Internet Presence Provider
Would
you like to establish an Internet Presence? Establishing an Internet
presence is a useful and fun way to make yourself known and
available online to both the local and worldwide community.
This can be achieved in three ways:
- Consultation: We will advise you
on what is involved and the steps needed to establish a viable
presence on the Net that will achieve the results you are
looking for. This can usually be achieved in a one hour
interview in person or online via web based video conferencing.
- As a Project Manager/Business Mentor: As a Project Manager/Mentor we do not
do the actual work of setting up Domain Names, finding a host,
building a web site and optimising it for Search Engines etc,
rather we organise the IT professional who will do this for you
and mange the outsourcing of all the work involved, thus saving
you the immense amount of time involved in all of this and doing
so from a position of knowledge and skill obtained from nearly
thirty years of technology and business experience.
- As a IT & Web Professional who does all the hands-on work
ourselves. This means we consult with you directly,
then execute all the work involved ourselves in-house.
Whichever of these options suits you the best is fine with us.
We can crystallise the task of establishing a web presence into
these steps:
- Register a Domain Name -your Internet address. E.g.
www.jbc.gen.nz
- Find a host -the computer, or server, where your site will
be physically located
- Building the site -designing and using all the abundance of
web technologies available today that will enhance your site to
achieve the results you need.
These three steps simplify a complex task enormously,
nevertheless, establishing a simple web presence will require these
three steps at the very least.
To assist with your considerations here are a
few thoughts –
2.
Examples of Sites You Like: It is a good idea to
survey other similar sites (local builders) and select maybe two or
three you like and use them as an indication to any web builders you
may approach. It gives them a clear idea of the sort of thing you
have in mind. My Portal: By all means check out links from
my portal at
www.jbc.gen.nz
3.
Special Features: Note any special features that you
would like on your site.
4.
Simplicity: Simplicity is always the key. Remember,
your site is designed to give visitors immediate access to your
contact details because the average customer has not arrived
randomly but has a project in mind and wants immediate satisfaction
of a quote or discussion as quickly as possible. They are not
looking to award prizes for the most gimmicky site on the web!
Second, your visitor wants assurance right up-front that you are
able to do the kind of work he/she is looking for. I.e. build a new
deck, renovate a home, update a bathroom, build a new home, etc.
So, the quicker they can get that info is the quicker you will get
an invitation to be the one they choose.
This can be
achieved in several ways:
I.
Domain Name or URL (Universal Resource Locator): A
good domain name that clearly states, with no ambiguity, exactly
what you are, offer and do. E.g. One of the URLs I invented was
www.bannersandsigns.co.nz. This shows clearly what is on
offer. Anyone looking for a banner or sign will likely type that
into the search box first off. I just keyed in banners and signs
into Google and
www.bannersandsigns.co.nz was the 4th listing on the
page! Not bad. This is called SEO (search engine optimisation) and
you can be charged large sums to get those sorts of results.
Charges for domain names vary. Often paid for annually, deals can
be obtained for longer terms. Usually 3 to 5 years. Remember, you
never actually own a domain name. They are rented from the Domain
Name Provider.
II.
Hosting: Next you need to consider a good host. A
good host is usually one in the country you reside. I usually argue
for a local provider because of the immediacy of service. If there
are outages for whatever reason, you are not available to your
customers. We experienced an outage the other day you will recall.
However, on that occasion it was Telecom, the principle broadband
provider in the country that was down! Because they wholesale
broadband to all the others it affected other ISPs as well. When a
host goes down it’s slightly different, but the effect on your
business is just the same –no business! Hosting is usually paid for
on an annual basis.
III.
Site Building: This is the actual design and building
of the web site. Things for you to consider are: content
(what you want available to the visitor). Some details are obvious
–contact details and methods of contact (e.g. type of phone, email
or form etc); Professional qualifications (variable and
depends on the service); Range of work available (e.g.
similar to the details on your newspaper ads and sign); Referees
(variable and may need permission or to solicit permission to
display details and how many details you can show etc.); Photo
Gallery –as extensive as you like. Plus, anything else
you may wish to post online. It can be a help to do a pencil
drawing of your site layout –Home page, Contacts page, About Me
page, Services page, Contact Form page, Referees page, Photo Gallery
page(s), etc.
IV.
Promotion: Site promotion consists of various forms –SEO
(I’ve already covered some of this), registering on other online
trade sites (e.g. finda.co.nz, accessnz.co.nz, mkiwi.com,
searchnz.co.nz, searchnz.co.nz etc). This requires considerable
work as each coy has its own registration process, some paid, some
free. Don’t forget the online YellowPages and WhitePages
which all offer business listings.
V.
Preferred listing status: This can be bought on search
engines –rates vary. Value in my view is debatable.
VI.
Swap-a-link on a Links Page: An early form of site
promotion that still works but takes time as you do need to vet
requests –you may not like your site listed on some types of web
site. An example of how to go about this is available here:
Cross Link Invitation (Sometimes called a ‘reciprocal link’).
Again, the value of this can be debatable, however, I see it as a
simple enough plus if you give it a little time once in a while.
VII.
TV promotion of your web site: Costly, but will
certainly get visitors. E.g. contacts2go.co.nz a strictly online
business that advertises extensively on TV and does very well
indeed.
VIII.
Magazine/Newspapers: Be sure to include your domain
name on all advertising
IX.
Other: Don’t forget to put your domain name on all
letter heads, emails (see my sig), accounts, quotes, business cards,
etc.
You can pay a fortune for a web site. You can
add all kinds of gizmos. If your site is for entertainment all well
and good. But, if it’s for business –then I contend simplicity and
good basic promotion is the key. Your site needs to be easily found
in all the normal places that people look and does not need an hour
and a half to navigate around in order to find the information the
visitor wants.
To find out more contact us by clicking
here. Thank you.
JC's PC Care Site