Take your Business Online in five Simple Steps 
I Need to Put My Company Online . . . But Where Do I Start?
EMarketer.com estimates that in 2001 more than 78% of small businesses were connected to the Internet and 50% of those had purposeful Web sites.
Worldwide, more than 750 million people have access to the World Wide Web. As a small business owner, you simply can’t ignore that potential customer pool! But where do you begin?
This article walks you through each step of getting your business online, from initial planning through implementation, including:
- Registering your domain name
- Finding a hosting company
- Designing your Web site
- Marketing your site
- Upgrading and enhancing your site
What’s in a Name?
Before you can launch a Web site or get a Web hosting plan, you first have to register a domain name.
When potential customers are searching for services, the servers that their computers are hooked up to look for a particular address on the Web. The server searches for a string of network digits called an IP address. A domain name is the text translation of this IP address, which is easier for people to remember than a string of digits.
Domain names are an extremely important tool for distinguishing your company from the competition.
Selecting an appropriate domain name enables you to successfully promote your brand online and can determine how easily visitors can find your site. Your domain name is essentially your address on the Internet, so make it clear, concise and memorable.
Registering a domain name is easy and can be done through a registrar, such as Register.com, or directly through any Web hosting company. Even if you’re not ready to launch your site, register the domain name that you think youíll need for the future before a similar business beats you to it.
It’s also a good idea to register many similar domain names and set them as domain aliases for your Web site. With domain aliases in place, potential customers will be pointed to your main Web site whether they type www.angiesantiques.com or www.angiesantiqueshop.com.
Get Connected
In order to make your site available on the Web, you need a Web hosting company to connect your site to the Internet.
In order to make your site available on the Web, you need a Web hosting company to connect your site to the Internet. This company should understand the dynamic nature of a small business. As your business grows, your hosting company should be able to grow with you and offer service plans that can meet your changing needs. When choosing a hosting company, consider the following:
Service Staples
Superior service distinguishes the leaders in the hosting world from their lesser competition. Anyone can offer low prices, but not everyone can provide flawless and dependable customer service. Credible hosting companies provide customer service 24/7 and answers your questions quickly, concisely, and in language that makes sense to you. Hosting providers should also know the challenges you face as a small business and be willing and able to offer strategic advice concerning your Web services decisions.
Cutting-Edge Technology
Premier hosting means providing state-of-the-art technology that is both reliable and secure. If the hosting service is down, your Web site is down, and that can cost you revenue and potential customers.
To avoid these possible losses in revenue, it is important to understand the company’s backup plans and services, what kinds of technologies they offer and how it can impact you. Additionally, you should be confident that the company is continuously upgrading its value-added offerings through technology and looking for ways to make your hosting experience better.
Plans that Grow
As your company and your customer base grow, you need the ability to upgrade your hosting plan to one that offers more space and functionality. Hosting companies that offer a wide range of plans and functionality and cater to different types of businesses lead the industry.
More importantly, hosting companies that offer comprehensive solutions and provide customers with essential tools prove they are committed to their customers’ success on the Web.
Building Your Web Site
There are a number of things to consider before you begin developing your site. You must establish your goals, decide if you are going to outsource the project or do it yourself and, finally, determine what you want to communicate.
Plan Before You Begin
It’s always a good idea to visit your competitors’ Web sites in order to see what they are offering and to ensure that your site is not lacking necessary details or promotions.
Before you can build a viable Web site, you must clearly define your objectives. Do you want your site to be purely informational or do you want to sell products online?
These types of decisions determine the strategic direction your company will take and the different business models available to you.
You should identify the areas your customers find important and tailor your site’s organization to reflect those services and topics.
It’s always a good idea to visit your competitors’ Web sites in order to see what they are offering and to ensure that your site is not lacking necessary details or promotions. Use your competitor’s sites to research presentation and content, and improve on what they’ve done with your own site.
Outsource or Do It Yourself?
Using outsourced Web designers to create your site for you, is the easiest but most expensive option for building your site.
If you have a complicated site, or limited time and resources, outsourcing your Web design might be your best option. During this process, you will consult with the designers about the layout, content and look and feel, and they will design a site that matches your specifications.
One of the most common misconceptions in Web design is that you must know HTML to create the Web site you want. You don’t!
If your budget allows, outsourcing your site creation is the best way to get a customized look and feel while alleviating time and resource limitations.
