Again, these tips are applicable for promoting any type of home based business. If you have not built a website for your home based business, you are losing out. You need a website with your own domain, preferably with your business name. Don’t use one of the free services that require you include their name in your web address. Which one sounds more professional? www.scrapbooking.com or www.scrapbooking.geocities.com? I think you know the answer.
It’s easy to find places to register your domain name and get your own website. I use and recommend NameCheap.com. I have been their client for almost 2 years now, and I have no complaint about them. Fast customer service and great efficiency. A note though, stay away from RegisterFly.com. I fell for their cheap .info domains and got into a lot of trouble with them later on.
A note here about e-mail address: DO NOT use a free e-mail provider like yahoo or hotmail. Most web-savvy people know that these are free services and it makes you look unprofessional. The best is to use your email which comes together with your domain. These free service mailboxes are relatively small and can fill up quite quickly. This could cause customers to have their e-mails to you bounced back to them with a note that the mailbox is full. Again, it makes you look unprofessional. I love gmail which gives you a whooping 2GB webspace. Since gmail is a free email address, I usually redirect my business email address to gmail.
Next, you need a hosting account. I have used Hostgator for 2 years now and quite happy with their service thus far. They have very reasonable rates and great for someone who is just starting out.
As for designing your website, if you’re good with software programs, two of the most commonly used programs used in designing websites are Front Page from Microsoft and Dream Weaver. Both of these programs are relatively easy to use and they allow you to get really creative with graphics and fonts.
When you start advertising your web site, make sure it is up and completely running. If it isn’t ready yet and customers receive an “Under Construction” message, the chances of them re-visiting your site later are lower. Why take the chance? Don’t advertise your web site until you are fully ready to accommodate visitors.
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