5 Steps For Getting Your Business Online

5 Basic Steps to Getting Your Business Online

Getting your business online in a credible manner is important. Here are our top five tips when starting out online.

Have a Professional Domain

Don’t send emails from Iworkoutofmybasement@gmail.com. A domain name costs less than $12 per year and some come with email for free. A personal or non-company email address can look unprofessional.
Start by registering your domain name at a registrar like GoDaddy, Bluehost, or Google. Try to choose something short that people won’t mind typing when emailing you.

There are some cool new top level domains that are not .com’s. Examples would be .guru, .nyc, .solutions, and .photos. There are plenty to choose from and offer some customization when selecting your domain.

Create a Website

This may seem like a no-brainer but this is a blog post about getting online. How better than a new website?

If you already have a domain name (see above) then at least put a landing page out there. You can create a nice looking Wix page for free and have a professional online presence within a day.

When you are ready for something more robust, contact us. Until then, free is nice.

Create Your Social Profiles

You don’t have to post to every social media platform on a regular basis. In fact, we recommend picking one or two in the beginning so that you don’t get overwhelmed. For information about getting started on social media, check out our blog post, Getting Started with Social Media For Business.

You may want to lock up your business name even if you don’t intent to use the social media account yet. That stops anyone else from using the name. It also provides more continuity if your handle is the same across all social media platforms.

Plan Out a Brand Message

No matter the medium, large brands deliver the same message. Small businesses tend to fly by the seat of their pants. Whether you have a formal business plan or not, you have have a few basic questions answered.

“What am I selling?” – Not the product or service, but the benefit.

“Who am I selling it to?” – The type of person or business. Where are they? Why would they want what you have?

“What is my market position?” – Are you the low cost provider or the red-carpet luxury brand?

Whatever your message, develop two versions of one branding message and use it consistently.

First, write a short, two or three sentence summary of the business describing what you do. In this summary, also describe why someone would want to do business with you. Second, expand on that summary by being more specific and descriptive. Make the long company description two or three paragraphs long.

In any place that you intend to list your company, use one of these two descriptions. This will give your brand continuity across all online platforms that a person can find your business.

Get Listed in Online Directories

Online directories collect information about local businesses for people to find you online. They include well known websites like Yelp, Superpages, and Mapquest but also smaller ones like ShowMeLocal. Online citations are a big help when just starting out.

Unfortunately, most people have to go to each listing to fill in the information. Often times, the business listing is pulled from another service with incorrect information.

An easy way to check your listings is our free tool here.

For more information, feel free to contact us. We’re happy to help get you noticed online.