developing your business online
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Part of the Enterprise Conference 2008 - The University of WinchesterTRANSCRIPT
Developing Your Business Online
Steven Northam
The University of Winchester Enterprise Conference 2008
What are we going to do?
• Provide a rough guide to online business and how to get your own business online…(not too technical I hope!)
• 55mins session – I will ramble on for 35-40mins
• Feel free to shout out and ask questions as we go!
• 15mins at the end for a chat/questions etc
• Feedback forms
Online Business
• So much could be said on this…
• Still big business! .com boom and bust is long gone – “Web 2.0” driving new ideas and business forward
• Currently a good time for new and unique start-ups – still room for new business models
Advantages & Disadvantages
• Low start-up cost• Relatively simple• Run business from
anywhere
• Low entry barriers – competition
• Business models easily copied (YouTube, Facebook)
Does my business fit online?
• Irrespective of your business and its market, a Web presence is almost always a good thing!
• Some businesses fit easier than others
• Your examples? Ideas?
How do I get my business online?
4 main steps to getting your business online..
1. Domain Names2. Web Hosting
3. Website Development4. Running a Website
Finally how to make it a success ?
Domain Names
• www.I Am A Domain Name.co.uk
• Check domain name before even considering registering with Companies House
• Ensure you register the Domain Name you want (if its available!)
• Consider registering .com, .co.uk, .net and alike too!
How? Where? Costs?
• Check to see if you Domain Name is free
• Multitude of providers for Domain Name registration and management, a couple..
• http://www.123-reg.co.uk/• http://www.oneandone.co.uk
Roughly £3 per year for .co.ukDomain Names, others can vary,.com is expensive.
Web Design and Development
• Building your website – massive topic!
• Make sure its done correctly and its done well
• Crap looking sites reflect on your business
• Many different styles and approaches possible
• http://www.sjnstudios.co.uk• http://
www.thestudentscene.co.uk
How? Where? Costs?
• Can be costly – but worth the money if the site is impressive, don’t cut corners
• “I can make a webpage for you with Dreamweaver” – watch out!
• Hugely variable costing, large number of “Web Design Companies” available to pick from
• Research and consult honest experts
Web Hosting• The place your website
“lives” so it is available online for the world to see and use
• Type of host you require depends on size of site, visitor numbers and the services you want to run
• Shared hosting is very common for small sites
SN Technologies Limited Web Servers
How? Where? Costs?
• Very wide range of providers available
• Wide range of costs, packages, deals etc
• If inexperienced opt for a package including consultation and support (more expensive)
• Talk to an expert to get an idea of your needs
Services• Huge range of options
for services you can run on your website
• E-commerce systems• Content Management
Systems (CMS)• Community Systems• Multimedia, Video,
Photo sharing/uploads
Other considerations
• Legal – Data Protection, Trading Laws
• Global Market• Time management• Growth• Diversification Scope• Exit Strategy
Running the website
• Its quite simple really• Being up to date is a
priority • Links to other systems
– e-commerce• Larger the site gets the
more people required to “run” it
Security, Backup & Reliability
• Important considerations often overlooked
• Security – online money transactions
• Disasters often happen – problems can be minimised
• Backups & Mirrors • Reliability – Slow website?
Not available? Down time?
SN Technologies Limited Live Server Mirrors & Development Systems
• Costs get very high – both hardware and running costs
• Expert management required
• Lots of “techy” things which I cant cover today!
When you out grow your host..
Making it a success
• That’s really up to you..• Many classical business
aspects apply• Use of new technologies
– Social Networking, Blogs, Streaming Media, Viral Marketing
• Keep your site up to date• Make it dynamic rather
than static
Questions
Was this useful ?
• Please complete the feedback forms and leave them with me as you go
• This presentation will be posted on the Learning Network
• Contact me: [email protected]• Video of this session (and this mornings talk)
will be available via my blog site: http://www.stevennortham.me.uk