but if you want certain people to have your number in hand the best thing to do is hand it to them. Post your web address everywhere that it is *relevant* to get it out there. Don't post it repetitively or in irrelevant places lest ye be seen as a spammer.

And of course we should all remember what so many businesses seem to have forgotten - It costs far more to get a new customer than it does to keep one you already have.


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## snl

If you've a business, a website is a must. My website OxaVap.com promotes Oxalic Acid Vaporizers (yes, I know a shameless plug, but that's what this thread is all about)...

Larry


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## odfrank

I have one and it brings in some business. A neighbor found my site and phone number yesterday and bought $47.00 of honey. My site is primarily for my landscape business but the single bee/honey page brings in more calls. Many hits are not cold hits, but folks who know a bit about me and need my contact info. 

>One way to improve your website's rankings in search engine results is to get other people to visit your site. And if you really want to do that, provide them a link that they can easily _click _on. 

http://www.oliverfranklandscapia.com/


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