Experience has taught small business owners the importance of having a website that accurately and effectively conveys their company's marketing vision. Why, then, does that vision seem blurry on so many small business websites? The Internet is full of sites that contain slick designs, but almost incomprehensible marketing messages. If your site's message isn't clear, then it won't achieve its most important goal: convincing users to buy your product or service (whatever that product or service may be).

Where is the disconnect between marketing message and website execution? And what can you do to ensure that this disconnect doesn't occur with your site?

Typically, problems arise from a lack of sustained communication between business owners and the site implementation team (designers, developers, etc.). To paraphrase: somewhere between start and finish of the development cycle, the marketing message gets "lost in translation". And seeing as the business owner is the website's ultimate proprietor, it's really his or her responsibility—not the implementation team's—to make sure that the message is clear. Certainly, designers and developers have a responsibility to ask the right questions and gather the right requirements so that they can better ascertain what the message should be, but they absolutely need the owner's active input in order to effectively communicate with the website audience.

The answer may seem obvious, but it's one that is all too often overlooked: business owners must make sure that they provide their website design and development team with the proper tools to effectively convey their marketing message. If the people building your website aren't able to "get into your head" and know exactly what you are trying to express, then chances are they won't be able to present your message in the best possible light.

Does this mean that you need to become a design maven or a development guru in order to get your point across? Of course not. Feel free to leave the implementation specifics to the experts. But make sure that you give them all of the information they need to present your business in the best possible light.

Below are some tips for making sure that your website design and development team presents your message the way you want it to be presented, with minimum risk of disconnect:

Be able to explain your vision in layman's terms. Not everyone looks at things the same way; you may understand exactly what you're trying to convey, but are you sure your design firm understands? And if they don't understand, then how can you be sure that your audience will? Think of this exercise as a good litmus test of how clear your message is to others in general. The Internet is one of the largest audiences out there— you need to ensure that the people in that audience can follow your message with minimum effort. If you can't describe your message clearly and succinctly in two sentences or less, consider simplifying.

Use examples, provide specifics. Are there examples on the web of other sites that accurately convey the look and feel that appeals to you? Are there sites that you specifically do not like in terms of design, navigation, or layout? Outline them all. There is no such thing as too much information, as long as it's focused and clearly defined.

Outline your Content. Your content, or messaging on your site is more important than any other element in terms of attracting visitors and encouraging repeat visitors. Have all of your content outlined and written out before you start the process of designing or re-designing your company's website. If you feel you need assistance in developing clear and concise copy, consider hiring a web copywriter to help you.

Be available. Once you've presented your ideas to a designer or developer, you can sit back and wait for the website to materialize, right? Wrong. Being an effective website owner means being involved in all stages of the process, from conception to completion. Obviously, you don't want to drive your implementation team crazy by hovering over them and not giving them a bit of breathing room to do their work, but make sure that you incorporate review and revision rounds within your project timeline to assess progress and to confront potential roadblocks.

If you're starting to worry that the onus is entirely on you to provide an accurate description of your requirements, bear in mind that a good design firm will have team members (project managers, account managers, or perhaps business analysts) who are trained in helping you translate your business needs into a detailed technical plan. Think of them as qualified "go-betweens" who understand both sides of the equation and can help you to interpret your requirements accurately. By working closely with them, you ensure that no one is uncertain about how the finished product should look and, more importantly, that your vision is translated clearly on your website.