So you want to get your business on the web. Where do you begin? This guide will walk you through what you need to do to set up your business web site. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to give us a call.

Step 1. Find an ISP

The first step of your journey is to find an ISP (Internet Service Provider) where you can access the Internet via a phone line, or a high-speed connection such as DSL or cable. If you don't already have an Internet account, you need to set one up. This will give you dial-up access to the Web, Email, and that ever-important feature, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), which is usually required if you want to make your own changes to your web site. Amicron has dialup service plans starting at $13.95 per month. Click here for more information on Amicron's connectivity solutions.

Step 2. Register Your Domain Name

Now that you have an account, the next thing to do is register your Domain Name. This is the name your customers will use to access your web site and to send you Email. Our Domain Name, for example, is amicron.com. Our web site is located at www.amicron.com, and people send email to us at info@amicron.com. You can choose any Domain Name, so long as it isn't already taken. If you want your web site to be taken seriously, you need to register your name. Name registration normally costs $35 per year. Amicron can offer it to you for $24 per year. Click here for more information on registering a domain name.

Step 3. Have Your ISP "Host" Your Site

Now that you have an account with an ISP and your own Domain Name, you have to pay extra to have your ISP "host" your web site. This means that they will take a certain amount of space on one of their Internet servers and put your web pages there for the rest of the world to see. ISPs usually charge from $20 to $35 per month. Amicron charges $199 per year. Click here for more information on Web hosting.

Step 4. Have Your Site Built For You

The next step is to have your actual web pages designed and uploaded to your web site. Your web pages should describe your business, show your products and services, and give information on how to contact you for more information. This is something you can do yourself, or for a low fee we can design them for you. Click here for more information on Amicron's Web Design services.

Step 5. Learn About The Internet

Now that you have an actual web site, and you have access to the Internet, you should take some time to actually learn how to use the web, send Email, and browse newsgroups. This will make you a more efficient Internet denizen, and help your business through your increased familiarity with Internet topics and usage. We highly recommend our Internet Basics class, which is part of our Windows & Office Learning Foundations Course (or you can take it seperately). Click here for more information on Amicron's training courses.

Step 6. Have Your Site Maintained Properly

Your web site is now online, and people are viewing information on your products and services. Now, you need to be able to have the information on your web site updated in a timely fashion. You need to update your pricing each month, update your current events, and make changes here and there. Don't have time to do this yourself? For a small monthly fee we will take care of these small updates and changes for you. Click here for more information on Amicron's Web Maintenance plans.

Step 7. Learn How To Modify Your Site

If you want to be able to make your own changes, or design your web site yourself, sign up for one of our Web Page Developer Courses. If you can use Microsoft Word, you can build and maintain a basic web site. Click here for more information on our course.

Step 8. Advertise Your Site

The last step in developing a successful web site is to advertise your site in as many places as possible. When Amicron develops a site, we will list it free of charge with a few of the larger search engines, like Yahoo! For a small fee, we'll sit down with you, discuss various forms of alternative advertising, and show you how to increase your web site's traffic.

What Else Should I Know?

You can, of course, pick and choose which services you are interested in. Already have a web page and just need someone to maintain it for you? Need someone to expand your existing web site? Or, do you need an entire site built from the ground up? We can custom-tailor a service package to suit your business needs. If you have any questions regarding any of this information, please feel free to give us a call.

We can also set up an e-commerce site for your business. We have online shopping resources available to quickly and easily setup an online “shopping cart” for your products and services. If you’d like to know more, please call and ask to speak with one of our Web consultants.