The internet is, among others, a giant global marketplace. If you don’t take your business online you might not only miss out on additional sources of revenue. In today’s hyper-competitive business climate having a web presence can make or break even traditional brick-and-mortar establishments.
The following lineup of steps is by no means exhaustive. It serves just as a rough outline of tasks involved in getting your business “connected”.
Register a Domain name
Get a virtual address for your business so potential customers can find you! It should be as short and memorable as possible, preferably in the form of www.yourbiz-here.com. Please do not use free hosting services like geocities or the like. Their addresses don’t convey a professional image of your company. A domain name is relatively cheap, from about $6 per year you could have your own .com domain. Don’t fret if your desired .com name has already been registered by someone else. There are several top-level domains available like .net or .info and chances are you’ll find a meaningful name somewhere. Give it a try!
Get a Hosting Provider
If you haven’t already signed up during domain registration you will need to choose a hosting plan from a reliable service provider. This service will connect the domain name to the internet and allocate the space to store your website. Deciding which kind of hosting plan or provider you need depends on a number of factors. You might want to finalize this decision after you have an idea of the scope and type of website you want to operate. We generally had good experiences with StartLogic which currently offer some interesting package deals. Check them out to get an idea of what features are available with hosting services today.
StartLogic. Free setup/domain, Web builder, unlimited emails, PHP, mySQL, CGI, FrontPage. From $6.50/month. Click Here for more info.
Create a Homepage
Many hosting services offer simple homepage kits which usually suffice if you just want to get your “virtual business card” online. But should you require complex, interactive websites or eCommerce applications, a professional web designer might come in handy.
Promote your Business
So you have a web site, now you need visitors, and LOTS of them! The single best way to get immediate results is pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Several search engines offer this kind of service, but the fastest and most efficient one is still Google. You can always expand your campaigns to other engines later, but get started with Google first! If you are new to this kind of thing be sure to read Google’s excellent tutorials before you start. It seems very easy, and it is, but if done improperly your advertising dollars might be spent before you see any desired results.
Rake in the Cash
If you want to sell any merchandise or services on your website you need to be able to accept payments from your customers. The fastest, cheapest, and easiest way is with PayPal. Set-up is quick and easy, and you can instantly accept all forms of payments without having to signup with several Credit Card merchant accounts.
Take Your Business Online
