ONLINE BUSINESS GUIDE:
Taking Your Business Online in Five Simple Steps

By Staff Writer

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

Even if you're not ready to launch your site, register the domain name that you think you'll need for the future before a similar business beats you to it.

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 a Web hosting company, such as Hostway. 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.


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