Get Started by Reserving a Domain Name

Have you come up with a catchy name for your website? Snap it up before someone else does! Below are links to companies that allow you to search for available domain names. The cost to register a domain name has dropped dramatically. Now, a year of domain registration is only about $10. You'll also notice the companies below offer package deals. If you purchase hosting with your doman name, you can get a good discount or even a year of domain registration for free.

Website Hosting

Competition has brought the price of web hosting down dramatically too. Small to medium-sized business can get hosting for less than US$10 per month. Most large companies off similar services including plenty of web space, statistics, and multiple email accounts. These are two of the most affordable hosting companies: StartLogic and IPOWER Web

Marketing Your Website

• Include your website address in your yellow pages listing, on your business card and in your print advertising.
• Join your local Chamber of Commerce if yours is a business-to-business organization with a local focus.
• Encourage people to return to your site by offering online articles, advice or contests.
• Although Google, Yahoo and Alta Vista typically require manual submission by designers/owners, auto-submitter functions to other search engines are available through some webhost companies.
• A newsletter designed specifically for you with your logo, company information and website address and is another way of keeping in contact with clients. SweetGrass Design can write and/or design a newsletter for your company.
• Word-of-mouth is of course one of the best ways to generate interest in your website and your products or services. Conducting some type of market research prior to launching your business remains a key component of success!

Email > People love discounts and useful information

• Let your customers know about special discounts and other news via an enewsletter. SGD can design an HTML newsletter for any program of your choice. A good option is Constant Contact for email marketing as well as online surveys.. A good option is Constant Contact for email marketing as well as online surveys. Privacy laws require that email recipients have an "unsubscribe" option, which this service offers standard. You will also be able to see which clients have opened mail, who has deleted without reading, etc. This company typically offers a 30- or 60-day free trial.

Targeting Clients and Marketing Your Website

A website relays information, images and/or services to your clients and potential clients. It can give you an advantage over competitors, help you establish contact with consumers, save you time and be a very cost-effective form of advertising. Knowing all this it can still be difficult to decide what to put into your website. Where do you start?

Every website requires the basics:

• Images and text to explain your products and/or services
• A clear indication of why your product and/or service is unique and desirable
• Contact information and/or a method for people to provide feedback
• Keyword-rich text to aid with search engine ranking

Today's online consumers are accustomed to finding what they want in a hurry. It pays to consider what you have to offer your clients. There are three basic kinds of sites: content (information), commerce (sales), and communication. As the Internet has evolved, it has become typical for websites to combine all three. If you wish to learn more quickly, these straightforward guides are ideal:

Website Ideas to Promote a ‘Storefront’ Business

Faster than a speeding bullet, news and information on the web can travel across town or around the world. This means a website is an ideal medium for some creative marketing ideas:

• Add a service for your clients such the one offered by Mountain Equipment Co-op. Their website has a free bulletin board were people can buy and sell used products in the spirit of conservation.
• If you own a coffee shop or a restaurant, your website is a good forum to advertise upcoming events such as live comedy, performances by local musicians, or host support groups or writer’s groups after normal business hours.
• Store owners may find the web is a perfect place to advertise free in-store demonstrations, sales, shows, or social gatherings. For example, one store in New York advertises and hosts knitting circles complete with DJs and refreshments.
• Offer your clients a coupon in exchange for their participation in an online survey. Send the coupon (to be used in your store) via email or regular mail.

For most small businesses, PayPal is a good choice. Some day we hope they will have a viable competitor but for now, PayPal is economical especially for small and medium start-ups. PayPal Premier and Business accounts offer the best rates with low or no monthly fees.

Advertising and earning money online

Google offers a service that allows companies to earn money by becoming a search engine portal or a form of Internet billboard. When people click on links on your website, you get paid a few cents. Particularly impressive is that 'robots' read the content of your webpage and usually generate ads that relate to your content. Once a small bit of code is placed on your webpage, it never needs to be updated; the ads automatically change if your page content changes.

Here is how it works:

You'll notice that the colour has been set to match this website, their logo must appear and the links open in the same window.

Advertising with Adwords®

Although there are dozens of search engines available online, Google has become the most popular. Because millions of people use this search engine everyday, Google is able to charge a premium for AdWords®, a service that lists companies prominently for a fee. Whichever website owner bids the highest for a particular search term will achieve the top spot. Depending on the popularity of the search term, it may cost from US$0.01 to US$100 per click. You can set your maximum daily bid and make it as a low as a few dollars a day. Yahoo also offers a similar product called Sponsored Search. SweetGrass Design can help your company understand your options.

There are also other services available such as Clickbank, Yahoo (for US companies) and other companies trying to get a piece of the lucrative Google share. Online advertising should be used to compliment traditional advertising such as newspaper and phone book advertisements.