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| On this page you will find noteworthy information on the following subjects: |
Small Business Resources Here are some useful links to organizations that assist small business owners: United States
United Kingdom What do I need to have in order to have a web site? Getting your organization on the Internet is a multi-level process. No matter where you start in the process, you have to have three things:
A site hosting partner - Internet Service Provider (ISP) - will "host" your Web site (essentially you will be renting space on their computers) so that visitors can access it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A domain name is your Web address -- "www.yourname.com". This is obtained through a registrar, such as Network Solutions, for a yearly fee. The web site is essentially what you are looking at right now: a collection of words, pictures, graphics, and links to other pages within the site or to other sites. What can I expect from the Web site design process? First, a consultation with the designer will help to determine what your needs are. Once this is established, then the designer will begin the work of framing out the site's structure, gathering materials (content, graphics, etc.), and pulling it all together for your review, edits, and input. Each designer attacks their projects differently, but the end result should leave you with a Web site that you are proud of, a hosting partner where your site can be accessed from, and your own domain name so that people will be able to find your site. The next phase of the site design process involves marketing, which is how people will find your site once it becomes available. How will people find my site on the Internet? The way to get your site noticed involves traditional marketing efforts - as in you telling your audience about it - and making sure that the search engines can find it. Traditional marketing can be anything from having your domain name on your business cards, letterhead, etc., to advertising it in print or broadcast media outlets. As for the search engine part of the equation, this involves the designer ensuring that the background material (the computer code behind what you are looking at right now - to see what this looks like, click on your right mouse button and select "View Source") contains the appropriate information for search engines to be able to see what is on your site and also submitting it to the various search engines. After a short period of time, which varies from search engine to search engine, your site will begin to be listed and people will start to visit your site. I see advertisements on other Web sites, can I do this on my site too? Yes, you can. There are several ways to advertise your site on the Internet. Banner advertising is an advertisement that appears on someone else's Web site. When a visitor to that site clicks on the ad, it will bring that person to your site. There is usually a fee to advertise on another organization's site. An affiliate program allows another organization to advertise on your site. You get paid a small amount for every sale that originates from your site. Generally, the affiliate is a like-minded organization that your visitors may benefit from knowing about. And finally, another way to market your site is through links. Usually, reciprocal links are considered by other Web sites to help spread the word. LINKS of INTEREST
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A Sensible and Affordable Approach to Small Business Communications |
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