Startup Online – A Step by Step Guide to Outsourcing
Author: Jamie | Filed under: General
Online Startups are on the rise as more people decide to take the plunge and work for themselves.
The opportunity to have more freedom over working patterns is a big draw for people who decide to start up online.
In this article, I’ll look at five main steps for beginners which explain what to look for in suppliers and questions you need to be asking.
- Domain name & hosting
The domain name is your website address. For example for this blog the domain name is www.searchblogger.co.uk
There are lots of big companies out there offering domain name and hosting packages. The term hosting refers to the location where your site files are stored so it’s visible online. It’s important to pick a reliable hosting company to ensure your website is live online as much of the time as possible.
When choosing your domain name, you have two main choices; go with a brand name such as searchblogger.co.uk or pick a descriptive domain i.e. smeonlinemarketingtips.co.uk
Tip: If you go to one company to register your domain and set up your hosting, make sure the domain name is registered with your details and not those of the company. This will help you retain ownership of your domain if there are any disagreements further down the line.
Recommended company: www.parrothosting.co.uk – Parrot Hosting provide a great personal service for small business owners with any domain/hosting questions.
- Web design & development
Once your domain name and hosting are in place you need to either design your own website or get someone to do it for you. It’s worth paying for professional design for your full-time online startup business so you make the right impression from day one.
You may just want a simple one page brochure website or perhaps something more complicated like an online database. See my 10 questions to ask a web designer to help you prepare.
Tip: Be clear about what you want before contacting a web designer. If you change your mind along the way you’ll end up paying a lot more for all the amendments.
Recommended company: www.8code.uk – a young and talented team of creative professionals with an impressive portfolio of small business websites.
- Copywriting
As your web design is being worked on you should be thinking seriously about your content. Professionally written website text has the potential to make or break a startup business.
If you’re not comfortable writing or don’t know how to do it in a way that sells or helps your site get found in the search engines, then hire a copywriter. See my 10 questions to ask a copywriter for more information.
Tip: Ask your web designer if they can recommend a copywriter they’ve worked with before.
Recommended company: www.thewordwell.co.uk – they have a real passion for helping small businesses and startups. Nothing is too much trouble for them.
- Search engine optimisation/online marketing
Ideally, on-page search engine optimisation will have been done by your copywriter before launch. Off-page search engine optimisation is important too and involves getting links to your site from other relevant, high quality websites.
Online marketing also covers pay per click advertising, video marketing, email marketing and much more.
Tip: If you don’t want to fork out for every online marketing service for your startup, many companies offer training courses to provide the knowledge for you to build on yourself.
Recommended company: www.webdevelopmentandseo.co.uk – This site by Ardent delivers big business online marketing at small business prices.
If you don’t have any budget for outsourcing your startup online marketing then take a look the homepage and choose a category you want to learn more about.
*DISCLAIMER: These suppliers are recommended based on my own experiences but you should do your own research too. I can’t be held responsible for any loss or damages incurred financial or otherwise which may occur from using any of these companies. I am not an affiliate of any of the companies mentioned and received no cash incentive to recommend them.
This is a great guide on how to start up in the online world!
Hi Gabriella, thanks for taking the time to comment and I’m glad you liked the article. Best wishes, Jamie
Jamie Fairbairn recently posted..The Only Way to Get Better at Blogging
I always advise to separate your domain registrar from your host provider; otherwise it’s a nice basic tip list.
Hi Dennis,
I myself, would love to know why it is that you advise that? Very curious to know the answer…
Gabriella – The Stepford Wife recently posted..All You Need to Know About ‘TheCookieCrunch’
Hi Dennis & Garbriella, thanks for your comments. I’d also like to know why you’d advise that Dennis, I’m not saying it’s wrong, I’d like to hear your thinking behind it.
Jamie Fairbairn recently posted..Entrepreneurs – Learn from These Common Mistakes
Good question, that comes with two answers.
1. Any true to be hosting company cares 100% about hosting, and not so much about being a domain registrar. Therefore, you’re almost guaranteed to overpay for the domain name.
EX: Hostgator. I think they charge $15 or more if you wish to purchase the domain through them. Why? They’d rather you didn’t, they do not care a wink about domains, they are a hosting company through and through.
But hey, if you’re willing to pay the money, they’ll take it. lol
2. More importantly, you’ll save yourself from a stack of future issues purchasing in two different locations.
Just one example; the biggest issue I’ve heard a LOT: A not so reputable hosting company getting grumpy when you decide to switch hosts. They decide to be a real pain in the ass with the forwarding of the domain name.
Oh they have to give it up…eventually, but they can give you a real hassle for quite a while first.
Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing recently posted..Do You Write Link Roundup Posts
Hi Dennis, thanks for coming back and explaining your opinion. I think you’re right that these two things could be a problem. However, with the companies I’ve used myself, thankfully these haven’t been an issue.
There are certainly large hosting companies over here in the UK that have very competitively priced domain names too.
That’s cool for you, but personally I prefer to play the odds.
Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing recently posted..Do You Write Link Roundup Posts