Many have been talking about online business. It is the trend for youngster to spend their free time at home. Starting an online business, is like starting an offline business, we still need all the similar technique. From advertising, bnuilding relationship with customers, building trust, develop a long-terms plan and etc.

Malaysia Internet users has been raising every year since 2000. However, online business tend to move a bigger steps than offline because of the endless possibilities it has.

International targe audiences

You have no limit of your target audience. Depending your products/services. You can reach out to more than billions of online users.

Unlimited marketing ideas

With the idea of someone else, it created another door for you to promote your products/services online. Social media for example, those are the first online marketing tool when it comes to advertise or building relationship with customers. Youtube is even a storm when it comes to advertising.

Low start up capital

With a little as a few hundred ringgit, you can start off your online business. However, you need to have a strong idea that could generate lead. Don’t be misleaded with all the ebooks about how easy to become rich within a few clicks. Like any business, it still need some hardwork, time and planning.

Easy statistic analyzing

The good thing about Internet is that, they have all the statistic needed. From demographnic to pscyhographic. Google Analytics is a great tool for a website if you have one. It helps you to anaylze what needed in order to process to upgrade or customer behaviour on your “front store”

When you’re ready to appear online, the first thing you’ll do is to find a suitable or business domain name.

However, I have some experience on buying all the wrong domain before. The good thing is, there are market of domain name, you still able to sell it afterward, but it takes time. So here are some of my experience tells me.

Short and sweet domain name

But not too short! Short domain name is not visually appealing. One may ended up keep thinking, memorizing the 2 letters your domain is.

Memorable

It’s like a branding of your products. Try to avoid hypens or numbers. It is very easy to forget the hyphens when typing a name. If you insist of using number, use a commonly known number like “360″ or “365″ or “666″, at least it is easier to speak.

Easy to type and spell

When it comes to looking for an easy to type and spell name, we have to consider the name is generic or a brand name. For example, Apple.com is a generic; Dell.com is a brand name.

Related to your business or product

To boost your product and business, it is always a good choice to choose a name related or exact product name of your business. For instance, AhmadBurger.com, not only it is easy to remember, it helps boosting your branding too.

Unique

Not only the domain name should be unique, it should not be a trademark domain name. There is lawsuit over domain name trademark.

Beside thinking about the right domain name, the extention too is one thing you should consider about. Currently most popular top level domain are:

1. .COMmercial
2. .NETwork
3. .ORGanization
4. .EDUcation
5. .INFOrmation
6. .GOVerment
7. .BIZsiness

Chart listed top 30 domain extension being used in 2004:

What is your domain name?

You’ve made the decision to joined the World Wide Web. For some reason, you started to concern about the hosting package you are going to sign up. Most hosting companies like to recommend you a dedicate server, even though they know you’re not going to need such a huge specification. Some, may tell you, as a starter you need just a small share hosting.

I am not a hosting guy, but as I venture years onto the web and changing this host to that host, I do have some idea about the whole web server works.

Dedicated server

Privately owned this server. You bought the server CPU and place the server on some hosting company to the Internet Backbone. Paying few hundred per month for their backbone services.

You get to install whatever operating system you want, the overall resources usage and it is of course, at its best performance, always.

Virtual Private Server

You own the server, virtually. Some people are not too clear about VPS. Let me explain a little bit. Virtual Private Server, it is like a dedicate server to you, but virtually. In a dedicated server, they separated the system into a few OS equally, using VMWare or something similar. So you still get all the resources.

Most hosting company will install VMWare on their server and install different operating system, depending on their client needs, and send them the login info for a specific operating system.

Yes, you get to install whatever script you want, configurate the server and etc. In the end of the day, you’re actually sharing your server, like, share hosting. Performance is not as good as a dedicate server.

Reseller Hosting

Well, unless you want to sell your hosting account/space. Reseller hosting, which actually like a share hosting.

The different is that reseller hosting let you have a control panel where you, can create account/package for your client. Performance is under VPS of course. To tell the truth, a lot of amateur hosting company likes to buy a VPS and sell reseller and share hosting.

Share hosting

Obviously this is what most budget company or personal are looking for. However, those with too much space and bandwidth are normally comes in as an overselling tactic, which we should avoid.

Share hosting is fine within a limit of space and bandwidth, but too much will cause overusing of resources.

