Welcome to the Business Journal Archives
Search for articles below, or continue to the all new BusinessJournalDaily.com now.
Search
Six Easy Steps for Building a Successful Web Site
By Phil DunawayMIAMISBURG, Ohio -- Do you have dreams of working for yourself or improving your company's sales? Are you frustrated by all the hype about the Internet or think there's too much confusing information, so you've decided to forget about it? Ever think you don't know enough about the Internet to attempt to create a Web site to enhance your existing business or start a new business? If you've had these feelings, you can take comfort in knowing that it's not as difficult you may have thought. Would you like to know secrets that the "big boys" don't want you to know?Here are six steps you can follow: Quality Web sites are not complicated and don't take long to build. Keep it simple; don't add a lot of frills that can cost more money. Remember that communication with your Web site builder is key -- but it doesn't have to be in person. I've had several Web sites built, yet I've never met the builders. A couple of places to start are www.wwwhelper.com and www.HyperTracker.com.Picking a domain name is very simple and can be done in a matter of minutes. This site will help you find out if the name you've chosen is available and how to register the name for yourself or your company: http://cyberspaceregister.com.Next, you need someone host your Web site. This simply means that your site needs to exist somewhere in cyberspace. There are many companies that offer this service; examples include www.yahoo.com and www.wwkiosk.com/members/pdunaway.Now you need help with "traffic," which is Internet jargon for getting people to visit your Web site. This can turn into a maze of opportunities, so I'll keep it simple to start with. The following Web sites can provide information on auto-responders, ad-trackers and targeted leads and most importantly can be automated to save you time: www.trafficwave.net/ffa/pdunaway.html and http://monster-traffic.com.If you are running an existing business or planning a new business, marketing is essential. More than that, tracking your marketing will help assure that your efforts are paying off. A company that can help you do that is located at www.adminder.com/go.cgi id=pgdunaway.Finally, stick with it. All good things come with time. The above plan is not magic, because it relies solely on your determination and willingness to succeed.Visit the author's Web site: www.addbucks.comThis article is new this week in The Business Journal's small business how-to section. To see what else is new, click here or click on the "how-to" tab at the top of The Daily Business Journal Online home page."