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No One Will Know You Exist Until You Announce Yourself! At present there are more than 100 billion pages posted on the net comprising millions of web sites and domain names. It's estimated that 35,000 domain names are purchased daily. If you act now it may still take up to a year before your page will be indexed by search engines like Google or Yahoo or Microsoft... unless of course you pay for the listing! If you have a business you need exposure. You will eventually require a web site of your own. The internet is not going to disappear! It is the way business is done now and in the future. You may soon have to deal with international competition even for local business!
A web presence isn't necessarily expensive or difficult to obtain. The secret is to work with someone who can grasp your preferences and the requirements of your business. 1.) Advantages of a Web Presence. 4.) Templates 6.) Is it Costly? Advantages of a Web Presence are Well Known: Your business will appear on par with giant companies like IBM or Sears or Intel. You will have professional email addresses like 'You@Your Domain.Biz' for all staff (perhaps up to 200) each with separate passwords and all forwarded to a master address as well (if you wish). These addresses can also feature out of office auto responders. Hit Counters tell you each day how many visitors have browsed your pages. Pay Pal shopping carts make it possible for you to sell numerous items in a single transaction. No need to pay for a credit card portal. Statistics: Who visited your site, what did they browse, how long did they stay, how did they link to you etc. Search terms: What were they searching for, keywords and phrases used to search (how they found you), where did they enter and where did they log off... Your web server can also be used for off site document storage and back-up. You can upload documents or transfer files to your server for storage (only you or your staff can view them). This is a simple file transfer easily created and explained (FTP). First decide the name of your web site. It doesn't need to be the same name as your business (ex: 'Isuzu Owners Group' on the web at 'IOG.Org'). This would be your 'web address'. Many domain names have been taken so you will have to investigate availability (your web designer will assist you). Many large companies maintain multiple domain names. These can all be 'parked' at your web site. Whenever someone searches for that name it steers them to your address... rather like call forwarding. Presently it costs about $35 yearly to register a 'domain name'. If you register for several years at a time you can save bucks. Next you will need a web hosting service. This is the internet address where data of your site resides and your clients can view. Many companies offer web hosting services. Some cost as little as $8.95 monthly ($99 yearly). The trick is to get a service that provides many email addresses (one for each staff member), fast servers (reliable speedy computers), high bandwidth (how much data can be transferred monthly) and good statistics (who, what, where and how). Most importantly, you want your web hosting service to be accessible for trouble shooting etc. David Bowie once stated that the internet has become a shouting match! The most extreme graphics etc. Truthfully you will want to make your web pages load as quickly as possible. Many internet surfers still use dial-up connections. If a page doesn't open in 20 seconds the surfer is on their way to another interest. Buyers on dial-up connections will thank you, others won't notice the difference. Flash sites (plenty of pics and moving graphics) contain a lot of information that must be downloaded before a page can be displayed. What do you want the the viewer to see and how would you like it to appear? Are you prepared with photos, bio, news, samples, references etc. Do you want a blog? Do you want audio or video samples? Do you want a shopping cart or a calendar? All this is possible but you must ultimately decide for yourself. A good web designer can advise you on difficult issues. The reason so many web pages resemble one another is because they were created with templates included in the software packages from 'Microsoft' or 'Dreamweaver' (or any other company). Templates can be convenient. There are plenty for sale. It's very important to create an easily expandable format. Sites grow in size over time. Web pages need to be monitored and updated on a regular basis. Your business will have sales events or change employees or have issues that need to be addressed. Email addresses come and go and must be altered. Back up data and documents that require passwords etc. You can also monitor anyone in your company that change or view files. Costs change according to requirements. You can really splurge on flash pages that open slowly, or go for an attract site that works properly. A site can be started for as little as three hundred down. You will still need to obtain domain name and hosting agreements of your own. Part of the charm of your web design is naming it for yourself. Start-up costs for a few pages including domain name and hosting is under $600. Thereafter it's only maintenance fees; domain and hosting renewal, adding and/or updating content (pages or addresses etc). Let's Work Together... You Won't Be Disappointed! |
