These days, everyone uses Google (and other search engines) to find everything from restaurants to music and videos. In fact, there could be someone using Google to find a business like yours while you are reading this. However, search engines cannot list your business if it isn’t online. That means you need to create a web page.
The internet enables you to sell your products or services to customers anywhere in the world.
When someone starts a business, among the first things they do is think of a name for it. They might then get an:
- Office or shop
- Phone
- Internet connection
They might ask a friend to design a logo and print business cards. They would then register their business with the government and tax authorities.
A web page is the online equivalent of a business card. Since it is online, your web page will be picked up by a search engine and included in the search engine’s results.
So, when people search for your business by name or product, your business web page will appear in their search results. This enables customers to find your business easily.
But, how do you take your business online?
The Online Starter Bundle
To make it very easy to get online, GoDaddy has created the Online Starter Bundle. So, what do you get with this all-in-one small business kit?
Web page
GoDaddy creates a nice web page for you, which is searchable on the internet.
By following simple on-screen instructions, you can have a web page in under five minutes.
You do not need any technical skills to use the Online Starter Bundle — just point, click and type.
Domain name
Just as the popular internet retailer Flipkart uses Flipkart.com for their website domain, you too will need a domain name for your web page.
Once you choose a name using the simple domain search box, GoDaddy will register it for you. You may choose the .in or .co.in extension — this is the part after the dot in your domain name. Both show the world you’re located in India, increasing your credibility among Indian shoppers.
Business email ID
With the Online Starter Bundle, GoDaddy automatically creates a professional-looking email ID for you. The email account:
- Contains the domain name you’ve chosen
- Includes 10 GB email storage, which is enough for most small businesses
- Will work across both phone and desktop
- Is secure and spam-free
Hosting is included in Online Starter Bundle, which means your web page and all your emails are available anytime of day or night. There are no extra hosting charges.
Don’t worry if you lack the know-how or skill to register a website domain and create a web page.
GoDaddy does all the work for you. The service is highly affordable for every business: it costs just Rs 69 a month, which works out to less than Rs 3 a day!
In case you have questions, you can reach out to GoDaddy’s support team, which is available 24x7. GoDaddy experts in India provide help in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and English.
Tips on choosing a domain name
Photo: Nicholas Murawski on Unsplash
Just as you have a postal address to help people identify your home or office, you need to have a domain name so that people can identify your business web page on the internet. A domain name is the online identity for your website.
You’ll need your own domain name like Ravicarpets.in or Milindsmasalas.co.in.
A few things to keep in mind when choosing a domain name:
- Keep it simple so people will be able to remember it
- Avoid dashes and numbers
- Spaces are not allowed in a domain name. Neither are characters like the apostrophe
For more tips on choosing a strong domain for your business, read this post.
The power of a professional email ID
Almost everyone has a personal email address today. There are free email services such as Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Yahoo! Mail and others. So why bother paying for an email address? You could just set up a separate Gmail address for business correspondence.
Yes, you could use Gmail, but it isn’t the right approach for business.
It would be a disadvantage for the following reasons:
Your emails might end up in the Spam folder
Email addresses that include @gmail.com or @yahoo.com do not look professional or legitimate. The first impression recipients get is that this could be a fly-by-night operator.
Important messages could end up in the Junk folder
Emails from personal email IDs sometimes end up in the Spam or Junk mail folders of the recipients. Spam filters are programmed to look out for emails from marketers who use free email services.
Storage space is limited
Free email services offer limited storage space for email, which may not be enough for even a small business.
Consider not using Gmail or Yahoo! email address for business correspondence. Instead, get a more professional sounding email address like ceo@ravicarpets.in or Milind@milindsmasala.co.in.
Observe the following aspects in these two email addresses:
- They reflect the name and nature of the business (Ravi Carpets, Milind’s Masalas)
- The name or designation of the person comes before the @ sign. This establishes credibility and makes your business look genuine.
With an email address like ceo@ravicarpets.in one can assume that the web page for this business is www.ravicarpets.in. So, that’s another way for customers to find your business web page.
In summary: create a web page for low cost
The GoDaddy Online Starter Bundle is a one-stop solution for a fraction of the total cost. If you had to avail each of these services separately, it would cost a lot more.
You can do this in less than five minutes and for less than Rs 3 a day.
This bundle makes sense for micro, small and medium business owners who want to establish an online presence at a very affordable cost, quickly. It is a simple, low-cost way to create a web page with no technical skills. Give it a try!
