|
Want to start an Internet business? Great! Let’s get started
quickly by looking at five simple and necessary steps to getting your Internet
business off the ground.
1. Select Your Domain Name - It is very important
to select the proper domain name for your business. Why? It’s how customers will
find you online. A couple of simple pointers: shorter is usually better, I’d
stick with a .com name - not one of the other top level domains. It can also
help search engines to list you higher if your domain name contains some of the
keywords you want to be found for.
Believe it or not, there are still a huge number of domain names
that have never been registered. Sure, the so-called `dictionary` and common
single word domains have all be registered long ago, but there are strategies to
circumvent this issue.
Why not simply add a modifier to a word in order to create a
compelling domain name? For example: let’s say that you sell bicycles and
bicycle parts online - here are some domain names that come to mind that are
almost certainly taken:
bike.com
bikes.com
bicycle.com
bicycles.com
bikeparts.com
bicycleparts.com
So how can we modify these common names to create names that are
available? Let’s try adding some simple descriptive terms either before, or
after the main word. For example:
Deluxe
Premium
Best
Superior
Cheap
Discount
Online
Universal
I’m sure you can think of many others that apply to your products
and business. If you simply add this short list of modifiers in front of the
original short names, you can create multiple new names that are available right
now!
You can search to see if your domain name is available here: Dotster domain search.
2. Hire a Web Designer - Ask around to locate a
great designer that someone else has used. The design of your site can make you
look professional, or like an amateur - it’s clear which way you will want to
look.
An alternative that can be very cost effective when compared to a
custom designed web site is to use pre-formatted templates - either put together
by another company, or filled in with data yourself. For example, Affinity
Internet, Inc. offers a professional web design product through it’s ValueWeb
brand that is billed out at a low flat monthly fee. According to the ValueWeb
website the ReadyWeb product offers the following advantages: ``A professional
web designer will set up a consultation with you to better understand your
business and online goals to ensure your web site is not only impressive but
successful. Our web site professionals will make updates to your website on a
monthly basis as needed. ReadyWeb includes two hours of maintenance and updates
each month at no additional charge.`` You can learn more about the ReadyWeb
product at: ValueWeb`s ReadyWeb product info.
Alternatively there are do-it-yourself templates available at
sites such as Template
Monster.
3. Choose Your Web Hosting - Every small business
that sets up a web site online will need to host it somewhere. According to
industry expert Tamara Field, President of Apollo Hosting these are
the top three things to consider when selecting your web hosting company.
* REAL Live Support - Call their tech support number NOT their
sales number, and see if you can talk directly to a technician. Or go on their
live chat and see if you are able to talk to a technician. How long did it take
for you to get someone on the phone or live chat? That`s very important. Just
because they say they offer live support, doesn`t mean they really have people
there when you need them.
* Guarantees - Money back guarantee, price freeze, uptime, and a
guarantee of a refund on unused portions. There are so many hosting companies
that don`t offer money back on unused months if you cancel early! If you sign up
for 1 year, believe it or not, many hosting companies won`t give you ANY money
back if you cancel 3 months later. A money back guarantee is important as is a
prize freeze guarantee. But these days, look for the refund on unused hosting.
Many companies don`t mention it because they don`t offer it.
* Upgrade Path - If you see your business growing, and you might
want more products/services in the future, then you will need an upgrade path.
It is a real hassle changing hosting companies. Just getting lots of bandwidth
and storage is not the answer. Many customers don`t use near the amount of
bandwidth and storage that many hosting companies are offering. This is really
just a marketing technique for a lot of hosting companies. Look for extra
products that they offer. What about ecommerce? Do they offer the best ecommerce
products, SPAM/Virus filtering, Marketing tools etc. Remember that these days
hosting is not just about storage and bandwidth. It`s about a whole lot more.
Don`t settle for just space on a box.
You can easily compare web hosting options by looking through web
hosting directory sites as well. These sites offer information about multiple
hosting providers, and special offers and product information. Two of the most
useful directories are: HostSearch and Website Hosting Directory.
4. Set Up Your Email - It may seem like a
no-brainer to some, but you simply cannot adequately conduct business on the
Internet without an email address. Your email address will let your customers
and potential customers communicate with you, and give you valuable feedback on
your web site, products, services, and ordering processes.
You’ll also need a way for you to communicate with vendors and
others who can help you market your web site. Each hosting provider has
different protocols for setting up your email account, so you’ll have to look to
your provider for help with your specific account. One other important note: be
sure to include a signature line at the bottom of every email that includes your
business name, URL, and a brief description of your products and services. This
idea alone can increase your business.
5. Promote Your Site - There are so many ways to
get traffic to your web site that it would require several separate articles to
cover the topic. Here are a couple of basic ideas. Try to educate yourself
about, and get listed on search engines. A few basic steps can go a long way
towards traffic driving in this way. A great step-by-step manual is at Search Engine
Watch.
If you have a budget to advertise, you may want to try Google
AdWords as a method of reaching the search engine keyword market. Information is
available at: Google
advertising. Alternatively, if you simply want to pay someone else to manage
your online search engine advertising campaign for a flat monthly fee, you could
check out ValueWeb’s ValueTraffic program. ValueTraffic costs $100 per month,
and guarantees traffic and impressions to your website. You can see further
details at: ValueTraffic product details.
Of course, you should print your web address on all of your
existing marketing materials such as: business cards, stationary, brochures,
newsletters, product sheets, etc. You may find that driving qualified traffic to
your website is as easy as releasing information on where to find it in your
company promotional materials. Customers are always eager to utilize faster and
more convenient forms of communications with companies.
Good luck with your new site, and remember - it takes a while for
any great project to get real traction - the same holds true for your
website.
About Derek Vaughan
Derek Vaughan has extensive online marketing
experience including marketing ecommerce at ESPN.com. and NASCAR.com, and
directing marketing for Affinity Internet and Aplus.Net in the highly
competitive web hosting arena. He is currently a partner at Website Hosting Directory(www.websitehostdirectory.com) and Cheap Web Hosting
Directory (www.cheaphostingdirectory.com) part of the TechPad Agency network of
web hosting related sites.
Reader's Comments
| There are currently no comments posted for this article. |
|
|
Low Cost
Web Hosts from Web Hosting Search Results 
