When I speak to small business owners in my area I am always shocked when I hear them say that they "do not have a website" or "my business doesn't need a website".
This could not be further from the truth.
Every business needs a website.
More than ever before consumers are turning to the internet to find local businesses.
The days of finding businesses in the Yellow Pages are gone.
Today, businesses must have a presence online and this guide will give you the information you need to get your business online quick.
Pick a Domain Name The first thing you want to do in come up with a domain name that fits your business.
For instance, if you are a plumber in Baltimore MD, a great domain name would be baltimoreplumber.
com.
If you already have a business name that people know and trust, try and get that domain (ex.
innercityplumbing.
com).
To purchase a domain name go to godaddy.
com.
GoDaddy offers a service called Website Tonight which I highly recommend for small businesses just getting started in the online world.
When you get to godaddy.
com click on website then find the website tonight product.
Most small businesses just starting out can probably go with the "Economy" package which includes a 5-page website and hosting for up to 36 months for only $2.
99 a month.
When you add this package to your cart, you will then be able to choose from other GoDaddy programs that are offered as "upgrades".
Additionally, you have the option to choose a domain name.
By purchasing the Website Tonight package, you will receive a discount on your domain name.
Search for your ideal domain name and see if it is available.
Once you have found a domain name you are happy with add it to your cart.
Work yourself through the rest of the check out process and that's it! You have taken the most important step in getting your small business online.
Building Your Website Now that you have purchased your website, you must start building it.
Website Tonight offers a wealth of templates to choose from.
By picking a template, you do not need to have any programming skills.
The service takes care of all of the coding for you.
You can upload pictures and content quickly and easily.
If you can use Microsoft Word, you can use Website Tonight.
By now you should have a vision of what pages you would like to have on your website.
This could vary dependent upon what business you run.
The two standard pages will be the Home page and the Contact Us page.
The Home page is important because it is usually the first page that your visitors will see when visiting your site.
GoDaddy offers a bunch of video tutorials for how to use the Website Tonight system.
It is a very powerful powerful resource for your small business moving forward.
You want to be found on Google? Now that you have a website, you want people to be able to find you on Google and other search engines right? Of course! There are numerous steps to take to make sure your website can be found on Google.
More than I wish to share in this article.