What are the real benefits of having a web site? The following list is intended to help you consider the ways in which your business or organization might profit from establishing its own site.
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Expand your hours of operation.
A web site can allow your business or organization to be "open" and operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, providing information and even selling products and services on line.
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Reduce information costs.
Reduce or eliminate printing, faxing, postage and handling, long-distance, and customer service and sales staff costs. Your site can reduce incoming customer service calls and, thus, demands on costly staff time. Visitors can access information about your products and services at their convenience. -
Keep information up-to-date and always within reach.
Unlike a printed brochure, business card or catalog, no one can misplace or lose your web site! Web site content can be changed in minutes, allowing you to keep information accurate and timely at far less cost than reprinting brochures, catalogs and business cards every time an update is needed. When you're on the web, people always know where to find you.
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Expand your customer base with unlimited advertising.
Whether your focus is local, regional or world-wide, you can reach a larger audience on the web, in full color, sound and motion, at a remarkably reasonable "advertising" cost. Unlike other marketing mediums such as television, print, and radio, there are no time, space, or size restrictions to your online "ad." -
Sell products and services.
Your web site can actually sell your products and services for you. Maintain your catalog online and allow customers to safely place orders through a secure server, via a toll-free phone number and/or a printable form for faxing or mailing orders. For larger online stores, purchases can go through a service such as PayPal, or a merchant account can be set up for your internet business.
The best way to market your site is through conventional means. Include your web address on your business cards, letterhead, newspaper ads, yellow page ads, etc. Anywhere your business name appears, so should your web address. Do not depend solely on search engine traffic to bring visitors to your site. This is especially true for business that depend on local traffic.
Keep your site fresh! If you do not update your site, add new content, or give visitors a reason to return, you will not be using your site to its full potential.
The Domain Name System (DNS) helps users to navigate the Internet. Every computer on the Internet has a unique numeric address, just like a telephone number. It is called its "IP address" ("Internet Protocol"). IP Addresses are hard to remember so the DNS makes using the Internet easier by allowing a familiar string of letters or "domain name" to be used instead of strictly numbers.
When choosing a domain name, first try the business name. If your company name is Cedarburg Bike Shop, then see if Cedarburg-Bike-Shop.com is available. If not, see if you can find a name that will fit the company name as close as possible. CedarburgBikeShop.com, or Cedarburg-Bicycle-Shop.com, or Cedarburg-Bike.com. Some people frown on using hyphens in a domain name because of the need to explain it to everyone. Most search engines recognize the words between the hyphens in a domain name and give your site better placement for them. Get creative, and don't forget about the .net and .biz and .info possibilities. If you find your name is already taken , see if you can go for a generic name, or a slightly different name.
A web hosting company rents out web space on a server which is paid for on a monthly basis. The best way to find a host is to ask others that you know and trust who they use and then research the host yourself.
One of the better hosts at the least cost is the one we use:
IPOWER!
Most search engines will display the first few lines of text from the page it finds. The user will then scan these lines to determine if it's what they're looking for. Even if you have the keywords in there, you also need to say something to lure the user to click on your site over the others listed. In the first few lines, as clearly as possible, describe the contents of that page or your site! If not, you may rank well, but no one will click on you.
These are any words or phrases someone might use in order to find your web site or one of its pages. It is nearly impossible to make all of your pages rank high with every search engine for all of the keywords or phrases used. However, you can focus on making your main page in your web site rank near the top for most engines. Most people search with two or three word phrases to find what they're looking for, so ponder on what keywords people are likely to use to find you. Make a list of all likely keywords and them combine them into two or three word phrases.
Internet usage has become so pervasive that even businesses that serve strictly local markets are finding advantages from doing business on the web. Let local visitors get to know you. How much money would it cost to effectively advertise all the wonders of your business using traditional advertising, e.g. radio or TV spots, newspaper ads, etc? Buy a fraction of the ad space, include your web address and tell the whole story on your web site. Include a page with printable coupons!
