How do I get my
business on the internet?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions by small
business owners. They are feeling the pressure from their
customers and competitors, yet for many business people it
is a daunting task, as they don't understand the whole
process.
In fact, many people are even asking the question whether
they should have a website. Whether you are a consultant,
florist, designer, builder, architect or a doctor, consider
the many advantages a website provides:
1. Make money Set up an on-line store or get paid for
advertising from other companies
2. Save money on advertising Instead of paying for large
ads, simply advertise your website
3. Be flexible in your message Change the content as your
business changes. No need to re-print expensive brochures.
4. Exposure to new customers You will reach more local
clients as well as interstate and global markets
5. Having more professional image Keep up with the times
and your competitors
6. Save time Don’t spend hours on the phone, direct
customers to your website
7. Keep your business open 24/7 Provide customers
information when THEY need it. If you don’t, someone else
will.
So what does it really take to get your website set up?
Step 1 - Register your domain name OR not.
The big question is whether you need to register a domain
name or not. The simple answer is NO, but a better answer
is YES it is a good idea.
What is a domain name?
The purpose of a domain name is similar to that of a street
address or telephone number. The domain name directs
customers to you on the Internet. The domain by itself is
not your email or web address. The domain does form the
base from which these addresses are derived.
For example:
Company Name: QikPhone
Domain Name: qikphone.com.au
Web Address: www.qikphone.com.au
Email Address: sales@qikphone.com
Do I need to register a domain name to have a website?
NO, you don't need to have your own domain name. Your
website can be created and hosted without it. Your website
address will look something like this:
www.web4business.com.au/JBCleaning
OR
www.ozemail.com.au/~JBCleaning
The only advantage of not registering a domain name is that
you will save yourself A$70 per year (it costs approx A$140
for 2 years to register a '.com.au' domain name).
The disadvantages of NOT having your domain name include:
1. If you decide to change your Webhosting company or if
that company goes out of business, you will lose your
website address. Your website can be transferred to a new
company, but your address will change. And that means
re-printing stationery and re-doing all your advertising,
notifying all your customers etc.
2. Website addresses that contain information other than
your company name are long and hard to remember and do not
appear as professional. Compare these two and see which
one you are more likely to remember:
www.ozemail.com.au/~JBCleaning
OR
www.JBCleaning.com.au
So it is a good idea to register a domain name, even if it
is just to protect yourself for the future. Say for
example, your business name is JB Cleaning and you decide
not to register your domain name for now.
Along comes Joe Bloggs who opens his own cleaning business
and registers JBCleaning.com.au domain name. After a year
you decide you want to have your own domain name, but since
Joe Bloggs already owns it, you won't be able to register
it. Not to mention your customers who know your business
as JB Cleaning may visit his website, thinking it's your
web address and instead hire Joe Bloggs Cleaning.
Step 2 - Plan your website.
Planning your website is a two part process:
(a) Decide on the website design (colour schemes, buttons,
special effects etc). This is your website designer's job.
However, you may have a preference for a certain colour or
look. To help you choose a design, you may wish to check
out other people's websites or work with your web
designer's pre-set templates.
(b) The content. There are many items you may wish to
include on your website. The most common ones include:
1 Product/Service Details
2. Contact Information
3. Pricing
4. Testimonials
5. Frequently Asked Questions
6. Response Form, such as "Join Mailing List"
7. On-line Magazine or Newsletter
8. Resources & Articles
9. Guarantee
10. Survey
11. Events Calender
12. Search My Website Form
13. Refund Policy
14. Privacy Policy
15. About Us Information
16. Site Map
17. Copyright information
18. Useful Links
19. Media Information
20. On-line store
21. News
22. Directions to Your Bricks & Mortar Premises
Step 3 - Choose a Web Hosting Company.
What is a Web hosting Company?
A Web host is a company that provides server space for your
website. You can think of a web host as a commercial
building. The web host provides space for your website
just as a commercial building provides space for your shop
or office. You can build your own building and you can
host your own website, but because of the cost and
expertise required it is easier to rent the space.
Which Company Should I Choose?
