One of the great advantages of running a business over the Internet rather than on the Street is cost saving. Instead of paying for shop's rent and set up furniture and fixtures, you can buy a domain name, sign up with a hosting service, create some Web pages, and get started with an investment of only a few hundred dollars, or perhaps even less.
Internet-Based business does not require you to have a real place or large space to do your business. Most online business owners use a home office or a corner in a room where computers, books, and other business-related equipment reside.
Getting a Domain Name and Web Hosting
Although Internet-based business means that you do not need to have a real premise, you do have to set up a virtual premise for your online business. You do so by creating a Website and finding a company to host it.
In World Wide Web, your website is your business premise and the web host company is your landlord.
A Web host company is the company that will provide your business a space in the virtual world. Your web host company will charge a small monthly fee (anywhere from $4 - $10) to make your site available 24 hours a day by maintaining it on a special computer called a Web server.
In order to direct people to your business website, you will need to tell them your url (website address). So, in this case, your Domain Name is going to be the address of your website.
It may look something like: www.onlinebiz121.com
To own this Domain Name, you will have to register it. Once your domain name registered, no one else can use that name. And, in order to have your own domain name, you will have to pay a small fee. Normally, to register and maintain a domain name you will have to pay anywhere from $5 to $50 per year depending on type of the domain name and whatever the registering company wants to charge.
Get ready with your hardware and software
If you set up your business over the Internet, you do not need all these things:
Internet-Based business does not require you to have a real place or large space to do your business. Most online business owners use a home office or a corner in a room where computers, books, and other business-related equipment reside.
Getting a Domain Name and Web Hosting
Although Internet-based business means that you do not need to have a real premise, you do have to set up a virtual premise for your online business. You do so by creating a Website and finding a company to host it.
In World Wide Web, your website is your business premise and the web host company is your landlord.
A Web host company is the company that will provide your business a space in the virtual world. Your web host company will charge a small monthly fee (anywhere from $4 - $10) to make your site available 24 hours a day by maintaining it on a special computer called a Web server.
In order to direct people to your business website, you will need to tell them your url (website address). So, in this case, your Domain Name is going to be the address of your website.
It may look something like: www.onlinebiz121.com
To own this Domain Name, you will have to register it. Once your domain name registered, no one else can use that name. And, in order to have your own domain name, you will have to pay a small fee. Normally, to register and maintain a domain name you will have to pay anywhere from $5 to $50 per year depending on type of the domain name and whatever the registering company wants to charge.
Get ready with your hardware and software
If you set up your business over the Internet, you do not need all these things:
- Shelving
- A cash register
- A parking lot
- Fire protection systems
- A burglar alarm
. . . the list goes on and on
To start an Internet Marketing Business, your most important piece of equipment is your computer. Other hardware, such as scanners, modems, and monitors, are essential, too. You need to make sure that your computer equipment is as good as required because you are going to be spending a lot of time online: answering e-mail, checking orders, revising your Web site, and marketing your product.
For the most part, the programs you need in order to run a business online are the same as the software you use to surf the Internet.
However, you do need a wider variety of tools than you would use for simple information gathering.
Because you are going to be in the business of information providing now, as well as information gathering, you need programs such as the following:
FTP client
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a program that enables you to transfer digital files from your computer to your website. This program also allows you to edit and delete the existing files on your web server.
Here are few links where you can download FTP program:
SmartFTP
FTP Comander
CoreFTP
A Web page editor
These programs, which you may also hear called HTML editor, make it easy for you to format text, add images, and create your website theme without having to master HTML.
I use NVU for this purpose. It's free, and you can download NVU here...
Graphics software
If you decide to create your business Website yourself, rather than find someone to do it for you, you need a program that can help you draw or edit images that you want to include on your site.
There are many free graphics software made available online and few of them are: Gimp@www.gimp.org/ and Skencil @www.skencil.org/.
That's was it, for now. Starting Internet Marketing Business will continue.
To start an Internet Marketing Business, your most important piece of equipment is your computer. Other hardware, such as scanners, modems, and monitors, are essential, too. You need to make sure that your computer equipment is as good as required because you are going to be spending a lot of time online: answering e-mail, checking orders, revising your Web site, and marketing your product.
For the most part, the programs you need in order to run a business online are the same as the software you use to surf the Internet.
However, you do need a wider variety of tools than you would use for simple information gathering.
Because you are going to be in the business of information providing now, as well as information gathering, you need programs such as the following:
FTP client
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a program that enables you to transfer digital files from your computer to your website. This program also allows you to edit and delete the existing files on your web server.
Here are few links where you can download FTP program:
SmartFTP
FTP Comander
CoreFTP
A Web page editor
These programs, which you may also hear called HTML editor, make it easy for you to format text, add images, and create your website theme without having to master HTML.
I use NVU for this purpose. It's free, and you can download NVU here...
Graphics software
If you decide to create your business Website yourself, rather than find someone to do it for you, you need a program that can help you draw or edit images that you want to include on your site.
There are many free graphics software made available online and few of them are: Gimp@www.gimp.org/ and Skencil @www.skencil.org/.
That's was it, for now. Starting Internet Marketing Business will continue.
