internet basics for small businesses and organizations
DESCRIPTION
A primer for anyone looking to increase their web presence - from what is the internet to getting started with your own website.TRANSCRIPT
Internet Basics for Small Businesses and
Organizations
Wearhouse GrilleJune 14, 2011
Housekeeping!Cell phones on silent please! Thanks to
Regina & Wearhouse Grille!
First, some numbers for
you…
US Population 311,000,000
21%
Daily Searches
46%
20%
Daily Searches
20% =
600,000,000
What we’ll cover today• What is the “internet”?• Why small businesses need an
internet presence• The components of a website• What’s important (and what isn’t) on
a business website• How you can get started
What else?
•The truth about “free” websites
•What is still free to help promote your business
•What your e-mail address says about you
About me & dsm-llc
•Yes, I have an accent•Small business•Sales and marketing for over 20 years
•dsm-llc established 2009
More about dsm-llc…
Enough about me!
So…what is the internet?• Technical answer “The Internet is a
global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide.” 0’s and 1’s
• Started as a US Army project in the 1960’s
• World Wide Web (WWW) is a “layer” on top of the Internet, invented in 1989
Source: Wikipedia 06/02/2011
Non-technical answer• The Internet allows computer users
to remotely access other computers and information stores easily, wherever they may be across the world.
• This had led to low cost and nearly instantaneous sharing of ideas, knowledge, and skills
Why this is important to businesses and organizations
The internet has:– Replaced directories (Yellow pages,
Thomas’, etc)– Killed off printed newspapers– Allowed people to watch TV on their own
schedule without ads– Removed the requirement to shop in a
“real” store– Replaced encyclopedias
What about small businesses?
They need a web presence because:– Their bigger competitors have a web
presence– They are “invisible” without it– There’s a generation of people coming
through (Gen Y) who default to the web – if you don’t have a professional looking website, they are going to dismiss you
The components of a website
Domain registration and site set-up
Web site design
Ongoing monitoring / maintenance
The components of a website
Domain registration and site set-up
Web site design
Ongoing monitoring / maintenance
Domain registration and set-up
• Pick a domain name (a whole other topic!)
• All domains are “hosted” somewhere• Domains are “rented” not purchased –
you are paying to turn your domain name into computer code and vice versa
• These are recurring costs for as long as you have the website
Costs for domain registration
•A standard (non-ecommerce) site costs between $10-15/month for hosting
•An ecommerce site (online store) costs between $30-50/month for hosting (plus some hosts charge transaction fees)
Costs for domain registration
•Most hosting packages include registering one domain name and e-mail
•If you need to hire someone to do this for you figure on spending $150-200
What about free websites?
•Beware – you often get what you pay for!
•Free often means that the cost is rolled into other fees
What about free websites?
•Free also often means that your site will host ads for your competitors alongside your own content
•Free almost always means stripped down with minimal support
Is anything free?
Yes!
The components of a website
Domain registration and site set-up
Web site design
Ongoing monitoring / maintenance
Website design
Look and “Feel” of
siteSimple is best!
Reflect “spirit” of company
You’ll probably hire someone to do this*
Content
This is something YOU supply
Content is massaged for SEO purposes
What is needed on your site #1
•Company name – in text•Company address – in text•Company phone number – in text
What is needed on your site #2
•A succinct description of what you do / what services you provide
•Your USP – Unique Selling Point
What is needed on your site #3
•Stuff that’s of interest to your prospective clients – not you!
What isn’t needed…
•Lots of bells and whistles!•Flashing lights, moving text, self starting movies, etc.
What isn’t needed…
•Pictures without text captions or “ALT” tags
•One loooonnng list of products and services
The components of a website
Domain registration and site set-up
Web site design
Ongoing monitoring / maintenance
Site monitoring and maintenance
•The big unknown!
- Changes- Additions - Deletions
- Optimization- Analytics- Advertising
Advertising?
•Not the “good old days!”•4-6 months before your site appears “organically”
•PPC advertising “jump starts” traffic to your site
Why you want to be on the first page
•75% of users never scroll past the first page
•70% of clicks are on the organic listings
•Top three results get 60% of all the clicks
How to get started #1
•Being here today is your first big step
•Start thinking about domain names
How to get started #2
•Start collecting “content”
• Think about your USP
Think about what you want to get out of your website.
Provide contact info for customers and potential customers
Provide product / service information for customers and potential customers
Attract new customers
Incr
easing
difficu
lty
Incr
easing R
OI
Rule the Local Search!
And if you are not going to all this
yourself – hire someone!
Feedback please!
Before I forget….• Imagine you get a proposal from a
company you want to spend money with
• The proposal comes from:– [email protected]– [email protected]– [email protected]
• Who are you going to give the business to?
