In this article:

• The difference between building a website and creating opportunities
• Designing websites with search engines in mind (CATTLE)
• Using technology to build an online reputation

Fundamentally, business is about creating value that customers are willing to pay for.  And at its most base level, customers buy products and services for what they help accomplish and how they make them feel.

But rarely do customers buy for technology for technology’s sake — most don’t even want to think about it.  A cell phone is a great example.  It helps people keep in touch with their family, friends, and colleagues in a way few would have imagined just a few decades ago.

People don’t want to think about cell phone towers and radio spectrum.  They want to communicate with other people conveniently and immediately.  Even technologists who always buy the latest phones aren’t buying the latest EV-DO capable handsets with MP3 capabilities — they’re buying a satisfaction to their curiosity, which makes them feel like they’re on the cutting edge.

So when people come to me with their businesses, I feel it’s critically important for me not to emphasize the technology (which is my responsibility for my clients), but to translate the technology into the opportunities it provides.
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