Many businesses, from startups to established businesses, choose to start a website to create an online presence and because they commonly require less of an investment in terms of upfront and ongoing expenses, compared to brick-and-mortar establishments. Though every business websites have different needs, a few specific expenses will likely apply to every type.
Hosting Fees
Every month (or every year, depending on your preference) you will get a reminder email from your hosting company that your website hosting and domain registration fees are due. The website hosting fee is the equivalent of paying rent at a brick-and-mortar business, and the domain name registration expense is the equivalent to paying utilities to keep your company open for business. You need both in order to effectively communicate with your customers online.
RCC Graphic Designs Relaunches Newly Updated Website for Owen Sound’s Jackie Hofmann pitchengine.com/rccgraphicdesi…
— Rommel C. Caibal (@rccgd) February 4, 2011
Creative Professionals
In order to start a successful business website, you have to make some type of investment in creative professionals. RCC Graphic Designs, for example, works with a team of specialists who provide support in developing various aspects of the company’s services. Creative professionals include website designers, web architecture consultants, writers and photographers (to take high-quality product photos for an online store, for example). A web programmer, though technical in nature, can also be classified as a creative professional, because his job is to make sure that the site design come together to work accordingly. You need a team of experts to communicate your message clearly online.
You can’t just download a great website. RCCGD can help build it with you. Visit the link for details: bit.ly/10hKkYw
— Rommel C. Caibal (@rccgd) April 1, 2013
SEO Advice
The old idiom “if you build it, they will come” doesn’t quite work when it comes to starting a business website. You could have a beautifully-designed site that is easy to navigate with every possible bell or whistle that your target market could possibly want, but it’s useless if they can’t find your site. Building your website is half the battle; you need to promote it, too!
Search engine optimization (SEO) consultants can help you come up with a strategy to drive targeted traffic to your website and start converting those leads into sales. It’s an investment that many business owners make to get off the ground rather quickly.
Not happy with your website\’s performance? Try out our new website tool at bit.ly/1543W7p
— Rommel C. Caibal (@rccgd) April 10, 2013
Social Media Tools
Next to organic online searches on Google, Bing, MSN, Yahoo! and other popular search engines, social media is probably the next most common way of getting people to visit and support your business on the Internet. RCC Graphic Designs is on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – currently three of the most popular and commonly-used social media sites. Social media is sometimes intimidating and confusing for newbies, but there are many tools to make the process simpler. Many social media applications cater to sites like Twitter and Facebook — they help you to find new followers, sort through interests and post automatically from a blog.
You might also find it valuable to hire someone to help you with your social media strategy. A number of consultants specialize in social media and can help you establish a strong presence on various sites to market your business online.
Email marketing is undoubtedly one of the most valuable ways to get in touch with your customers. Do you agree? bit.ly/YfpJ4r
— Rommel C. Caibal (@rccgd) April 11, 2013
Promoting your business online can be a bit intimidating at times, but as long as you have the right resources lined up (along with a solid marketing plan) you could find yourself turning a profit sooner than you imagined.