Developing Your Business Online Steven Northam The University of Winchester Enterprise Conference 2008
Jan 14, 2015
Developing Your Business Online
Steven Northam
The University of Winchester Enterprise Conference 2008
What are we going to do?
• Provide a rough guide to online business and how to get your own business online…(not too technical I hope!)
• 55mins session – I will ramble on for 35-40mins
• Feel free to shout out and ask questions as we go!
• 15mins at the end for a chat/questions etc
• Feedback forms
Online Business
• So much could be said on this…
• Still big business! .com boom and bust is long gone – “Web 2.0” driving new ideas and business forward
• Currently a good time for new and unique start-ups – still room for new business models
Advantages & Disadvantages
• Low start-up cost• Relatively simple• Run business from
anywhere
• Low entry barriers – competition
• Business models easily copied (YouTube, Facebook)
Does my business fit online?
• Irrespective of your business and its market, a Web presence is almost always a good thing!
• Some businesses fit easier than others
• Your examples? Ideas?
How do I get my business online?
4 main steps to getting your business online..
1. Domain Names2. Web Hosting
3. Website Development4. Running a Website
Finally how to make it a success ?
Domain Names
• www.I Am A Domain Name.co.uk
• Check domain name before even considering registering with Companies House
• Ensure you register the Domain Name you want (if its available!)
• Consider registering .com, .co.uk, .net and alike too!
How? Where? Costs?
• Check to see if you Domain Name is free
• Multitude of providers for Domain Name registration and management, a couple..
• http://www.123-reg.co.uk/• http://www.oneandone.co.uk
Roughly £3 per year for .co.ukDomain Names, others can vary,.com is expensive.
Web Design and Development
• Building your website – massive topic!
• Make sure its done correctly and its done well
• Crap looking sites reflect on your business
• Many different styles and approaches possible
• http://www.sjnstudios.co.uk• http://
www.thestudentscene.co.uk
How? Where? Costs?
• Can be costly – but worth the money if the site is impressive, don’t cut corners
• “I can make a webpage for you with Dreamweaver” – watch out!
• Hugely variable costing, large number of “Web Design Companies” available to pick from
• Research and consult honest experts
Web Hosting• The place your website
“lives” so it is available online for the world to see and use
• Type of host you require depends on size of site, visitor numbers and the services you want to run
• Shared hosting is very common for small sites
SN Technologies Limited Web Servers
How? Where? Costs?
• Very wide range of providers available
• Wide range of costs, packages, deals etc
• If inexperienced opt for a package including consultation and support (more expensive)
• Talk to an expert to get an idea of your needs
Services• Huge range of options
for services you can run on your website
• E-commerce systems• Content Management
Systems (CMS)• Community Systems• Multimedia, Video,
Photo sharing/uploads
Other considerations
• Legal – Data Protection, Trading Laws
• Global Market• Time management• Growth• Diversification Scope• Exit Strategy
Running the website
• Its quite simple really• Being up to date is a
priority • Links to other systems
– e-commerce• Larger the site gets the
more people required to “run” it
Security, Backup & Reliability
• Important considerations often overlooked
• Security – online money transactions
• Disasters often happen – problems can be minimised
• Backups & Mirrors • Reliability – Slow website?
Not available? Down time?
SN Technologies Limited Live Server Mirrors & Development Systems
• Costs get very high – both hardware and running costs
• Expert management required
• Lots of “techy” things which I cant cover today!
When you out grow your host..
Making it a success
• That’s really up to you..• Many classical business
aspects apply• Use of new technologies
– Social Networking, Blogs, Streaming Media, Viral Marketing
• Keep your site up to date• Make it dynamic rather
than static
Questions
Was this useful ?
• Please complete the feedback forms and leave them with me as you go
• This presentation will be posted on the Learning Network
• Contact me: [email protected]• Video of this session (and this mornings talk)
will be available via my blog site: http://www.stevennortham.me.uk