ly at your business processes will give you the best ideas for creating highly customized web applications to serve your client base.

In particular, examine how your clients interact with data. Documents created in the information stream can often be migrated to the web - saving your clients an office visit, drive time, missed work or social opportunity.

A more exotic example: a small distribution company sets up a database driven RSS feed and provides its customers (at their option) an RSS reader as a download. This reader is set up to check a unique url for each customer, providing instant desktop notification when the

The small business web site model is changing. Cost-consciousness is being replaced by an ROI consciousness, and that change is opening the way for small business web sites to provide truly useful applications for visitors. Everybody wins.

The old small business web site model was little more than an online "poster" - static html pages that presented product information, contact information and made some pitiful attempt at "branding". If there was anything "active" on the site it was an animated GIF.

It didn't work particularly well, but it didn't matter. Most of them didn't have enough traffic to justify anything more substantial.

Then, Internet marketing hit the mainstream. Every web design firm worth its beans began providing SEO and Pay Per Click marketing campaigns. The result was a generation of small business web sites that were actually getting traffic from increased visibiltiy.

With the exception of e-shop sites, these new, findable, small business web sites still weren't much more than a newspaper ad. But the traffic numbers came up, and with it came a realization that visitors can't do anything with static HTML.

Enter the new small business web site model.

Visitors stop in to gather information as always. Then, they realize that they can Do Something with that information. The advantage an applications driven web site has over one that can't do anything is nearly as great as the advantage of one that can be found vs. one that is invisible.

The Internet user of today is a more savvy and web enabled user than that of a few years ago. And, not only are the users of today exposed to an ever-increasing number and variety of applications, interfaces and interactions with data online, they've come to expect it.

For instance, a bookkeeping firm offers its clients a free software download through which they can maintain certain of their personal records, then upload their updated "books" directly back to the web site over a secure connection.

Clients who use the system save time and get significant discounts over the normal accouting and tax preparation fees. The firm gets and maintains some of the most loyal of its clients because of this Value Added Service.

So, what can you offer? Here's how to figure it out.

Obviously, the exact nature of any service you might provide to your existing customers - and offer as an enticement for prospects - will depend entirely on the type of business you do. In fact, looking closely at your business processes will give you the best ideas for creating highly customized web applications to serve your client base.

In particular, examine how your clients interact with data. Documents created in the information stream can often be migrated to the web - saving your clients an office visit, drive time, missed work or social opportunity.

A more exotic example: a small distribution company sets up a database driven RSS feed and provides its customers (at their option) an RSS reader as a download. This reader is set up to check a unique url for each customer, providing instant desktop notification when the

ubstantial.

Then, Internet marketing hit the mainstream. Every web design firm worth its beans began providing SEO and Pay Per Click marketing campaigns. The result was a generation of small business web sites that were actually getting traffic from increased visibiltiy.

With the exception of e-shop sites, these new, findable, small business web sites still weren't much more than a newspaper ad. But the traffic numbers came up, and with it came a realization that visitors can't do anything with static HTML.

Enter the new small business web site model.

Visitors stop in to gather information as always. Then, they realize that they can Do Something with that information. The advantage an applications driven web site has over one that can't do anything is nearly as great as the advantage of one that can be found vs. one that is invisible.

The Internet user of today is a more savvy and web enabled user than that of a few years ago. And, not only are the users of today exposed to an ever-increasing number and variety of applications, interfaces and interactions with data online, they've come to expect it.

For instance, a bookkeeping firm offers its clients a free software download through which they can maintain certain of their personal records, then upload their updated "books" directly back to the web site over a secure connection.

Clients who use the system save time and get significant discounts over the normal accouting and tax preparation fees. The firm gets and maintains some of the most loyal of its clients because of this Value Added Service.

So, what can you offer? Here's how to figure it out.

Obviously, the exact nature of any service you might provide to your existing customers - and offer as an enticement for prospects - will depend entirely on the type of business you do. In fact, looking closely at your business processes will give you the best ideas for creating highly customized web applications to serve your client base.

In particular, examine how your clients interact with data. Documents created in the information stream can often be migrated to the web - saving your clients an office visit, drive time, missed work or social opportunity.

A more exotic example: a small distribution company sets up a database driven RSS feed and provides its customers (at their option) an RSS reader as a download. This reader is set up to check a unique url for each customer, providing instant desktop notification when the

y realize that they can Do Something with that information. The advantage an applications driven web site has over one that can't do anything is nearly as great as the advantage of one that can be found vs. one that is invisible.

The Internet user of today is a more savvy and web enabled user than that of a few years ago. And, not only are the users of today exposed to an ever-increasing number and variety of applications, interfaces and interactions with data online, they've come to expect it.

For instance, a bookkeeping firm offers its clients a free software download through which they can maintain certain of their personal records, then upload their updated "books" directly back to the web site over a secure connection.

Clients who use the system save time and get significant discounts over the normal accouting and tax preparation fees. The firm gets and maintains some of the most loyal of its clients because of this Value Added Service.

So, what can you offer? Here's how to figure it out.

Obviously, the exact nature of any service you might provide to your existing customers - and offer as an enticement for prospects - will depend entirely on the type of business you do. In fact, looking closely at your business processes will give you the best ideas for creating highly customized web applications to serve your client base.

In particular, examine how your clients interact with data. Documents created in the information stream can often be migrated to the web - saving your clients an office visit, drive time, missed work or social opportunity.

A more exotic example: a small distribution company sets up a database driven RSS feed and provides its customers (at their option) an RSS reader as a download. This reader is set up to check a unique url for each customer, providing instant desktop notification when the

rtain of their personal records, then upload their updated "books" directly back to the web site over a secure connection.

Clients who use the system save time and get significant discounts over the normal accouting and tax preparation fees. The firm gets and maintains some of the most loyal of its clients because of this Value Added Service.

So, what can you offer? Here's how to figure it out.

Obviously, the exact nature of any service you might provide to your existing customers - and offer as an enticement for prospects - will depend entirely on the type of business you do. In fact, looking closely at your business processes will give you the best ideas for creating highly customized web applications to serve your client base.

In particular, examine how your clients interact with data. Documents created in the information stream can often be migrated to the web - saving your clients an office visit, drive time, missed work or social opportunity.

A more exotic example: a small distribution company sets up a database driven RSS feed and provides its customers (at their option) an RSS reader as a download. This reader is set up to check a unique url for each customer, providing instant desktop notification when the

ly at your business processes will give you the best ideas for creating highly customized web applications to serve your client base.

In particular, examine how your clients interact with data. Documents created in the information stream can often be migrated to the web - saving your clients an office visit, drive time, missed work or social opportunity.

A more exotic example: a small distribution company sets up a database driven RSS feed and provides its customers (at their option) an RSS reader as a download. This reader is set up to check a unique url for each customer, providing instant desktop notification when the tracking information is updated.

Think deep. Think forward. Think success. You'll find ways to provide your web site visitors with services that make their lives easier. As a result the value of your web site will increase dramatically.