Putting together a webpage
The majority of clients expect to be able to find your company on the internet. Having a website is practically mandatory if you want to sell your items online or simply provide information about your company and contact information.
Before you start building a website, it's a good idea to consider what you want to accomplish with it. Examining the websites of your competitors might give you a good sense of what might work best for you.
There are four main steps to creating a website.
1. Get your domain name registered.
Your domain name should be relevant to your products or services so that buyers can quickly locate you on the internet. Customers may anticipate that your domain name will be similar to your company name.
Your email address will be based on your domain name. While a free email account like hotmail can be used, sending emails from a business address appears more professional.
You'll need to choose an authorised registrar and pay a fee to register your domain name. Accredited registrars are businesses that have been approved by auDA, Australia's domain name administrator, to provide services to consumers who want to register a new domain name, renew an existing one, or alter their domain name record.
More information about registering a domain name can be found here.
So that your domain name does not expire, keep track of when it has to be renewed. Allowing your domain name to expire exposes your company to cybercriminals. The Australian Cyber Security Centre has more information on the dangers of abandoned domain names.
2. Locate a web hosting service.
To get your domain name online, you'll need to select a web hosting business. Web hosting is available from the majority of major internet service providers. They may also be able to give you with a number of email addresses.
The cost of web hosting is determined by the size of your website and the number of visitors it receives each month.
3. Get your content ready
Consider what you want your visitors to be able to do when they visit your website. This will assist you in deciding which sections or pages to include. Consider what information or transactions your clients will require, and make sure the site is set up in such a way that users can easily access and complete the tasks they require.
You could want to engage a professional to write and structure your content, just as you might hire a professional to design your site.
A well-designed and user-friendly website will help your company stand out from the crowd. Customers will feel more comfortable buying from your company if you provide them with relevant and appropriate content and visuals.
4. Create a website
You can either build your own website or hire a web developer to do it for you. Websites must be updated on a regular basis, so make sure you budget for this.
You can create your own website with the help of a website publishing package. These are comparable to word processors, but they include built-in facilities for converting text and photos to web content and sending it to your website.
If you're new to online company, having someone else build your website is a good option. A competent web developer can help you build your site quickly and provide you advice on how to make it look good. Hiring a professional is especially beneficial if you plan to open an online store or provide other services through your website.
Your website must be designed to be accessible on smartphones and other mobile devices. By optimizing your website for mobile use, you can reach out to the growing number of individuals who use their phones and tablets to access the internet while on the go.
Create a website using these helpful hints
- Consider what your customers want to know rather than just what you want to say.
- You should enlist the assistance of professionals. Customers could be turned off by an unprofessional website.
- Regularly update your website, particularly if it contains pricing information.
- Ensure that your contact information is up to date and easy to locate for your consumers.
- Include a link to your website on your business cards and in your marketing material.
- Learn how to make it easier for search engines like Google to find your website. Search engine optimization (SEO) is what this is referred to as (SEO). SEO for your website can be handled by a web developer.
Promoting your company on the internet
When creating your marketing strategy, think about how you can promote your company online. This can be more cost-effective than traditional approaches such as newspaper or television advertising. It's also simple to assess the success of online promotions because data on response may be collected.
Online technologies can help you reach a more specific audience with personalized content, which can help you maintain long-term client connections.
Here are a few basic strategies to promote your business online:
- Using email to promote events, sales, new products, or services to your customers or other contacts. You might want to consider producing a newsletter for any business-related news.
- featuring banner advertising, which are displayed on other websites and link back to your site, similar to the ads you might see in a newspaper.
- Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, often known as'sponsored links' or'sponsored ads,' generates traffic to your website by displaying it when buyers input specific words into a search engine.
- interacting with clients using social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and photo sharing sites
- establishing a blog, which is a type of online diary that you may use to keep your clients informed about your company
- utilizing coupon websites or location-based marketing techniques
- Creating a mobile-friendly version of your website
- building or utilizing mobile apps
- managing client feedback and reviews on the internet
To advertise your business, learn about web marketing.
Online company has legal responsibilities.
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When conducting business online, you must adhere to legal requirements. These are in place to safeguard both you and your clients.