If you do outsource your Web site development, be sure that after the site is developed and launched, you have the ability to maintain and add information and functionality to the site yourself.
If your finances are more limited, you can design your own site using one of the many affordable software packages on the market, such as Microsoft®, FrontPage®, Macromedia Dreamweaver and Adobe GoLive®. Popular and user-friendly, these software packages enable even the novice designer to create a site with content and graphics.
One of the most common misconceptions in Web design is that you must know HTML to create the Web site you want. You don’t!
There are a number of Web-based site-building tools on the market that facilitate the creation of professional-looking Web sites in a matter of clicks. Using hundreds of templates, these tools enable you to choose the color, layout and design of your pages, and the software generates the Web site for you! However, if your Web site requires more customized designs you may find that these templates limit what you can do and impose too many restrictions.
If you choose to build your site “in-house,” you can realize increased flexibility, control and overall cost savings. You will also not be dependent on someone else to develop your vision and have to abide by his or her timeline.
Say What?
A successful Web site combines clear and concise copy that keeps the reader interested with easy navigation and clean design. Meaningful content and an appealing presentation will ensure that your customers fully understand your products, services and what distinguishes your business from others.
Developing content can be challenging and you’ll want to make sure that you provide easy access to your services clearly and concisely while offering navigation that is intuitive and usable.
A successful Web site combines clear and concise copy that keeps the reader interested with easy navigation and clean design.
Your “Home” page, or front page, is essentially a portal to all other sections of your site. It should provide access to all areas of the site, including promotions, product information, news, and a checkout page if you are selling online.
The Products section will be the main information base of your site, and should include details about each product and/or service you offer. Be sure that your customers can access ALL available information pertaining to your products. You can’t expect people to buy without knowing all the facts about what you offer, so don’t be vague! Also, remember to maintain this section carefully, so that it accurately reflects changes in your offerings.
An “About Us” page is another important component of your site. This section tells your customers about your business and the people and resources behind it. This section usually includes information such as company history and mission statement, management profiles, and investor relations, if applicable. A good “About Us” page can establish your company’s legitimacy and professionalism.
Spread the News
If you want your business to be successful online, you have to effectively promote and market it to the appropriate audience.
What’s the use of having a Web site if no one knows about it? Once you’ve launched your site, you have to market it! If you want your business to be successful online, you have to effectively promote and market it to the appropriate audience, in the venues they will respond to best.
Search Engines and Search Directories
When you are just starting out, a quick and easy way to promote your site is to submit it to popular search engines. Search engines are an extremely effective method of site promotion, as most people use them to find the services they need. Some free search engines exist but most charge a fee. Some common search engines/directories include Google, Yahoo and AltaVista.
Email Marketing
In recent years, email marketing has evolved into a lucrative way to advertise. Customers can sign up on your site to receive customized emails and promotions. You can also expand your customer base by buying lists that include your target customers and email the potential customers about your company’s products and services, promotions and news.
Site Promotions and Advertising
Once you determine your target market, you can run online and/or print advertisements in outlets that your customers are most likely see. Getting your business’s name out in the marketplace, with site promotions and advertising, will help you attract new customers who are looking for the types of products and services you offer.
Keep Them Coming Back
Many companies discover that attracting customers to their site is not as difficult as keeping them there and convincing them to return.
Web site “stickiness” defines the strategy of keeping visitors on a site longer and convincing them to come back at different intervals. To keep people interested,your site must be engaging, quick and relevant.
Once your site is functional, it’s crucial to monitor who is visiting.
Every time someone visits, they should easily be able to answer, “Does this site provide something I want or need?” Once your site is functional, it’s crucial to monitor who is visiting. It’s imperative to know your customer’s profile to successfully market products and services to them. Additionally, identifying the venues your customers are originating from will help you tailor your advertising plan. Also, by determining which pages are most often viewed by site visitors, you will be able to make your site more robust and informative. Obtaining this valuable data can be fairly painless if you use one of the many Web analytics packages available.
Room to Grow
As your business grows, it is important to upgrade your hosting plan. upgrading to more robust hosting plans is important for your customers as well as for your online presence. Make sure you are maximizing your plan and upgrading it as necessary. Do not be afraid to add the functionality and capacity your site requires, your hosting company should make it easy to do.
Whatever your Web service needs, most online web hosting companies have eliminated the headache of getting your business online by offering a quick checklist of tasks that helps you launch your site quickly and easily.
Touchdown! That’s a really cool way of putting it!