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Start an Internet Business in 5 Easy Steps!By: Derek Vaughan, May 18, 2005
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. Several of the more useful directories
are: Website Host
Directory, Cheap
Web Hosting Directory, and Tophosts.
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Derek Vaughan
Date: 05/18/2005
Derek Vaughan has been actively marketing on the Internet since 1995. His extensive
online marketing experience includes serving at the Walt Disney Company as the
online marketing manager for ecommerce at ESPN.com. Mr. Vaughan was also the
marketing manager for the launch of the NASCAR Online Store.
In web hosting, Mr. Vaughan served for over 4 years as Senior Director of Marketing
for Affinity Internet, Inc. and Vice President of Marketing for Aplus.Net. Mr.
Vaughan holds a bachelors degree from Purdue University and has also earned
an M.B.A. from the Owen School at Vanderbilt University. He now consults for
Cheap Hosting
Directory, and runs Webmaster
Resources.
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