Technology & Internet
Ask SCORE                                                                        Word Count 400

Make Your Business More Web Wise  

Most small businesses use the Internet in some fashion, be it a Web site, e-
mail, search engines or e-commerce. But even if you’re using the Web, there
are many ways you can likely be using it more extensively, more fruitfully or
more efficiently.

If your Web site was created several years ago, for example, it could be time
for a makeover. What seemed sophisticated back then might now look
simplistic—or worse, downright hokey—compared to other sites. In short, the
Web is becoming an ever more vital part of small business operations with
every passing day, and business owners are finding new and better ways to
leverage the power of the Internet to help them build profits, save money and
operate more efficiently.

Making your Web site more interactive is one way to spur action. Try adding
surveys, guest books, auto responders, downloadable documents and an e-
newsletter. Your current Web host may offer some of these capabilities. And
why not take orders online with a simple shopping cart feature, if you don’t
already? Resources include PrestoCart.com, MyCart.net, PayButton.com and
EarthStores.com.

Animated art, professionally designed buttons, bars and banners can help
supercharge your site. You can acquire them quickly and inexpensively with
software and online delivery from providers such as NetStudio.com and
ScreamDesign.com. You can add interesting and timely content to your site
as well. Consider hiring a freelance writer to produce original news, feature
and how-to articles for your site that are related to your business. Putting fresh
content up monthly could cost as little as a few hundred dollars.

The Web offers tremendous potential for researching your markets and
competitors. A few top resources—some free, others fee based—include:
Business.com for general business research, KnowX.com for public records
research and Hoovers.com for company profiles and contact information.

To get the most from the Web, make sure your site is listed in search engines.
You’ll find just about all the search engine submission help you need at
SearchEngineWatch.com, including search engine submission tips, Web
searching tips, search engine reviews and resources.

To learn more about technology issues facing your small business, contact
SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business." SCORE is a nonprofit
organization of more than 10,500 volunteer business counselors who provide
free, confidential business counseling and training workshops to small
business owners. Go to www.scoredm.org on the web or call (515) 284-4760
between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. Monday through Friday.