Choosing Web Hosting For Your Business
Almost every business can be enhanced with a website -
even if you only operate in a small area. Most Internet
Service Providers include web space with your subscription
but if yours doesn't there are many free sites out on the
internet you can use. Your choice of company will be
affected by the geographical area you wish to attract. If
you are aiming at a UK audience you will want a UK domain (a
web address ending in co.uk), if you are aiming at an
American or worldwide audience you will be better with a US
domain - e.g.www.abc.com .
Below I have listed a selection of companies providing
web hosting for business use. Please note
that many free web sites are for non-commercial purposes
only. Most of the UK sites, excluding Tripod (now Lycos), require you to
sign up for their free internet access. You will need to
access the site monthly to keep it active, but do not need
to use the company as your provider unless you wish to.
Click here for
recommended books for creating your own website.
For details of free ways of guaranteeing visitors to your site, visit our traffic page
For details of free and nearly free ways of getting referrals or promoting any online business, visit our downline page
Creating a website isn't as daunting a process as it used to be. Many companies
now provide you with templates to create professional looking sites in minutes. Some packages,
most notably Site Build It! are comprehensive packages including literally everything you
will need for running a profitable, successful business.
Alternatively, get an expert to create a site for you. Visit the
Site Build It!
Certified Webmaster Directory to find a Webmaster with a history of success
to build a professional and popular SBI! Web site for you. Site Build It!
Certified Webmasters have all built successful SBI! sites and have all
met a strict set of qualifications set by SiteSell.
The quality of their work is monitored to make sure they provide consistently
high-quality service and high-performing sites.
Not sure how a web site will benefit you?
Take a look through the following
articles, for the one that matches your existing business or business idea:
Network Marketing
Online Auctions
A local business with local clients
Selling Your Services
Intermediary - Earn finders' fees on clients you introduce
Affiliate Marketing - Earn commission on leads and sales for other web sites
Retailers - physical product sales
E-goods - if you can download it you can sell it online.
Sales and Rental
- property, equipment, services etc.
Or read the following case studies as told directly by small business
people from around the globe -- people who "took a chance" and then realized...
Their worlds had changed just by creating a website, and with no previous experience.
If you are based in the UK, please click here for the UK site.
RECOMMENDED WEB HOSTING PACKAGES
One of my favourite web hosting companies is PowWeb . They've been around since
1999 and regularly win awards for their products, reliability
and customer service. Despite being incredibly cheap, from just $5.77 a month,
it offers all the features you'll need including load balanced hosting
to virtually eliminate downtime. Host Unlimited Domains FREE when you purchase with PowWeb!!!
 .
FREE 2 Years Domain Registration when you purchase two years of hosting!
I've recently purchased a couple of packages from Lycos Webcentre and they are definitely
high on my list of recommendations. They offer a wide range of packages for all
needs, including free hosting in the first year if you're just starting out and only need a basic package.
All but the most basic packages also include a CD-Rom of software including
NetObjects Fusion, Adobe Photoshop Album, and Kaspersky Anti-Virus, and a voucher for advertising with Google as well as "1-click" tools for enhancing your
site and all the usual services.
Site Build It!
Without doubt, this is THE web hosting package - the only all-in-one site-building,
site-hosting, and site-marketing product - with the results to prove it.
Not only do you get all the usual web hosting facilities that you'd expect from the best
hosts eg unlimited hosting, unlimited data transfer, unlimited e-mail accounts, e-mail and telephone
support etc. etc. you also receive dozens of other features including:
- Point and click page building
- Page templates
- Customized 404 page
- Access Statistics
- Tracker Links
- Click Tracking and Analysis
- Unlimited Custom Form Creation Tool
- Database storage for managing, searching and reporting of form data
- Unlimited Single and Multiple Sequential Autoresponders
- E-commerce - Catalog & Shopping cart and Credit Card Processing
- Affiliate Program
- Blogging
- PERL/CGI, PHP or ASP support No tech in SBI!
- Submission and Auto Re-submission to Search Engines
- Search Engine Listing and Ranking Reports
- Pay-Per-Click Mass Bidding
- Keyword Research and Brainstorm tools
- Graphic Logo Creator & Editor
- E-mail Marketing List Builder/Distribution
- E-zine Publishing Tool including Spam Check and Open Rate Stats
- Link Exchange
No other package comes close. Just take a look at a comparison chart here
And if you're still not convinced, take a look at a selection of sites created
with this package, paying particular attention to the traffic rankings each site has achieved.
FREE WEB
SITES
If your ISP doesn't provide a website for business use,
click on the links below to check out some of the best free
sites for business use.
Tripod -
20MB available for personal or business use. Join the
appropriate community for your site and gain extra publicity.
If you already have a website hosted elsewhere, you can
transfer your site in only 3 clicks, from any external hosting provider
into your Tripod account. You just have to enter a few details about
your current hosting account and that’s it! National Tripod sites are also available for
several countries in Europe and Central/South America
Bravenet - In addition to free websites,
get yourself counters, guestbooks, search engines, webrings,
password protection, chatroom, ads, FFA site and loads more
utilities - ALL FREE
For a fuller list and more information go to
http://www.homebusinessuk.co.uk/websales.htm
Whilst you can get your site up and running totally free
(excluding your own time and telephone costs) I would
thoroughly recommend you buy two things:
1. Get your own domain name. Most companies will allow
you to divert the address to your free site, usually at no
charge so this will cost you no more than a few dollars including registration
fees. Check the small print though as some companies have
conditions over transferring the name when you are ready to
pay to host your site.
2. Download probably the most
important manual you will never buy - yes, this guide is now completely FREE. Called "Make Your Site
Sell" you get 1500 pages crammed full of information on
everything you'll need to know to make a success of your
website, including a huge section on driving traffic to your
site, written by somebody from his experiences not from
theory.
Go to
http://myss.sitesell.com/websuccessstory.html
to download your free copy.
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