Small Business Advice & Resources
Starting and running a small business is no easy feat—it's a multifaceted venture
that requires you to wear many hats. But no one person can be great at everything:
marketing, design, bookkeeping, legal issues, competitive analysis, website development . . .
the list goes on. You need to focus on the aspects of your business that you do
well, and then let Web.com help your business succeed on the Web.
Along with our website, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, eCommerce, lead generation, and hosting products and services, we offer a number of resources that can help boost your knowledge and effectiveness in the online
arena: from the Internet marketing articles below to our blog that includes the latest industry trends, how-to scenarios, and the buzz of the moment.
We also offer a number of guides, white papers,
and reports. Just click on any of the documents below to download them.
Virtual Offices Open Doors of Opportunity
For start-up companies fighting to build a steady customer base, first impressions mean a lot. The quality and location of your office is a major consideration in that regard. That's why many firms are taking a different approach to office space today, eschewing long-term traditional leases in favor of "virtual offices." For a fraction of the cost required to set up and maintain a full-time office, entrepreneurs can use virtual offices to create a more professional image, enhance productivity, and even expand their business into new markets.
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Generating Content for a Customer-Focused Website
When you’re gathering information for the new website for your business—or when you’re planning content updates to keep your current site fresh and appealing—it’s important to focus on the needs and expectations of your customers to make their website visit an informed and productive one.
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How to Claim or Add Your Local Business Listing on Google Maps
If your business has been established in the same location for a while, then your local business listing probably exists on Google™ Maps, and you'll need to claim it (if you haven't done so already). If your business is relatively new or if you've recently relocated your business, then you probably need to add your business listing.
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5 Sources for Up-to-Date Online Marketing Information
Online marketing is one of the most dynamic forms of advertising in history. In the space of less than two decades, it has evolved and grown into a multibillion-dollar industry. It started with basic images and messaging and has morphed into a specialized discipline that continues to create wealth in a harsh economic climate.
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How to Attract New Clients and Get More Customers with Online Marketing Tactics
Want to know how to get more customers, without shelling out big money for a focus group or marketing campaign? Many small business owners only need a small percentage of new customers every month to go from a net loss to a net profit. Attracting new clients is not always an easy thing to do, but Web.com has some tips and tools that can help you generate more "foot traffic" and "click traffic," whether you're in the brick-and-mortar or online industry.
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Avoid Identity Theft, Online Fraud, and Scams
People who have been running small businesses since before the advent of websites and online marketing understand that fraud is nothing new. Before spammy email offers became the vogue, scammers used to mail and fax unsolicited offers to anyone who was on a list of small businesses obtained from the state licensing board. One popular email scam, which promised millions of dollars, was actually adapted from an offer previously sent through the mail.
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Getting Your Local Business Website Right
To compete in today’s marketplace, most local business owners have come to realize that having a website is a necessity rather than an option. And although the Yellow Pages directories still exist, the majority of people who are looking to find a local business are more likely to check the online version rather than wade through a printed copy. Once they’ve located a certain business listing, they expect to navigate to a company website to get more information about their products or services.
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Easy Internet Marketing for Small Businesses
The internet can serve as a great leveler between big businesses and small companies. Internet marketing does not have to cost a fortune and done correctly and consistently a small concern can get itself noticed online as easily as a huge corporation. Understanding what techniques work best though is essential for any internet marketing strategy to be successful.
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Choosing an Effective Domain Name for Your Business
Deciding on a domain name that's unique for your business and that helps your customers and prospects easily find you on the Internet is an important part of your online marketing strategy. Ideally, your domain name will reflect the core products or services of your business. And because many of the obvious domain names—such as www.ipodrepair.com—are already taken, some creative thinking may be called for.
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How to Handle Negative Publicity
However hard you try there is likely to come a time when your business attracts some negative publicity. How you choose to deal with this unwanted attention if and when it arises can make all the difference in how severely it impacts your company and its reputation in the end.
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Types of Internet Shoppers and How to Make Them Your Customers
More people than ever are shopping online and eCommerce is certainly a field many companies can benefit from getting involved with, no matter what product they sell. However, before you call in the web designers and start creating your website you need to recognize that not all internet shoppers are created alike and in order to be successful your eCommerce site needs to meet the needs of all of them.
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Helping Your Customers Find You
Business owners have a hunter's mentality. They make sales calls, send post cards,
and blast e-mail messages, all in pursuit of their most desired prey: new customers. These time-tested tools have served the
business hunter well. But times, they are a-changing. Now, when people are ready to buy, they morph into hunters, with their
tool of choice being Google's search engine. So it's vital for businesses to understand the importance of making it easy for
prospects to hunt them down in their pursuit of the products and services they desire. Here are a few easy ways to raise your
GQ (Google Quotient) and pass "The Google Test" given by prospective buyers on the prowl.
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E-mail: Say It in the Subject Line
I'm sure you've read USA Today. The front page has a column called "Newsline" that gives informative headlines of what's
happening around the world. You can read the headlines and get a snapshot of major stories. Wouldn't it be useful to read
the subject column of your inbox and get that same level of information?
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