This will be the first article in a series of modules intended to be read by small business owners. These modules will go through the basic steps of setting up your business online. Whether you are opening a local brick and mortar shop, or an e business.The internet is a powerful tool and you need to harness its power.
The first thing you will need to do is figure out if you are going to have a professional set up your web site, or if you will use one of the many free tools out there to build it yourself. For information purposes I will assume you are going to build it yourself. If you will be hiring a web site developer, they will most likely do the next few steps for you.
Domain Name
Next you will need to buy a domain name. The domain name is the address people will enter into their web browser to get to your web site. Now there are a few things i would like to point out here about picking a domain name.
- Make it short and easy to remember.
- Try to get one that has a keyword from your industry.
- Always try to get the ".com" domain name.
- Never piggy back a trademark or copyright name.
- Avoid special characters like "abc-appliance", instead try to get "abcappliance"
- If you can swing a couple extra dollars, register it for 3+ years. (SEO)
- And most important, get a name that you like.
Once you registered your domain name, now you will need to look for a web host. Unless you are going to be running a large data-driven site, or a download site for mp3 and video. You will be able to go with one of the least expensive hosting plans your provider offers. I usually use GoDaddy or HostGator, but there are hundreds of great options out there to choose from.
Now that that much is done, you are ready to start building your web site, well close I should say. The next step is going to take you a bit of time. So i will go over the planning process, and end this module while you get the next step completed.
Planning:
The planning phase is very important; it will save you a lot of time in the long run. Right now you need to set up your web site's site map. What i mean is what pages will be included in your final product before it is launched to the public. Generally for a small business this will be a home page, about us page, products or services page, vision or mission statement, and a contact us page. You could check with similar businesses to see what they are doing to get some ideas.
Once you know what pages will be in the web site, you need to write some good content. That is what the internet is built on, and search engines love good content. So take your time and write the content that you will be on each page. Or you could hire article/content writers to do this for you. Remember on the internet, content is king. So make each page memorable, and you will have a successful site.
This concludes the first module; the second module will be published tomorrow, so check back here or visit my web site at the bottom of this article, all the modules will be published there first.
About this Author
Visit me at [http://www.carusoemarketing.com] to get full access to articles, tips, reviews, and great insider information on how you can make money with internet marketing. With 15 years of marketing experience, there is a lot I would like to share with you. See you soon.
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