Your Domain Name
If you’ve thought about having a website, you’ve probably thought about your “domain name.” Maybe you aren’t sure if it’s available. Or maybe you aren’t sure what’s the best name for your website. Or maybe the name you want is not available anymore.

The following guidelines will help you select a name:

• Try to get a “dot-com” extension if you can, although the new “dot-biz” extension will become more widely used over time. If your “dot-com” name is taken, chances are good that it is still available as “dot-biz.”
• Your name should reflect your business name as closely as possible.
• Shorter is better. This website would have been www.spinster.com if that name had still been available.
• Goto www.netsol.com to find out what names are still available.
• You can reserve your domain name at www.netsol.com, or you can wait until you select your internet service provider.

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Your Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Selecting an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is simply a matter of preference, and it’s fairly hard to go wrong. If you already pay for an e-mail account, chances are that your e-mail company also provides web hosting. Call around, shop around, and look for the following features:

• Basic web hosting will cost around $30 per month (or less!)
• E-mail boxes—this is different from an e-mail “account.” Most major ISPs will offer you e-mail “boxes” with your website. How this works is that you can select an e-mail address with your domain name (for example: jane@domainname.com), and e-mail to that address will be forwarded to any e-mail account you select (for example, a free account with yahoo!).
• Web statistics. You will want to monitor how much “traffic” your site receives, which pages are most visited, etc. Your web hosting package should include this feature.
• Domain name registry. If you haven’t registered your domain name already, many ISPs will register it for you at discounted prices.
• FTP access to your account. Whether you hire Spinster Marketing for your web design or not, most web designers will want FTP access to upload your site.

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Develop Your Site’s Content
A good website is more than a brochure for your company. It should be extremely informative for your current customers, potential customers, and business partners.

Think of your website as a way to save people a phone call. What is the first thing people ask about your firm?

• What kind of work do you do?
• Do you do work this small?
• Do you do work this big?
• Do you do work in XYZ area?
• How do I get to your office?
• What’s your e-mail address?
• What’s your fax number?
• What are your professional affiliations?

One question is always left unspoken—how do I know if you’re any good? A website is an easy way to establish your credibility and demonstrate your work. By making your website informative—not just about your company but about your entire industry—you demonstrate your firm’s knowledge, experience, and capabilities.

You web designer should be willing to help you evaluate and refine the content for your site, but the bulk of the material needs to come from you. Every photo needs a caption. Every page needs a written introduction. Spend some time thinking about what you want to convey about your firm. Great websites are great because of their content, not their design.

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Hire Your Web Designer
Finding a great web designer is easy because the entire World Wide Web serves as a giant web design portfolio. Most web design firms identify themselves somewhere on each web page (usually at the bottom). Spend some time looking at sites you like. Call your friends and business partners for references. Look in the phonebook—all web design firms have their own website to showcase their talents.

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And Last But Not Least…Promote that Website!
You didn’t just pay all that money to have nobody see your site. Be sure to put your web address on your letterhead, business cards, and company brochure. Send a flyer to your current and past customers asking them to take a look. Make sure your receptionist promotes your site when people call with questions. And be sure to update your site periodically so visitors have something new to see.

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