Though we may not admit it, what oftentimes strikes a customer is the wrapping, rather the substance of a product. For those of us who make and sell bath and body products, image at times is everything. Great products will always have a market, but it is important to guild the lily - to put a great product into great packaging and to have a web presence that follows a continuum of great product, packaging, website and company.

Along with good packaging and labels, one should have a web presence that is professional and tells your clientele who you are and why they should buy your products over the next person’s products.

Web design oftentimes is a very personal thing. Many people have a style in mind when they make labels, pick packaging and contemplate having a web presence.

Oftentimes, we have personal favorites; colors and images that we cling to despite the fashion/ aesthetic changes we see around us. Oftentimes, it is these personal favorites that we cling to regardless of whether or not our clientele is drawn to it and it is these very personal favorites that keep us from moving on to a design theme that is more fresh and updated and appealing to the people who buy our goods.

Oftentimes, we design and make things to suit ourselves, rather than the folks who buy our products. It is important to take into consideration our audience’s taste as well as the message we want to convey to them when designing a theme for our business.

Having a designer be our eyes and ears to the market gives us the chance to experience new ways of looking at colors and textures that we think we did not have the capacity to understand or even like. Yet we find ourselves liking stuff that would not have appealed to us before. Having a designer design one's site, labels, and other elements gives us the luxury of painlessly spreading aesthetic wings and revamping a boring look into something that can be fabulous.

One way to start to review various designers' work is to preview their portfolios. Most graphic/web designers have an online presence and a portfolio that is available for review. For business owners, having a professional to design a web presence and the thematic elements of packaging and labels is worth so much more than the money invested.

For the serious entrepreneur who is ready to maximize their online business, this is one of the best and quickest way to get and keep customers. Remember, many customers may browse through a website, yet the ones who stay and buy, have a need and very often equate a professionally done website with a secure online presence and goods they can trust.

There are several ways to setup an online presence:

One option is to buy a web template and have a designer finish the different elements to make it personal. Elance is one website where you can post a request for a quote to have work done. Essentially, you set a price limit describe your project as clearly as possible, and different designers from around the globe respond to your request. It is quite fscinating to see the variety and enormity of talent the globe has to offer.

The more traditional way to get a website designed is to have a web design company to design it. Here is my list of the best web design companies and web designers for soaps, body care and the Indie craft market:

Redlime Web Design
Redlime has some of the best design you will ever see. Their designs range from the clean and simple to the sophisticated.

Aeolidia
Aeolidia is a gem of a company with absolutely hip, fresh designers who seem to sprout talent through all their fingertips. They cater mostly to those businesses that sell indie (independent crafts) type products. They are experts at showcasing your handmade treasures.

Web Chick
The designer behind My Web Chick is Amy, a stay at home mom with the talent to produce clean, fun, colorful websites. I really enjoy her illustrations and use of colors. She does custom work and also does prefab sites that may be customized.

Cottage Collections
Artist and designer Joyce Lucas is the talent behind the exquisite victorian themed designs of Cottage Collections. They design Victorian and Vintage themed websites that are chock full of character. If you think your Victorian design needs a new lease on life, call or email Joye and her team.