Ten Reasons Why A Business Must Have A Web Site

I am frequently asked, "Why do I need to get on the Internet" and I often answer because you should and you are already too late. I gave a three-part seminar on "Doing Business on the Internet" and one of my slides was "10 reasons I thought more Important". As I prepared to write for this article I thought it would be appropriate to reprint the reasons because they still are good. I have updated each reason because the Internet has changed and continues to evolve.

1 - Identity

Let people know your name, who you are, where you are and what you do. The information superhighway has no geographical limit. It is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. If you are not there, potential customers may not know that you even exist. Acquiring a domain name(s) is very important and it is a must for anyone contemplating doing business on the Internet. Getting your DOT com is very inexpensive and there are a number of reputable companies offering inexpensive domain name registration.

2 - Product and Service Information

Exposure is the key, and information is a powerful marketing tool. Educate the public with detailed information about why and how they can benefit from using your products and services. Remember, content is the key. Provide a site visitor a clear definition of why he/she should buy your product or service. Fill the need and they will buy.

3 - Search Directories

Internet surfers often use search directories to access information by locations, topics or keywords . . . How can you get listed in the directories to be accessible by the public when you don't even have a web page? You have a "link" or a listing on another website. Just having an address on someone's website will not get you found unless the visitor goes to the address of the hosting company and proceeds to navigate the website in search of a product or service that might be yours.

4 - Broader Customer Base

Your Internet presence exposes you to greater numbers of potential customers, whether you want it to be local, regional, nationwide or worldwide. This is the real value of the Internet. It offers new markets and opportunities.

5 - Point of Contact

Use your web site as a storefront where potential customers can enter and find answers. Here you provide names, numbers, addresses and directions to allow people to get in touch with you. Make sure if you have an existing website, you put all of the point-of-contact information on every page. People print web pages they find interesting or useful.

6 - Valuable Input

Your web site can allow quick feedback from customers. Comments and suggestions are valuable input to improve your business and customer relations. New web designs offer easy to install auto-reply forms and "Thank You for visiting" replies.

7 - Greater Image

Greatly improve your professional image with your domain name (www.yourname.com) printed on your business cards, stationery and advertising material. Tell people that you really mean business. The traditional methods of advertising are still very important and I have learned the Internet CANNOT be used by itself and be successful.

8 - Flexible Tool

Once your business is online, you can use your web site creatively as a flexible marketing tool. The only limit is your imagination. You can add and expand your site to perform any additional task as you grow in the future. New web tools allow you to make website changes and eliminate the cost of having another person do for you. Many of our clients make their own changes. If you want to be creative at 2 o'clock in the morning, let the fun begin. Ask your hosting company if you can make the changes yourself, if not; consider moving your site to an hosting company that allows you to make your changes. (most hosting companies offer "content manager" type options that allow you to control your content).

9 - Low-cost Investment

Your web site is truly low-cost advertising. It is a marketing tool you can use again and again for years. Please compare the contents and the cost of your web site with advertisements on newspapers and magazines monthly, quarterly and yearly. Web sites do not have to be expense and I tell people "grow your web site" as you learn what is happening on the site and the questions you are getting. The only other cost is the month hosting fee (the monthly fee will vary but make sure you REALLY check the hosting company's reputation and up-time).

10 - Why Not?

Today you see web site addresses shown everywhere on all kinds of media. Many businesses now have web sites, and web sites are here to stay. In fact, it's very noticeable for you not to have a web site even if you only display one page: Name of company, address, telephone and fax numbers, E-mail address and a short description of your product or service.

For those who do not own a web site, don't wait. Act Now!

Chuck St. Arnaud is the Chariman & CEO of a the oldest and largest ISP in Coastal Georgia. A frequent writer and speaker on the Internet, he is considered a local asset when it comes to understanding the potential of using the Internet. Chuck is also an adjunct professor of Marketing at a local university. Visit his blog at http://www.sysconn.com

How to Change to a New Domain Name

When changing over to a new domain name, there are some precautions you should take before doing so. You must determine whether it's important enough that you change domain names to possibly lose some established customers and efforts you've made to gain traffic to your website.

If you already have a number of visitors coming to your website, then please think really hard before getting a new domain name. Consider the risks. If you're still sure this is the route you should take, then read the tips below for a smooth domain name transition.

What You Should Do Before Changing Your Domain Name

Below is a quick checklist of things to do before changing your domain name. Do these BEFORE you cancel your current domain name. Otherwise, you could lose valuable information or content on your website!

1. Create a thorough backup copy of your entire website.

This includes autoresponders you may have created in the email portion of your hosting control panel. Don't make the same mistake I made when changing to a new host. I forgot about the email section completely. There were several emails and two autoresponders I used on a regular basis. These were, of course, deleted when my website's hosting was shut down. I had to try and remember all the emails I had created and re-write my autoresponder messages! Imagine if I had 20 to 30 autoresponders or emails. What a nightmare that would be!

Check with your hosting company before changing domain names to see what is involved in backing up your site. If you have special programming features stored for your site, you'll need to back up these as well.

2. Re-design your web pages with the new domain name inserted in all your links. Before switching to a new domain name, be sure your site is designed with its links all changed to the new domain name. When you upload the new domain name to the Web, the website should be fully functional under the new domain name.

Redirect to Keep Good Search Engine Rankings

Understandably, a brand new domain name will be subject to the "aging delay" at Google and other search engines. The aging delay for your new domain will happen because search engines will not recognize it as your "same old" website. They will assume it's a brand new one because of the new domain name.

To help things move along faster, keep your old domain name for a while until your new one gets established. Only, do a "temporary redirect" on your old domain name. You can create this through your domain hosting control panel or by contacting your host if you're not sure how. The search engines will recognize the website as your old one much quicker.

Once your new domain name starts getting indexed in the search engines, change the redirect to a permanent one for a while. A "permanent redirect" should be left at your old domain name until your new one has been established at the search engines and any other sites or directories that were linking to your old domain name.

Your goal is to hang on to the old domain name while waiting on the new domain name to get established. It's well worth the effort, even if it costs you a little more each month for a while!

Changing a Large Company's Domain Name

If you own a large company or corporation with many employees using your website, this process can be even more complicated. Your employees' log-in information must be updated on the new domain name. Check with your hosting company and in-house programmers to find out what needs to be done.

Changing over to a new domain name is a pain, but sometimes needful. Decide if it's right for you and use the tips above to simplify the process.

Candice Pardue is a freelance web content writer located at http://www.webmastercourse.com/writing-services/ Go to http://webmastercourse.com/subscribe/ for a free 7-Lesson Web Beginner's Minicourse and learn web design from start to finish. This one's for beginners...