Sunday, July 17, 2011

Starting Your First Website: A Guide for Small Businesses

Running a business with no website is like putting up a store with no front door. Since more and more people are now going online to search for the products and services they need, you have to offer them a way to avail of your products and services without having to go to your store physically. In other words, you need to build a website in order to expand your market and increase awareness about your company. With the right tools, you’ll be able to reap the benefits soon enough.

So how do you start a website? First off, you need to find a good domain name. Make sure to use your business name so that people will be able to find you when they search for your company or a product sold by your company. Keep your domain name short and simple so that people can easily remember and find you again if they need your services. If your company name is generic (meaning it’s probably taken), add a keyword or two in the domain  name so that you’ll be easier to find on search engines such as Google and Yahoo. For example, you want “Speedy.com” but you sell hair coloring products. You can simply register “Speedyhaircolor.com” instead so visitors can differentiate you from the swimwear brand.
A domain name comes cheap at only $10 per year so if you plan to run your business for a long time, look ahead and buy cheap domains for as long as you like - two years is a good minimum. It will also prevent domain squatters from stealing your name once it expires and selling it to you for a ridiculous amount of money.

Now, once you’ve registered a domain name, you need to find web hosting. Basically, web hosting is the space where you will be putting the website itself. All the files of your site (pictures, audio, video, code) will be stored with your chosen hosting provider, which means that you have to buy a reliable one. You don’t want people going to your website and seeing it offline right? A website that’s always down is a turn-off so be careful in choosing your hosting. There are usually cheap packages starting from $50 per year with a decent amount of space and bandwidth for a low-traffic site. If you expect your site to be high-traffic, buy an upgraded package to make sure that your website is always running smoothly.

Next is web design. Don’t buy template designs! You want your website to look professional and well-made. While template designs are cheap and take a shorter time to make, they don’t usually give a good impression on the fly. Your website should reflect the business image that you’re trying to project which is why a little more expense is  justified. Thus, hire a web designer who can work with your requirements and give you input on how your site should look and function. He or she can also give you tips on how to increase your site’s usability and keep it up to standards.

Last tip: once your website is up and running, don’t forget to buy an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) package. An optimized website brings in more traffic and therefore more business by ensuring that your website is at the top of search engine results.
Just follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to having your own successful website! 

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