Do you have these crucial online necessities in place? Times have changed. Here’s how to get your business into shape.
Dear entrepreneur/startup owner: if you don’t have an online presence, or at least a website, then you don’t exist!
Nowadays, the first thing I do when I need to call any business is to Google it. I don’t waste time calling information or asking around. If I ever need to buy from you and you don’t exist online, then you’ve lost me.
I can’t believe how many businesses still use Hotmail, Yahoo! and Gmail addresses. Come on! Those days are gone.
How can you get your business online in just a few steps, without spending a lot of money?
1- Decide on your domain name. Decide whether you want to have a .bh domain name (costs BD3/month, or simply ask your ISP if it can be obtained free of charge) or a .com, .biz, or any other related domain for your business. In any case, ensure that the chosen name reflects your type of business, and that it accurately represents you online. If you own a business called Hasan’s Wigs, don’t get a name like www.hasanswigsarecool.ly. That wouldn’t make much sense.
2- Get the domain name(s). Now purchase the actual domain names, provided they’re available. You can get the names from online domain registrars (companies who sell domain names), such as GoDaddy. A word of advice: get all of the domain names available, i.e., yourbusiness.com, yourbusiness.biz, yourbusiness.me, etc. The cost of domain names is quite cheap, so if you can afford few more bucks, it’s worth it.
Hint: go to www.retailmenot.com and check to see if your domain registrar provides online discount coupons through this website. You can save few bucks. This works for all online sites, by the way.
3- Decide where to host your website. Most domain registrars offer web space and e-mail services along with many other features. It’s your choice whether you want to host your site with them, or look for other webhosting providers. In either case, you might need to do a few configurations online. These are easy to follow, and if you get stuck, do ask for help from a geek friend—or simply Google it.
4- Start building. Now you are ready to build your website. As a startup, you might not want to spend a lot of money on very expensive designers. Look around for small companies or freelancers who could build a proper website.
5- Get proper e-mail IDs. Back to the subject of e-mails. Now that you have your own domain, you can start using e-mail IDs with the same domain name. You could set up e-mail IDs for sales, marketing, customer service, etc. You can also make use of e-mail aliases (e-mail IDs that will all be linked to one inbox). It all depends on how you plan to structure your business.
The above steps are very basic for getting your business online; however, a business owner needs to take a holistic view of their online presence, and have more than just a website with a few links. Nowadays, websites are sophisticated, and they can be your first touch point with customers. Having an overall online strategy is crucial to clear objectives and proper engagement with the customer. Don’t underestimate the power of your online presence.
