Today, more and more business is being done on the Net, and to
stay successful, you've got to keep up with the trend. The days
of having a nice little shop and a listing in the yellow pages
are over. These days, having a professional web site is
essential to staying competitive.
Now don't panic, for many businesses, you don't need a big-
production web site. You may only want a small stop on the Net
where customers and prospects can find your basics: your list of
services and products, your rates, and your contact/order info.
Quite often, less is more in this market.
You may be thinking, "But I don't know the first thing about
setting up a web site! This is going to cost me a million
dollars!" Don't worry, you don't need big savings or Internet
savvy to set up a web site. There are several companies out
there that will do it for you for free!
One of the easiest online web site builder's is AOL Hometown's
1-2-3 Publish at:
http://hometown.aol.com/hmtwn123/index.htm.
You don't even have to be an AOL subscriber to use it.
Just choose the type of page you want to build, then type or
paste your info into the templates and you're done. This service
uses all the latest template design technology, and the resulting
sites look quite professional.
If you want to go even more high-tech, check into Netscape's
SiteCentral at:
http://www.netscape.com/sitecentral/index.html
In addition to the basics, this service offers headlines which
are automatically updated throughout the day, and a bar chart you
can customize to report your sales information.
Other fine instant site building programs can be found at
NBCi.com (slick looking), tripod.com (they've been perfecting
this for years), and homestead.com (the first of the template
site programs). All are free.
O.K., so now that you have your site, you're feeling confidant,
and you want to spice it up a bit with a new logo or some flashy
headings. Once again, you can pay a designer hundreds or get
what you want FREE from several excellent sites.
The leader in the do-it-yourself graphics field is http://zy.com
Zyris offers a basic graphics collection for only $8 a month
(most people only need a month's service). You can design logos,
buttons and banners online without any web designing knowledge at
all, and you can upgrade to their more extensive collection if
you need.
Spin Frenzy is another great site which allows you to instantly
design some very stylish graphics free.
http://graphics.spinfrenzy.com/html/index.html
A simple page can really be dressed up with just a logo and maybe
a slogan line. You can dress your page up even more by putting a
string of buttons down the side of your page.
Once you're familiar with the programs, you'll be surprised at
how many successful sites you'll see which were built with these
free services.
For really sophisticated graphics, go one step better with super
easy and low-cost graphic design programs. Xara.com has a small
program that creates outstanding headings and logos.
NetStudio.com has an easy-to-use program that puts out impressive
graphics and is priced at under $100.
You will be smart to get your DNS information from your host in
advance and include it with your online registration application.
Stop letting the Internet intimidate you. Anyone can have a
sharp, professional web site if they just know who to go to.
Take advantage of these simple and free (or at least super cheap)
web design services and watch your sales skyrocket.
About the Author
Kevin Nunley provides marketing advice, copywriting, and popular
promotion packages. See his 10,000 free marketing ideas at
http://DrNunley.com Reach Kevin at kevin@drnunley.com or
801-328-9006.