Why Advertise on the Internet?

Internet advertising is fast becoming a popular method of advertising for both small and large businesses. Where once the Internet was thought to be primarily for the use of businesses who deal with national and international clients, more and more localised businesses are now taking advantage of its advertising power.

Since the growing world of technology has increased the use of home computers, Internet advertising now has the ability to reach a larger audience than traditional forms of media. Even the 'Yellow Pages' are taking advantage of the electronic age!

Think of it as an electronic business card, available at everybody's fingertips. No matter where you or your business is located, your clients (or potential clients) can simply type your business name into their web browsers and find your business and contact details in less than a minute. Now that's a prompt service!

To find out more about having web pages designed for you, click here.

There are two primary considerations that need to be taken into account when building a web site:

1)  What is it going to be called?

People need to know how to find your web site, that is, they need an Internet address to type into a web browser to locate your web pages. Usually, the first thing people think of is your business name (ie: yourbusiness.com). 

While there are free facilities available on the Internet that will supply you with an Internet address, they are usually very long and difficult to remember (ie: www.theirname.com/somefolder/yourname) and these facilities are almost always free for non-commercial sites only.

Registering a domain name is by far the most memorable and effective method of obtaining an individual Internet address (ie: yourbusiness.com). A domain name is exactly that, an Internet address you can call your own. It's like registering your business name on the Internet so nobody else can use it. Your domain name also serves as a unique identifier for your web site (in the same way that your telephone number is unique).

2)  Where is it going live?

The next consideration is where to store your web pages on the Internet. Web pages are stored on an Internet 'server' (which is a special computer that is online 24 hours a day). There are a multitude of Internet servers all over the world that rent storage space for both private and commercial use.

The storage space you rent (commonly known as 'Cyber Real Estate'), is where your web pages will reside on the Internet so they are available to the general public 24 hours a day.

To find out more about having web pages designed for you, click here.

After considering what your domain name will be and where your web pages will live, you will need to contact a web page designer to discuss you web page requirements.

To find out more about web page designers, click here.

How do I get email?

There are a number of ways to obtain a personal or commercial email address. If you are already on the Internet, you will have been provided with at least one email address already. If you use someone else's computer, or you use an Internet Cafe, you can sign up for a free web based email account. That way, you can access your email anytime, from any computer.

To find out more about free web based email account click here.

Many businesses have on-line ordering systems (or shopping carts) set up on the internet. Commonly called 'E-commerce'. The primary concern with electronic commerce is how to collect payment for your products/services. There are a variety of ways this can be set up on your web site, but the two most commonly used E-commerce systems are:

1) Secure Order

Secure Orders are exactly that, a secure method of sending important and/or private information (such as credit card numbers or contact details) over the internet. If you do not have a professional web developer set this ordering system up, you may be putting your customers (or potential customers) at risk. You may also be violating a number of commercial laws concerning security and privacy.

The most common use for Secure Ordering is where a web site collects credit card information, which then accesses an internal database and authorises the despatch of a certain products or services to a specific customer. As you can imagine, this is a complicated process that requires the utmost of accuracy in order to protect both the business supplying the product/service and the client ordering it.

2) Email Order

Email Orders are very simple and inexpensive to set up and maintain. An email ordering system takes basic information (such as a name, address or phone number) and emails it to your business. You can select the type of information you wish to collect from the customer and also any additional information that may be required to process a request for products/services.

Credit card details can be collected using the email order system, but it is important to note that standard email is not secure. Again, it is wise to have a professional web developer set this system up for you so that the best possible security can be installed on your email system to prevent security breeches.

To find out more about web developers, click here.

The most popular way to market your web site is to swap banners with other related businesses who also have web sites. This is a banner:

A banner is a small advertisement that links to your web site when clicked. Banner swapping has become an extremely successful way to advertise your web site and to increase traffic flow.

The concept of banner swapping involves offering to place other businesses advertisements on your web site, in return for having your advertisement placed on theirs. This is usually done by email, or by contacting those businesses via their web sites. Alternatively, you can hire a web developer to do this for you.

To find out more about web developers, click here.

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