With many low-quality web sites, it's easy to

With many low-quality web sites, it's easy to tell at a glance that the business or company behind it is a small operation with limited capabilities. There are also quite a few prosperous companies run by only one or two people whose web sites convey a grand-scale impression. These businesses are successful in large part because of that image. Consumers will be far more comfortable dealing with a slick, well-organized web site for Essential Auto Parts, Inc., than with a clunky, poorly laid out site rife with pop-ups and banner ads entitled Uncle Bubba's Parts-R-Us. In a virtual corporation, appearances really are everything.

You don't have to rush out and hire a web designer or lease a warehouse and hire fifty employees to give your corporation a virtual facelift. Some simple adjustments and knowledge are all you need to make your small business look like a million bucks online.

Creating the illusion: How to give your small business a big presence

Like magicians, virtual corporations require certain tricks to present themselves as prosperous, thriving businesses. Most of these are easy to implement; and though they are small, the changes they will bring to your company are enormous.

Where do you live and work? The importance of your physical address

Do you live on Executive Drive...or Happy Lane? Your physical business address (which should be posted prominently on your web site to facilitate customer trust) is a big clue to the perceived size of your business. If your actual address sounds professional, such as 55 Lincoln Road or 7915 Kings Boulevard, go ahead and list it on your web site, letterhead and business cards. However, if you live at 5 Peaceful Street or 110 Running Bear Road, you may want to consider a change of virtual address.

You may be out in the woods - but don't make your business look like its in the sticks

One option is to get a post office box. Many big corporations use P.O. Box addresses, particularly if they receive large volumes of mail and happen to work near a post office branch. Post office box rentals are relatively inexpensive and go a long way toward creating your professional illusion.

Whether you use your street address or a post office box, it always looks more impressive when you have a suite number in your address-and it won't confuse the delivery person one bit. You can simply fabricate a suite number and slap it into your address between the street line and the zip code, and presto! Instant corporate flair. Your professional business address should look like this:

Flowers Forever
525 Times Square Parkway
Suite 1022
Kennedy, NH 00055

There is no "I" in "team"

It's only natural to use the word "I" when referring to yourself. But in your business material, it's a mistake that can cost you sales and clients. Including statements such as "I am available for telephone consultations on such-and-such days..." is a sure sign that you're a small-time operation.

If it sounds natural, a simple solution is to substitute the word "we" in each instance for "I." You could also refer to "the company" instead. However, using the same phrase over and over in your web copy and promotional materials not only sounds awkward and stilted, it can effect your web site's search engine rankings (a topic that will be covered in greater detail further in this book) by making it seems as though you're using a practice known as keyword stuffing to draw traffic.