More people are using the internet to make decisions about products and services to buy. They size up companies based on their web presence and if you’re not there, you could miss out on sales. After you’ve decided to put your business on the world wide web, there are some decisions you have to make.
Website Or Blog
On the surface, websites and blogs are the same. They’re both accessed through a URL (http://…) and offer content to readers. There is a big difference between the two that will help you decide which your business needs. A website tends to offer specific information about products and services. For example, if you needed to reference some specs on your ‘07 Chevy Tahoe you might visit the Honda website.
A blog typically offers an opinion on a topic.You would visit a site like Thetruthaboutcars.com to find a review on the ‘07 Chevy Tahoe.
You Can Have Both
You don’t necessarily have to pick just one. Many sites have that timeless information and offer a blog on news or opinionated items.
Choose A Domain
Whether you choose a website or blog, you need to choose a domain name that will help people remember your business. Typically, the domain is the part of the URL that comes before the .com. For example, aol or google.
As You Think Of A Domain Name, Consider These Things:
According to “The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding”, generic domain names do better than store-branded domain names.For example, cars.com versus YournamePLUSYourCARBusinessNameHere.com.
Also, catchy names that have nothing to do with the service offered often do better. Think Yahoo! or Amazon.
Once you choose a domain, you can purchase it from a wholesaler like GoDaddy or NameCheap.
Choose A Host
After you choose and purchase your domain, you need to have a host. The host has servers where the files for your website are placed and accessed.
When You’re Looking For A Host Think Of These Things:
•How much web space are you given? If you plan to have images on your pages, you’ll need more space.
•How much bandwidth are you given? This has to do with the number of people accessing your site. The more people and the larger your web pages, the more bandwidth you’ll need.
•Can you design the site yourself and upload files via ftp or do you need to use that site’s tools?
•Are there limitations on the types and sizes of files you can upload?
•How reliable is the host? You don’t want a host that’s down often. This will frustrate your users.
•What type of technical support is provided?
•What’s the price and how often do you pay?
•How many domains can you host?
Build Yourself Or Hire A Developer
Now you have to decide if you want to build the website yourself or hire a professional designer.
Build the website yourself if…
•You know how to build a website or can learn easily
•You don’t have enough in your budget to hire a professional (there are many free templates and tutorials on the internet)
Hire a professional if…
•You do not have any technical skills and you aren’t a technical person
•You are too focused on other aspects of the startup to focus on building the website
