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7
good reasons to have a website:
You
want to save money on your publicity material. You cannot afford the
initial outlay of brochures with all the incumbent design and manufacture
costs.
You
want people to access your information when they want it, not to have to
wait for the post, or for you to get back from holiday, and it's another
hassle for you to deal with.
Your
business ideas may change. Your web-site may evolve as you gain more
experience in your market, or you have newer pictures of your
products or holiday home. But your brochure is fixed.
Potential
customers may have heard of your reputation, but how do they find you?
Frequently they use the web, so you need to have a presence.
You
need new customers. The web can be used to advertise your activities and
services to potential clients. For many market sectors, such as holiday
accommodation, internet orders account for over 50% of the business and
growing.
You
want to sell products on-line, saving you the costs of premises, rent
& rates. You want a business to work from home that fits in with child
care or other commitments. You want to live abroad but already have a
business set up before you move.
You
like the idea!
Why
not just ignore it until you've got the funds:
A
website should be considered by all businesses as early as possible. Even
if you are still at business start-up, it may influence what your business
is called. Active web promotion is needed if you are looking for anything
other than a basic website, and this can be made easier by having the
right name- not that its impossible with any name, it's just that it could
save you money.
So
you've decided to have a specific name and just want to register it. But
please do consider that when you need to use it that the host can offer
you everything you need. Many companies can produce good looking sites,
but do not offer active promotion or cannot provide databases or are
unable to incorporate blogs. If you need to move your name it can be
difficult which can cost more money to resolve.
You
don't know where to start, it all sounds rather worrying. Yes, there are rogues,
but treat it exactly like you would with any other purchase. Read up on
the subject, some of the government organizations provide guidance on
their web-sites such as Yorkshire Forward, but don't get drawn straight
into using their recommended suppliers. Talk to several companies, obtain
several quotes, look at their service offerings, investigate their
expertise in marketing and technical delivery, talk to one of their
existing clients. The HTML Writers Guild website is another useful source,
companies agree to abide by specific rules.
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