Internet Basics For Small Businesses And Organizations

Internet Basics for Small Businesses and Organizations Wearhouse Grille June 14, 2011

Housekeeping! Cell phones on silent please! Thanks to Regina & Wearhouse Grille!

First, some numbers for you…

What we’ll cover today What is the “internet”? Why small businesses need an internet presence The components of a website What’s important (and what isn’t) on a business website How you can get started

What else? The truth about “free” websites What is still free to help promote your business What your e-mail address says about you

About me & dsm-llc Yes, I have an accent Small business Sales and marketing for over 20 years dsm-llc established 2009

So…what is the internet? Technical answer “The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide.” 0’s and 1’s Started as a US Army project in the 1960’s World Wide Web (WWW) is a “layer” on top of the Internet, invented in 1989 Source: Wikipedia 06/02/2011

Non-technical answer The Internet allows computer users to remotely access other computers and information stores easily, wherever they may be across the world. This had led to low cost and nearly instantaneous sharing of ideas, knowledge, and skills

Why this is important to businesses and organizations The internet has: Replaced directories (Yellow pages, Thomas’, etc) Killed off printed newspapers Allowed people to watch TV on their own schedule without ads Removed the requirement to shop in a “real” store Replaced encyclopedias

What about small businesses? They need a web presence because: Their bigger competitors have a web presence They are “invisible” without it There’s a generation of people coming through (Gen Y) who default to the web – if you don’t have a professional looking website, they are going to dismiss you

The components of a website Domain registration and site set-up Web site design Ongoing monitoring / maintenance

The components of a website Web site design Ongoing monitoring / maintenance Domain registration and site set-up

Domain registration and set-up Pick a domain name (a whole other topic!) All domains are “hosted” somewhere Domains are “rented” not purchased – you are paying to turn your domain name into computer code and vice versa These are recurring costs for as long as you have the website

Costs for domain registration A standard (non-ecommerce) site costs between $10-15/month for hosting An ecommerce site (online store) costs between $30-50/month for hosting (plus some hosts charge transaction fees)

Costs for domain registration Most hosting packages include registering one domain name and e-mail If you need to hire someone to do this for you figure on spending $150-200

What about free websites? Beware – you often get what you pay for! Free often means that the cost is rolled into other fees

What about free websites? Free also often means that your site will host ads for your competitors alongside your own content Free almost always means stripped down with minimal support

Website design Look and “Feel” of site Simple is best! Reflect “spirit” of company You’ll probably hire someone to do this* Content This is something YOU supply Content is massaged for SEO purposes

What is needed on your site #1 Company name – in text Company address – in text Company phone number – in text

What is needed on your site #2 A succinct description of what you do / what services you provide Your USP – Unique Selling Point

What is needed on your site #3 Stuff that’s of interest to your prospective clients – not you!

What isn’t needed… Lots of bells and whistles! Flashing lights, moving text, self starting movies, etc.

What isn’t needed… Pictures without text captions or “ALT” tags One loooonnng list of products and services

Site monitoring and maintenance The big unknown! - Changes - Additions - Deletions - Optimization - Analytics - Advertising

Advertising? Not the “good old days!” 4-6 months before your site appears “organically” PPC advertising “jump starts” traffic to your site

Why you want to be on the first page 75% of users never scroll past the first page 70% of clicks are on the organic listings Top three results get 60% of all the clicks

How to get started #1 Being here today is your first big step Start thinking about domain names

How to get started #2 Start collecting “content” Think about your USP

Think about what you want to get out of your website. Provide contact info for customers and potential customers Provide product / service information for customers and potential customers Attract new customers Increasing difficulty Increasing ROI

And if you are not going to all this yourself – hire someone!

Before I forget…. Imagine you get a proposal from a company you want to spend money with The proposal comes from: [email_address] [email_address] [email_address] Who are you going to give the business to?

Thank You! Web e-mail www.dsm-llc.com [email_address] facebook.com/dsmllc @dsm_llc 973-234-5623

Internet Basics For Small Businesses And Organizations

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