Would you ever buy a car that doesn't run? How about a lamp that won't illuminate? Silly questions, aren't they? But you'd be surprised at what people will buy even though they know it won't work.

Every year small business owners pour thousands of dollars hastily into web sites projects that don't bring in more customers, don't get people to act and do nothing for their bottom line. Like the aforementioned car and lamp, the web site doesn't do much of anything - it just sits there. I want to make sure that doesn't happen to you.

In creating and maintaining a web site that actually provides a good return for the company, small business owners find themselves often at a disadvantage. They don't have time to research what makes an effective site, so they look on the Internet to see what everyone is doing - and almost everyone is doing it wrong. Not knowing where else to turn, owners haphazardly ask colleagues if they might know someone…anyone who does web design or calls himself or herself a web designer.

Your best bet in getting a solid return on your web design investment is to hire a professional (see my recommendation at the end of this article), but even if that isn't in your current budget, I have 5 insightful suggestions below that if you read them, understand them and practice them, your web site will be more effective than millions of the other sites that are already out there!

"Visitors want to know about me and my business"

Realty - Visitors only care about what you can do for them, how you can help them. Your web site isn't about you; it's about your customers and their needs. Remember, your customers don't care about you - yes, you read that right, and your customers only care that you can provide a solution or eliminate a problem. Customers are all tuned into the same radio frequency, "WIIFM - what's in it for me?"

"The purpose of my web site is to inform visitors"

Realty - Unless you sell information, nothing could be further from the truth. If you're in business to make money, the purpose of your web site is to carry on a conversion with visitors, make a connection with them and move them along the buying process so they become a sale. This isn't to say that information is bad, just understand that you want to provide prospects with enough information for them to conclude, "I should contact this person and see if they are a good fit for me."

"If I just get something 'quick, easy and inexpensive' up on the Internet, visitors will find me and the sales will start rolling in"

Reality - This never works. There are millions of web sites on the Internet; even within your industry there are probably a number of competitors that already have web sites - so there are lots of alternatives. Busy customers aren't going to invest time visiting a poorly designed web site. Purchasing a cheap, half-fast web site will not only cause your company to lose some credibility, it isn't going to bring in sales. If conceptualizing and designing a web site that truly brought in a more customers and more revenue, do you think the people designing them would charge more than a few hundred dollars? Remember what your parents taught you, "You get what you pay for", and "If it's true good to be true (really cheap), it probably is".

"If I have a lot of information about me and my company, along with my contact information, visitors will be eager to take action and contact me to buy"

Reality - Getting your visitors to take action isn't mere luck. This requires a clear understanding what your clients want, why they buy and what will motivate them to take action. Remember that people buy with emotion and justify their purchase with logic. If you're not a marketing expert, you'll want to ensure the firm designing your site is.

"Anyone can design a web site that brings in customers, gets them to act and makes money. There are thousands of students, hobbyists and inexpensive web designers that can do the job just as well"

Reality - Anyone can design a web site, but a web site that gets visitors to take action and brings in revenue and customers is only accomplished though hiring marketing and design professionals. Within 3 years over ¾ of small business owners that invested money in an option other than a marketing/design professional: A) Took their web site down, B) Paid a professional to redesign their web site, C) Abandoned their web site, D) The company is now longer in business. Bottom-Line Advice for Smart Business Owners

I like what Michael Port says in, Book Yourself Solid, "I learned pretty quickly to look for a web designer who is proficient in all three of the critical skills of web design: design, marketing and programming. I encourage you to do the same…"

Michael's got it right - if you want your web site to give you credibility, to make you look like the leading professional in your space, if you want it to get visitors to take action and fill your sales pipeline then hire the professional he's talking about.

There are thousands of web designers in the US, and probably thousands within your own state, but few of them are adept at design, marketing and programming; these professionals are always in demand and they aren't cheap. Make sure your expectations and budget are realistic

A final personal note: I've been designing web sites for years and I can't tell you the number of times small business owners have told me that their web designer "flaked out on them", "didn't return their calls", "disappeared", "ripped the off", or "created something that looks bad or just doesn't work". I've heard discouraging stories of small business owners who felt disappointed and remorseful in the web designer they hired. Now there are a lot of good web designers out there, but PLEASE be careful whom you invest in. If someone is cheap, there's a reason for that. If they don't have a guarantee, if they don't have testimonials and if they don't have a good track record of designing successful projects, do yourself a favor and work with someone else.