Online Presence Setup For Small Businesses
Filed Under Internet
Are you a small business owner looking to setup a website? Maybe you own a wedding photographer, an florist shop, or work as a insurance brokerage from home? Whatever type of business you have, if you have been wondering how you can use the Internet to augment your business presence and gain more clients, then read this article prior to going out and spending money on a website designer to put together a website for you.
Whilst it may not be your core business, it pays to educate yourself a little first before spending any money. This article will provide you with a foundation of web marketing before you go out and hire someone to put together a website for your business so that you aren’t uninformed. It will also coach you about some things you can do yourself, which you may choose to do on your own and save you the cost of hiring someone else.
Web 2.0 Content Sites
An alternative method to spread the word about your business without having to create a website, is to put together a free page on one of the many Web 2.0 content sites such as Squidoo and Hubpages. The following is an example Squidoo lens reviewing Success University.
These are even easier to get going than a blog as they don’t require any technical know-how whatsoever, leaving you to concentrate on your content and saying what you want to say to your chosen audience. Pages on Web 2.0 content sites also frequently appear towards the top of the search engine results, enhancing even further the means by which more people can find out about your business.
Social Networking Websites
Facebook, MySpace and Lincked In are probably the three most popular social networking sites. As with Squidoo and Hubpages, social networking sites also work on pre-defined templates and styles, negating your need to have any knowledge of html and enabling you to save the money you would have otherwise spent on a web design company and invest that elsewhere.
Consider A Blog
If you have the inclination to provide regular updates and news pertaining to your business, you could consider setting up a blog in lieu of a website. A blog functions like a diary, and each entry is time and date stamped. Here is a blog about finance as an example. See how each post is dated and note the optional Corner Peel Away Ads in the top right hand corner. You don’t need to have any knowledge of html or programming to use a blog.
Once your blog is installed, you just login to a control panel, type what you want to say into an entry field, and click the publish button.
Blogs can be quite simple to setup. Why not have a play and see if you can install one yourself. You can get very affordable cPanel webhosting nowadays starting from $4.95 p/mth. cPanel hosting comes with a system called Fantastico, which allows you to install a blog with just a handful of mouse clicks. A good webhosting company should be able to assist you to install your blog as well, even if you have very limited knowledge. After all, it’s in their interest to secure your business.
SEO – Search Engine Optimization
Once you have setup either a blog, Web2.0 or Social Networking page, you will want to ensure that your page obtains a high profile in search engine results, and therefore sending greater traffic and increasing the number of people who become aware of your business. This is where Search Engine Optimization, comes into play. Don’t be scared! You can get a handle on search engine optimization by borrowing a book from your local public library or spending a bit of time researching it online.
There are a plethora of free websites containing search engine optimization information, as well as paid membership websites such as PortalFeeder who will assign you a mentor to assist you in your search engine optimization knowledge and website creation efforts. There are some really basic steps that you can take that will boost the presence of your site and send visitors to it.