Web hosting companies are not created equal so you need to
take a number of things into account when selecting one. A
proven track record, experience and reliability form the
foundation of any successful business partnership.
Some of the issues you should consider when choosing a
webhosting company include:
1. Support - Does it provide comprehensive Technical
Support - 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
2. Reliability - Does it have multiple large-scale links to
the internet to provide a fail-safe path to your customers
from anywhere in the world?
3. Security - Does it have a robust security system that
minimises risk of web site intrusion?
4. State-of-the-art - Does the company utilises leading
edge technology and is supported by a large-scale
uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system.
5. Scalability - Does the product range and services
offered allow your business to grow without impediment by
making it easy to upgrade and add components to existing
product levels.
Step 4 - Getting people to your site.
The marketing of your website is important if you want to
draw visitors to your site. If you don't promote your
website no-one will ever see it. There are a number of
different ways of advertising your website. The best
strategy is one, which integrates your existing promotion
methods with your website.
1. Office Stationery - Including your web address and email
address on your stationery is probably the easiest way to
draw attention to your site. It's cost effective and gets
your Internet presence out there in the market place.
2. Business Cards - When printing business cards you should
include the individual's email address and main address of
your website.
3. Radio Advertising
Radio Advertising should include your web address. Don't
include the http://, try "Visit us on the internet at
w-w-w-dot-qikphone-dot-com-dot-au". If your budget is
limited, you may wish to consider community radios.
4. Email and Mail-Outs
Let your current customers know the details of your
website. You can either send them an email or a
letter/postcard. Keep your website's content up-to-date
and they will keep coming back!
5. Print Media
Print advertising should include a generic email address
for the company and include your website address. Normally
positioned at the bottom right or bottom centre of your
advertisement.
6. Search Engines & Directories
People looking for your website who don't know the URL are
most likely to use an on-line search engine to look for
your organisation or the kind of products and services you
offer. There are over 300 major search engines and
directories, but you should concentrate on the larger, more
commonly used ones. These include: Google, Yahoo,
Altavista, Anzwers, Inktomi, Infoseek, Lycos, Excite,
HotBot, MSN, Dogpile, AllTheWeb etc.
7. Links from other websites
A good way to attract visitors to your site is through the
use of hyperlinks placed on other sites. If you know of
another site which has a list of links and you think your
website would be a good addition, let the website owner
know. You might also offer to provide a link from your
site back to the other site. This will encourage the
webmaster to include your site. You should also seek out
partners for trading links including vendors, suppliers and
providers of complimentary products.
8. Link Exchange
Another way to getting a link is through a system called
Link Exchange, a free public service designed to help
websites advertise each other. With Link Exchange, you
agree to display advertising banners for other Link
Exchange members and they agree to display banners for you.
The System is automatic, you simply add a piece of HTML
code to your web page and Link Exchange will display an
advertisement for another website. The disadvantage with
Link Exchange is that you don't get any control as to where
your banner ad appears or the type of banner ads that will
appear on your website. It is not possible to guarantee
that a competitor of yours may have their banner ad
displayed on your site.
9. Paid Banner Advertising/Affiliate Marketing Programs
Various sites give you the opportunity to purchase banner
advertising on their site. Some sites will charge you a
flat monthly fee while other sites will charge you based on
the number of people who see your ad.
Step 5 - Monitor your site's statistics
Your website's statistics should show who visits your
website, where in the world they come from, how they are
finding your site and what pages are being viewed. Knowing
your customers is the first step in effective marketing.
Most webhosting companies will provide access to this
information free of charge.
Step 6 - Maintaining your website
It is important to update your website regularly to keep
your customers interested. One of the great advantages of
having a website is that you can change its content
virtually overnight at minimal cost (unlike re-printing
brochures and flyers).
This is just a brief overview of the process involved in
getting your website up and running. In future articles we
will cover each step in more detail.
----------------------------------------------------
Ivana Katz is the owner of Websites 4 Small Business, a
company specialising in the design and promotion of small
and home-based business websites. She believes that every
business deserves to have a successful website, no matter
what its budget is. For more information visit
www.web4business.com.au or email info@web4business.com.au
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