Many businesses do not have a web presence and it is my belief that every business should have at a minimum a single page site to promote their business on the internet. Whilst many people will charge many hundreds of dollars to develop a site with no guarantee the site will generate any revenue, that approach I take is very simple and cost effective. Build minimal presence and then as you find the site is generating revenue, reinvest in your site.
There are three elements to having a site. You need to have a web site address which reflects your business name or business activity. This is called a domain. The domain for International WISE COUNSEL is wise-counsel.com.au and so people can find International WISE COUNSEL at www.wise-counsel.com.au. The second element is the page or pages others will see on the internet. The third element is you need a company to host the page. There is a fourth element which is separate from the site but should be considered at the same time. This is your email hosting. Make sure you can use your domain name for your emails as well. Many people miss this important marketing opportunity. An email address using your domain reinforces you brand and people will check out your site when they receive an email. A Gmail or Hotmail email account makes your business look unprofessional and small. An email in your business name promotes your business and not the email provider’s business.
International WISE COUNSEL already had the domain which was being used for their emails. The hosting was set up which included their email accounts they required. The page for the site was developed based on an existing promotional document. The trick in keeping your costs low is to use material you already have. I used the existing material and reproduced the document on the internet. For a basic page you should allow one to two hours. The total cost including setting up a single page site including setting up the hosting should be around two to three hours. In addition you may need some time to set up your email accounts on your computers.
I then promoted International WISE COUNSEL’s site and within a day the site was on the front page of Google. As International WISE COUNSEL have others link to their site over time, their site will gradually replace other sites in Google search results which refer to International WISE COUNSEL. International WISE COUNSEL’s site will then enable their customers to see the information they want them to see.
One aspect people often don’t consider when setting up their internet presence is who has control of their site. Many people make the mistake of allowing their web developer/designer to set the site up for them and often the business doesn’t even own the content or even their domain. A big mistake in my opinion. My approach is to work with the client. I assist them to purchase the domain in their name. I help them set up their hosting in their name. The page created is a once off page unique to them and I assign copyright to them. This means the business is free to use whomever they wish to in the future to support them and are not tied to me in any way. The client retains control and ownership over all aspects of their site. The client only uses my services because they chose to, not because they have to.
If you would like a site to promote your business and don’t want to pay a fortune, then give Online Connections a call on 0415 910 703. Whilst I generally promote my business locally, I can assist people with their online presence no matter where in the world they are located.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer advice and support.
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