New business website?

[Ede0117]

So, my sister and I are starting a business. I got some of the free supplies offered by Vistaprint last night, and got a domain name to match. But am at a loss as to what the next step is. It'll be a few weeks until we really get it up and running since we're buying it from a friend of mine who is moving. But we do have a few things we're doing on our own I'd love to start putting on the website. Any advice?

[fong47]

If you purchase your domain thru Godaddy.com, they have something called website tonight and you can get a template and start your site right there. Just add text and images. Check it out!

[Cooking Crystal]

I have a dinner planning website that I've been running for the last 2 years. I'm not sure what industry or product or service you will be providing so that might make a difference in what you need to do - some thoughts:

- do you have a logo, if not that might be a place to start so you have an attractive header that conveys your business name and what you're about
-have you written up a business plan? If not it's helpful to know who your competition is, who your target audience is...
-keyword analysis is helpful to do before you start building pages. If your going to build you may as well build and write in a way that people can find you. This is an ongoing activity as you build more pages
-once you get your site up and running you need to develop a plan for how to get the word out about your site - social media (facebook...) may be a good option, get involved in forums that are related to your site niche, write articles...
Good Luck and let us know how you are doing!
Crystal

[Ede0117]

Originally Posted by Cooking Crystal

I have a dinner planning website that I've been running for the last 2 years. I'm not sure what industry or product or service you will be providing so that might make a difference in what you need to do - some thoughts:

- do you have a logo, if not that might be a place to start so you have an attractive header that conveys your business name and what you're about
-have you written up a business plan? If not it's helpful to know who your competition is, who your target audience is...
-keyword analysis is helpful to do before you start building pages. If your going to build you may as well build and write in a way that people can find you. This is an ongoing activity as you build more pages
-once you get your site up and running you need to develop a plan for how to get the word out about your site - social media (facebook...) may be a good option, get involved in forums that are related to your site niche, write articles...
Good Luck and let us know how you are doing!
Crystal

Thanks! It's a jewelry business. My friend has been running it for 10 years, but never put it online. She's done custom jewelry from her home, and at farmer's markets - and has done really well. She'll be finishing out the farmer's market this year - so I'm going to start handing out business cards announcing the change while I assist her on Saturdays. We've chosen a name, got some business supplies, and purchased a domain name. But from there I'm lost. I know I need to get someone to host it - trying to find a reliable - inexpensive way for that. Not sure how many 'pages' are needed for it, and what is the best method for having a shopping cart on our page. I know how to do all of the blogging stuff and could easily set up a sales blog with Paypal, but want it to be a specific website - not just a blog.

TIA again, for any advice.

[craftydelisa]

I use www.3ix.com - 3iX provides reliable web hosting, 1 dollar web hosting, cheap web hosting for my hosting. It is 12 dollars a year. I have 3 sites with them and use them for setting up my clients sites. I have never had a problem with them and they will even fix my mistakes. lol. Since you already have a domain you would put that in when going through the hosting order process and then wait for the DNS to update. They have very simple website building tools. I mainly use wordpress (more than just a blog). It is easy and with all the different plugins you can get you set up any kind of site that you need.Drupal is my 2nd favorite. Any host that offers Fantastico will have a ton of easy install site building tools.

If you guys don't already, start collecting email addresses from customers. That way you can email them when your site is up. Write a press release that you can share locally and online.

[NicoletteS]

You may want to look at hostgator..I say this because of they wonderful online tech support. I am less than a newbie when it comes to hosting and each time I have contacted them it was excellent customer service.

[TeresaK]

Hi,

Congratultions on wanting to get your business online - it's an exciting time.

Feel free to contact me if you find you need help building your site.

Teresa

[richteacher]

after registering domain name, the next steps is you need to buy hosting account. as other people said.

Originally Posted by fong47

If you purchase your domain thru Godaddy.com, they have something called website tonight and you can get a template and start your site right there. Just add text and images. Check it out!

[RevenueGal]

Congratulations!!!

MomWebs.com is very affordable for starting up a small website at only $15 per quarter. They also offer great support. (Something you'll find as very important for a hosting company) Mom Webs: Reliable Website Hosting for Everyone

If you're going to use a lot of photos then hostgator can be a good option as they allow you more hosting space, but it will cost a just a little more.

While you're waiting for your website to be done, you can make some plans on paper of what you want to include on your site. Good content is a must. Also you can prepare to offer an online newsletter for your visitors. A monthly giveaway or a special discount coupon code when they sign up should help you build your subscriber list. And very important as well, invest your time in learning some good online marketing strategies for your site. No visitors to your website = no sales.