FindHow2.com
Step-by-Step Instructions to Put Your Business Website Online Now!

Step #1 -- Select your domain name. Pick an online domain name that quickly describes "what you do" -- a good start is to incorporate your company name and service. Example: www.johnsonpublishing.com. Whoops! This name is already reserved. Now, we search for hypenated spellings or add additional words. Since the first selected domain name is already taken, we try www.johnson-publishing-services.com. Available!

TipsTip: Hypens between words works well at this time to help you find a domain that matches your own business name -- except that you have to be careful with this type of website URL if you will primarily be advertising it VERBALLY (i.e., radio or television advertising). But for firms which are primarily marketing via the net or through printed options like newspaper, directory or circular advertisements, this option works like a charm to find the domain name the suits your needs.

An option to this dilemma is searching for ".net" or ".biz" domain extensions instead of the ever-popular ".com" website extension. We did that same thing with our online auction website, www.Bid4Bargains.net. While not a perfectly-named website in this era of Dot-Com's, it worked for us just fine.

Finished? Great, now on to the next step: registering your domain name.

Step #2 -- Purchasing your domain. This is money well spent. By selecting our preferred choice, ArisHost, you'll lock-in your domain name for one year for just $30, and you'll receive a 30MB webhosting package free of charge all year long! We've been very happy with this company's service and we highly recommend it. You can also register your name at several different domain name registrars below and pay for your web hosting separately:

Make sure -- and this is very important -- that you are listed as the "owner" or "main point of contact" when registering your website domain. Ownership is important. You not only want to access the website to check statistics or make copy changes, but you also want to be assured that after all the promotion, advertising and website development that could go into your online business, you'll be the rightful owner of the site's official name.

Step #3 -- Create website content. Now that your name is safely registered, it is time to pull out a trusty yellow legal pad, a ballpoint pen, pour yourself a cup of coffee and spend a few hours outlining what you want the world to know about your business that will make them want to know about you.

People are basically looking for INFORMATION on the Internet, so it is a good idea to present the story of your business into simple, easily navigated webpages that tell your prospective new online cutomers:

Who you are
What you can do for them
How they can get ahold of you

Use the Internet to do some "detective work" on your own competition. Click over to Google -- one of the 'Nets most visited search page -- and type in phrases you believe people would use to find your service. Start keeping a list of websites that appeal to you as you search. Tip:Create a NEW FOLDER on your hard drive, and as you come across an interesting website that matches the content, scope, or look-and-feel that you wish your own website to emulate, simply click on "SAVE AS..." at top of browser, and save it into your folder for reference at a later time.

Step #4 -- Create "look and feel" of your website. Create an attractive, simple, easy to navigate page template that will give your business a professional appearance online. This "template" page can then be used to build additonal webpages on your site quickly, without having to re-code all the different elements. Make it simple. Code one area that can be updated quickly.

Step #5 -- Code your HTML webpages. If you are familiar with HTML, begin writing code as soon as you have identified the most important things you want to say about your business. You will need to create an "index.htm" page, as this will serve as the landing page when someone types your web domian into their web browser. (Tip: name & save all your pages in lowercase type -- this will help when loading pages on many popular webservers.)

Other pages you will need to build could include:

"contact.htm" (To list your phone number, e-mail, fax numbers, estension numbers of sales reps, etc.)
"test.htm" (To publish testimonial letters or quotes from your satisfied customers. These help tell a small business' story best.)
"gallery.htm" (To showcase photos of your work or service. The Web is a visual medium, and quality photos that quickly load onto your visitor's computer screen will help you land a new customer. Drab, colorless, lifeless pages will send them searching.)
"aboutus.htm" (To tell the story of your company, your vision/mission statement, your personal comittment to your customer's needs, and any additional information you've decided sets you apart from your competition.)
"terms.htm" (To state your terms, price lists, hourly rates, etc. Keeping this information secret may keep foil your competitors learning your billing secrets, but you may at the same time frustrate a new customer who is "price shopping" and determining whether or not to call and/or e-mail you for a price quote. Tip: so long as it's not confidential information about your company, put in on your website. It will pay off in the long run.)

If you a bewildered about what the preceeding paragraph meant, then you may not have enough working knowledge (yet!) of HTML, and would be better served by having someone else build your webpages. We at FindHow2.com hope we can then be of service to you. We know you will be impressed with the way we do business!