www.popcornkingdomusa.com

www.LeesDesignerConsignment.com

www.SpiceofLifepc.com

www.BlueHeronFineGifts.com

www.fishmagnetcharters.com

www.internationalwolrdsummit.com

www.favorflorida.com

Picture credit: Wikipedia

Web 2.0 has been a popular term for around five years or so now but for much of that time few people have been able to really nail it down and define it. Web 2.0 seemed to suggest the idea that the Internet was changing and that overnight websites had to change to include the latest in media and user generated content.

Many companies saw web 2.0 as a marketing tool only: used by web design companies to convince them firstly that though there had been a dot com boom and bust things were now different, and secondly to convince them of course that they needed new websites. Many web designers did use web 2.0 in this way and often web 2.0 was just whatever the web designer chose it to be based on what skills they had and what they could actually do for a customer.  At the same time though a movement to really bring about a web 2.0 that meant something was afoot and they had no misconceptions that they were going to revolutionize the web overnight.

The web 2.0 conference now the web 2.0 summit did in fact coin the phrase web 2.0 initially and they have tried to define a standard for web 2.0, that standard aims to make it easier for companies buying websites and web developers and designers to understand what web 2.0 really entails but it isn’t as really as simple as a set of rules as to what constitutes a web 2.0 site.

Part of the web 2.0 standard that the web 2.0 summit push forward is more of an approach than a definite element of a web 2.0 site.  This is the network as a platform idea, the idea that a website can get better the more people use it and collaborate. Forums are a part of this as is user generated content; free discussion and free thinking among people who would before web 2.0 never have met, though maybe unknowingly read the same websites content. This has been taken a step further than simple content though, open source and crowd sourcing are ideas that go beyond the web but have their roots firmly in web 2.0.

Is user generated content right for all businesses though? Quite possibly not, some businesses simply want a portal where they can be found by potential customers or communicate to customers, do they need to let customers communicate back? A big part of web 2.0 has been to let customers say what they want with comments and testimonials that often go straight up on site and with social media where a customer can reply directly to a companies communication and communicate with all of their followers: this can be good or bad but with web 2.0 it is perhaps expected by consumers.

A true set of web 2.0 standards would tell businesses and other site owners exactly what a website should and shouldn’t have, what customers can and can’t do and perhaps that pages mustn’t be static and websites must be interactive and must provide more than pages of information. With the ways businesses embrace web 2.0 being different every time this isn’t possible and perhaps there are still a few businesses for whom a non web 2.0 site with static html and no way to communicate or interact is right, not that any examples spring to mind.

For those looking for e-commerce web design, Northwest Florida based ABT Websites are worth talking to, they certainly know a lot about e-commerce web design.  Pensacola businesses going online for the first time can be sure of the best advice from ABT Websites to make sure they end up with a website that is easy to use for customers and importantly easy for them and their staff to maintain.   A good e-commerce website shouldn’t be difficult to change or add products to; it is a vital part of web design.  Pensacola retailers also need sites that say “trust me”.  There are certain things that visitors to a website look for when deciding whether to trust and buy from a site; miss out on any of these important elements of web design and you find sales are almost zero; something as simple as including a picture of your business on your site can boost sales as through this element of web design so Pensacola businesses can show they have a physical presence and are established businesses rather than garage start ups.

Now although the first stage may be the e-commerce web design, Pensacola retailers may then need to know how to best run an e-commerce website.  Even with the experience of running a bricks and mortar business, retailers will find you need certain skills in running and marketing an online business that you can’t learn overnight.  Unlike most e-commerce web designers, ABT Websites offers e-commerce consultancy and ongoing support to their clients.  Adding and managing products and making the most of their highly featured sites is basic training that can be done, but they can also show you how to make the most of cross selling opportunities and using promotions including sales and price promotions.  This can all be taught and explained by ABT’s designated e-commerce consultant.

Marketing online is also very different to marketing offline, you can potentially reach far more people, but those people also have much more choice, coming up with a unique selling point and using internet marketing to get people to come to your site rather than another is vital.  ABT can show you how to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to increase visitors and even help you set up a highly profitable affiliate program to reward other websites for sending you visitors that then buy from you.