CHAPTER SUMMARIES
Why Bother With The Web?
Many owners don’t have websites for their businesses because no-one has ever explained to them why they should bother, what sort of web presence they should have, or how it is going to help their business make money. In this chapter, we’ll look at the why, the what and the how, but it all adds up to one thing - to help your business make money!
Website Addresses
Choosing the website address for your business is crucial, as the difference between a good address and a bad address can be the difference between having a site that works and a site that doesn’t. So what website address should you choose? Do you choose a .com or .com.au address? What if the address you want is taken? We’ll answer all of these questions and more in this chapter.
Choosing a Developer
Nearly anyone can build a website, but before you let a professional developer, a graphic designer, an advertising agency, a friend or family member, or even a valued customer create your online presence, make sure they have not only the technical know-how, but their head around the most crucial element – how your site is going to help your business grow! In this chapter, we’ll look at the pros and cons of the various people who can help you get online.
Design and Layout
The possibilities when it comes to designing and laying out your website are pretty much endless. Navigation, page headings, colours, fonts, images, page size, contact details, photos, backgrounds, animations and more are all variable and can be used to make your slice of cyberspace unique. But beware of the common pitfalls when you are putting your site together!
Search Engines
Is your site going to come up in Google? If it doesn’t, have you wasted your money? Should you pay to have its ranking improved? What are the basics of how a search engine works? These questions and more will be answered in this chapter when we look at the amazing world of search engines.
Statistics
Never before has an advertising medium been so accountable. Your business’ website is far and away the most accountable medium you can have at your disposal, and in this chapter we’ll look at some of the different stats that your website can tell you about how it is performing and how you can make sure it works to help you make money
Online Communities
One aspect of internet marketing has evolved and expanded dramatically since I started typing out my thoughts - the emergence of online communities, in particular MySpace, which is currently the most influential. These are, in their most basic form, sites where individuals and businesses can set up profiles featuring online diaries (blogs), guestbooks, photo albums, video clips and links to other user's profiles.