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By Elizabeth Adams

There are many reasons why, each day, thousands of people are drawn to the idea of starting an online business:

* Existing business owners can increase their potential customers to include millions of internet users,

* Home-based entrepreneurs can cost-effectively advertise their products and services and build huge prospect lists, and

* All business owners can take advantage of online services that not only help to automate the sales process, but also develop lasting customer relations.

The complexity of starting an online business depends, to a large extent, on the degree to which off-the-shelf solutions are used to implement the sales process.

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By Lynn VanDyke

Browsing is reminiscent of the cruising teenagers used to do in there 1954 Chevrolets. Cruising the downtown street was an opportunity to visit favorite places, say hello to friends, get current information of interest and just enjoy the world in general.

Browsing, or cruising, the internet offers many of the same conventions while you sit in the driver’s seat at your computer. On the internet are your favorite sites, instant messaging and email for touching base with your friends, up-to-the minute information about any topic of interest and a way to access the whole world.

Once you decide to join the crowd and build a website, there are many important considerations that should go into your project. A webmaster can help you make sure the ‘drive’ is safe and enjoyable!

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By Ivana Katz

When faced with the daunting task of planning what to include on your website and how to write the copy, here are a few tips that will make the task easier for you.

1. Visitor Friendly

The main thing to keep in mind is that your website needs to be visitor friendly. What this means is that your customer must be able to find what they are looking for easily and quickly. And that means great navigational system. Most websites either display their navigation bar on the left or at the top. And since most people are used to this type of navigation, it’s best to stick with it. It also helps to include your navigation bar at the bottom of each page to save your visitors from having to scroll back to the top.

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By Janet Barclay, MVA

Although more and more small businesses are online every day, there are still some business owners who don’t think they need a website, because they only provide services locally and not globally.

Keep in mind that over 70% of the population in Canada and the USA are Internet users, and for an increasing number of people, the Internet is the first place – if not the only place – they look for information. Therefore, if you do not have a website, you may be overlooked by prospective clients or media contacts seeking experts to interview.

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by Bill Platt

All links are not created equal. There are worthless, good and great links. So, what is the difference between each one? I can sum it up in one word, “clicks”.

The most worthless links are those that appear on pages that will never be read by a set of human eyes.

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By Janet Barclay, MVA

In the past, most offices had a receptionist whose responsibilities included scheduling appointments for clients, customers, or patients, but with the increase in one-person businesses, as well as automated attendants in larger offices, this is seldom the case any more. As a result, if you are working with a client when a call comes in, you have to choose between interrupting your work to deal with the call, or letting the caller leave a voice mail message and hoping you’ll be able to connect with them before they decide to book their appointment with your competitor.

You can save valuable time and reduce the risk of losing business by using an online appointment booking system. Enter your hours of operation and available staff, and clients can visit the site to schedule or cancel their own appointments.

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