So come basic question, of most web newbies “What is a hosting? Server?” The answer is simple, it is the storage of your website. You need to rent/buy a storage that linked to the Internet Backbone with fast connection to the Internet, so visitors can easily check out your site all day long.

Cloud server hosting

One of the hottest topic between developers is the cloud hosting. One of the pioneer user of this system was none other than Google, so you can at least know how cloud computing helps in managing large resources.

It’s like putting a few computer together, and each computer taking care of one part. Not only does all the computer can work together and faster, it also help eliminate downtime. One computer down, another may take the responsible and your site will always be alive. Depend the whole system and resources a website may need. A large forum like Kaskus are hosted with cloud servers.

When beginner starts to use WordPress, they normally get confused. Instead, they will register an account in WordPress.com, which is different. Here I compiled a few most asked questions about WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

WordPress.com is free hosting, literally

Like most free web hosting do, they offer some limited resources. WordPress.com too, giving you a free space and system to run WordPress engine. But you will miss some resources like theme editor.

WordPress.com host only blog

Because WordPress.com limited your access to themes (unless, you subscribe for paid membership), you can edit the theme.

While some small business owner wanted to update their blog to become something useful to promote their business, unless you’re looking on blog-style, WordPress.com can’t give you the flexibilities.

WordPress.org is WordPress engine official website

Take it this way, WordPress.org is a corporate website, that offer you support on their product, WordPress engine. Story end.

WordPress engine was voted as one of the top CMS in 2009.

Coming up next, which hosting should you choose?

While I was working on a client’s business website. I would normally research a bit around the business and surf around the competitors’ websites, to get some idea of what page is needed.

Home page

Obviously this is one page that every website has. Home page or front page, is normally where most pages’ summaries lies. It is the first page visitor view and that is where your information and design going to bring them clicking around your pages.

About page

About page is where visitor will want to see after visiting your site. On this page, it should list a few answers like, who are behind the business, where and when did the business started, what the business do.

Contact page

Most business website has a contact page, but some are just show a big email address, where spammer starts working with the email address. This page should make visitor contact you easily, either on personal or enquiries. This page should have an address, a map to the office, phone number and a contact form.

Product page

A consumer or potential consumer need to know information about your products/services before decide for purchase. This page should list a thorough information about the product or service. From general time line to pricing. Nonetheless, how the product/service can help the consumer.

Portfolio page

A portfolio page is to showcase your business product or service. This is where most business will put a call-to-action button. Portfolio page is one of the best page to let potential consumer to know what your business did before and provide an easy access to contact form.

Some other pages

Some pages like testimonial, previous clients, why choose your business and etc is an added advantage for potential consumer to know how trusthworthy and how you can help them in details. Some business like a business consultant, need a great list of client to showcase who had hired it for their business need.

Conclusion

Depending your business field and need. However, not only the pages are needed, the design should be attractive and have a flow to make sure the visitor will surf around.

Coming up next, WordPress.com and WordPress.org

Where I come from is a small town, where most business owners are minding their own business instead of thinking to expand what they already have. They don’t believe a website can benefit them.

Due to the strategic location of this town (located beside Rejang river, one of the longest river of Malaysia), shipping become one of the top business in town. Recently a friend of mine who happen to work in a shipping corporate asked me this question “What is the need of a website for a company?“.

Here are what I have in mind about having a business website.

No more phone calling

More and more users are expecting all business to have their own website. A website that has all the basic information about the business and who runs it. A contact form or even an email address readily available for them to make any clarification without the need of calling or… Yellow pages.

24/7 running dog

A business website is always up and it can become your business running dog 24 hours a day 7 days a week without resting. With all the busy lifestyle people are leading to, potential business partners and users can learn about the business anytime anywhere.

Information that is up to date

Web site that runs under WordPress is easy to update. A website is an effective medium to communicate information with the users or potential business partners especially when there is update on events, schedule, promotions or services.

Showcases

A website can showcase whatever the business have done before, and essentially bring trust to the potential business partners or users. Whatever the business is, it should demostrate what the business do. Some business has a blog, which works better in showcasing the expertise in the field.

Cost effective advertising

In a way, a website is a cost effective advertising medium for a business. With a good SEO web ready, a business can be easily found from search engines, for a long as the website is live. It is potentially reach more than million of users and business partners around the globe.

Conclusion

A website that cost may be high for a business starters, however, it is good for a long run. However, in order to have a new traffic, a blog is too important to update the content of the business website.

Coming up next, 5 important pages for a business website