Privacy
Under the Privacy Act of 1988, if you collect contact and personal information from your consumers, you must inform them of what you are collecting. You must also make it clear how you intend to use their information.
Learn more about how to keep your personal information and privacy safe.
Intellectual property is something that belongs to you.
When conducting an internet business, you may run into concerns with intellectual property (IP), such as possible copyright and trademark infringements.
IP Australia is a government agency that issues patents, registers designs and trademarks, and protects intellectual property. When starting your internet business, it's a good idea to consult IP Australia to figure out your IP rights and responsibilities.
Spam
Electronic garbage mail is referred to as spam. It's used to send bulk unsolicited promotional emails to a huge number of email accounts or mobile phone numbers without regard for their recipients. It can be an expensive and irritating annoyance for your company.
Unsolicited commercial electronic messages are prohibited under the Spam Act of 2003. Make sure you follow these three guidelines to ensure your company stays legal:
- consent - in order to send messages to your contacts, you must have their permission.
- identify - you must give clear and precise information about your company, such as who is sending the message and how to contact them.
- unsubscribe - To allow receivers to opt out of receiving your messages, you must offer a 'unsubscribe' capability.
Transactions on the internet
There are no legal distinctions between electronic and non-electronic transactions (e.g. paying for something with cash). This means that transactions performed on your website are subject to the same laws as those done at a supermarket. Make sure you understand the laws established in the Fair Trading Act 1989 before you begin trading online (incorporating Australian Consumer Law).
Electronic or digital signatures can take the place of a handwritten signature, contracts can be made electronically, and you're legally allowed and required to keep records of transactions and other information, according to the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Cwlth) and the Electronic Transactions (Queensland) Act 2001.
Online security and fraud
Operating your company in a safe online environment will assist you in meeting your legal requirements to protect your clients' personal information.
Providing online security is also important for risk management and creating and retaining customer confidence and trust.
Online safety is important.
You must implement security measures to ensure that you and your employees are using the internet safely. Online security should be considered as part of your overall business strategy, particularly in terms of risk assessment.
Staying safe online can be as simple as following a few simple guidelines.
- To lessen the risk of obtaining viruses on your computer, install security software and update it on a regular basis.
- Turn on automatic updates to ensure that all of your software is up to date.
- Make your password strong and change it at least twice a year.
- Before you click on any links or attachments, take a moment to ponder.
- Before you reveal any personal or financial information about yourself, your friends, or your family, think again.
Data security
Strong, secure passwords will be required to protect your desktop PCs and portable gear (laptops, mobile phones, etc.). External hackers may be able to access your networks and corrupt or steal information if your data is not properly protected.
It is critical to back up your data. In the event of data loss, having a copy of your data in a second location will allow you to restore information quickly and easily. You should create policies for your company that outline how employees can protect data. These regulations can help you prevent data loss caused by employees sending essential files outside of the company via email, external drives, or laptops.
Find out more about ways to avoid data theft.
Scams on the internet
Scam and fake websites and emails are intended to deceive you into providing personal information such bank account numbers, passwords, and credit card numbers.
Phishing schemes, often known as phishing emails, can attack you and your employees. They're meant to trick consumers into handing over personal information that can later be utilized for criminal purposes like money transfers or online shopping.
Phishing scams are frequent, and it's critical that you and your team understand how to spot them. Emails from persons or businesses you don't know should raise red flags, especially if they offer a deal that seems too good to be true.
Banks will never request private information via email. If you're not sure whether an email is authentic, call your bank first. They'll also be interested in learning about phishing emails.
Another typical fraud is 'pharming,' which involves a hacker installing malicious software on your computer that directs you to a bogus website. For online identity theft or fraud, both phishing and pharming have been utilized. Personal information about victims could be used illegally to aid criminals or make online transactions.
On the Scamwatch website, you can learn more about internet scams.
Purchasing a new domain name
So that your domain name does not expire, keep track of when it has to be renewed. If you let your domain name expire, you risk losing control of your internet presence, exposing your company and customers to cybercriminals.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre has more information on the dangers of abandoned domain names.