Web
Site/Internet Basics
What are the necessary components
- the variety of services needed -
to get your web site online
and ready visitors coming to your site?
1. Domain name (a.k.a URL or "web
site address") - In order to own a domain name,
you must buy it from a Registrar. An
example of a well known, but not necessarily good, registrar
company is Network Solutions. Please do yourself a favor
and do not register your domain name with Network
Solutions. A far better option is either www.Godaddy.com
($8.95/yr) or www.Dotster.com ($14.95/yr). Visit our
Domain name section on our Resources
page for more information.
2. Hosting & email – pay
a yearly fee for space on a reliable server and remote
access to that space. Cost varies based on the amount
of space and other features that you need. A good company
is www.Anitron.com.
3. Your web site – a collection
of interlinked HTML files saved on your hardrive, CD-rom
or other media. Can be updated as often as you like.
Your webmaster/web designer handles the coding process
of your site.
4. Internet Marketing - search engine
submissions, e-mail marketing, link exchanges, etc.
- click here to see Promotion
methods below.
Diagram I: Site Map - Schematic
layout of a basic web site
Different Types of Web sites:
1. 1-page “Brochure” web site – just
has basic contact info, maybe a photo or two…bare
bones site
2. “Mini-site” – Basic web site approximately
3 to 5 pages – serves a as a basic introduction
to your company
3. E-commerce site - merchant account, shopping cart,
database inventory system
4. Informational/Educational site
Steps to a Successful Internet Campaign
1. Set up the proper equipment – computer, internet
access, ability to surf the internet.
2. Develop a highly “focused” web site that
is able to convert visitors to sales.
3. Develop a budget appropriate web campaign with the
help of Divine Design and promote your web site to bring
qualified visitors to your site.
4. Follow up with your web site inquiries whether by
email, phone or fax.
5 Top Ways to
Promote your Web Site
1. Offline marketing – car magnets, bus. Cards,
stationary, print ads, radio/t.v. ads – Basically,
wherever your Business name appears, your web site address
should appear also. Check out www.CafePress.com
to really open your eyes up!
2. Search
engines including pay-per-clicks (a.k.a
PPCs like Google Adwords and Overture), Directories
(Open Directory Project), and Spiders (like Google)
3. Incoming Link popularity
4. E-mail marketing
5. Word-of-mouth – remember to mention your site
on the phone, in person, etc. consider sending out surveys
to recently serviced customers ask for a referral.
How to make your web site “sticky”
Many times a visitor will not buy the first
time they visit your site, so you should provide some
type of incentive to entice the visitor to interact
with your site in some manner. Below I've listed a few
of the better ways to solicit their interaction so that
you can eventually get a sale from them.
1. Give your visitors an incentive
to give you their contact information such as a contest,
newsletter, informational booklet, coupon.
2. Once you have this contact info, use “permission
e-mail marketing” to make regular contact
with your leads and thus win new customers from previous
onlookers. Manage this contact information using www.VerticalResponse.com
– “self-service direct marketing”
- Email
Marketing from your browser!
3. Offer valuable information free such
as educational resources such as an awesome collection
of links, quality articles, etc.
4. Sell something of value on your site
that is related to your site Theme, like Tom
Lane’s “Lesson’s Learned”
book for solar related web sites - and have it drop
shipped, or other solar/pool related items – mostly
those that are drop shipped, maybe few are stocked.
The bottom line – something that doesn’t
make your life more difficult – something simple
that makes you money. This is called Affiliate
Marketing.
Conclusion
If just one customer asks you whether you have a web
site or not, your answer could determine your
credibility and thus their desire to do business
with you. If not having a web site costs you just one
sale, owning a web site would be worth the cost to retain
this customer.
In the meantime, your investment can be sowing the
seeds for many returns as you utilize your web site
as a marketing tool to nurture your leads into customers,
and develop loyalty in your current customers by making
them feel golden.
Attention Merchants of any kind: Click
here to learn how to increase your business profits by
doing business online.
Ready to Get Started
Now?
If you are, decide whether you are a do-it-yourselfer
or if you would rather hire a knowledgable internet
services company to start it all for you. Visit
our "Getting
Started" page.
Your web marketing
mantra should be
“Locate, Manage,& Retain My Customers.”
>Back
to "Getting Started" page< |
There
are many ways to generate traffic. There is "targeted"
(a.k.a. qualified) traffic and "un-targeted"
traffic. I focus on qualified traffic for obvious reasons:
that is your warm market, most likely to buy from you.
The following is a list of methods
I like to use as part of my internet marketing campaign
packages. I would like to make this a comprehensive
page for your own research and review of the different
types of internet marketing methods. As soon as I have
a spare moment, I will fatten the page out with links
to detailed descriptions.
You can also use this list as a reference
point when communicating with Divine Design about your
own custom campaign, or you can order
services separately. Please contact
3D for a quote.
Internet Marketing
Techniques
- Search
Engine Optimization
- Search Engine Reports
- Web Stats & Ad Tracking
- Start-page promos
- Pop-unders & Pop-ups
- Cafe Press -Promotional items like t-shirts, mugs,
hats, etc. printed and sold right on the Internet
- E-mail Marketing
- Banner Exchanges
- Affiliate Programs
- CD Business Cards
- Web site Postcards
- Car decals & bumper stickers
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