Business utilization of the Internet has happened in stages and the progression has been rapid.

In the late 90′s static, brochure websites were the rage. Websites evolved into e Commerce sales engines. Search Engines sprang up to help us sort through the clutter that was the Internet.  Thus search engine optimization and advertising became important at the turn of the century.

Several years ago static websites evolved into ‘Web 2.0″ sites with customer service features and dynamic user generated content.  User generated content became the driver for social media membership websites where people can share opinions, information, and reviews.

We are now entering the era where mobile connectivity  is practical.  An array of mobile devices enables people to be connected all the time wherever they are. Most of the things you can do on a desktop or laptop you can now do with a mobile device.

As technology evolved one thing never changed. The early adopters jumped on board quickly while the mainstream lagged behind. All stages of Internet business utilization go through phases of ‘interesting’ to ‘mainstream’  to ‘mandatory’.  There is always a lag between when technology becomes available and when it becomes mature – from just being interesting to becoming mandatory.  Big companies usually show the way and then the methods are scaled to small and medium companies’ needs.

Websites, including online sales when appropriate, are now mandatory. Search optimization and advertising are mostly mainstream if not mandatory. The public has embraced social media, but many businesses are lagging behind the demand. And business utilization and user acceptance of mobile is in the early adopter stage.

What companies need today, if they know it or not, is a holistic Web Presence, not just a website. Web Presence includes:

1. A High Class Web Destination (flagship website)
2. Active Social Media Pages (and related reputation management)
3. Mobile Delivery Capability
4. Traffic Generation Tactics
5. Content Marketing (more content, more places, more customers)
6. Measurement (including ROI)

But to create and manage a Web Presence you’ve got to work at it and that is what is separating web success from failure for most companies; they don’t work at it. In the old days, businesses used Yellow Pages, newspapers, postal mail, print ads, and maybe radio/TV to push out their message and there wasn’t much work involved. 

With the reality of the Internet those days are gone.  You have got to work at Internet utilization to push and pull interactivity with customers.  But most companies, large, medium, and small, have not committed the time and budget resources needed to learn how and implement a Web Presence.

So what’s the answer to the know-how and resource problem?

• Technology tools are needed to consolidate files (articles, audio, video, announcements, events, etc) and simplify the process of publishing the files via a managed Web Presence which includes a website, social media pages, directory listings, blogs, article publications, local search pages, mobile content, reputation management, etc.
• A Web Presence Professional is needed to oversee the Web Presence Technology Platform, help create your Web Presence, and act as expert strategist and publisher.

Well… help is on the way in the form of WSI ReachCast.  Contact me for information about how your organization can easily create a total Web Presence and bring order out of the possible chaos of managing your multiple web properties and web space.