"Mere Chance" by David G. Bancroft

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The following article by David Bancroft, president of FOCUS Associates, cannot be reproduced or used in any part without the expressed permission of the author.

Free Hosting Services
Not Commercially Smart!
By David Bancroft -- May 28, 1998

 
Okay now.  You are itching to start a business on the Internet or want to enhance your offsite business via the Internet.  Good for you!

However, you are not sure that your business is right for the Internet or you just don't want to financially commit to investing in a web site and its associated requirements.  So you jump at the opportunity of using a major service that offers free hosting of your self-made web site.

And while the web site's design may be passable to excellent, I find this slip-shod approach to pursuing online business very unwise and marketing inept.  It is an automatic signal to any experienced Internet user that there is a lack of commitment to the commercial endeavor.

 

David Bancroft, president of F0CUS Associates (business and marketing consulting)

Offering a product and/or service this way does not help establish name recognition, brand awareness, or make it easy to attract the target audience.  These services also appear to experience a higher rate of bandwidth and server problems due to high traffic loads, which include the abundant amount of personal web sites that are also being hosted free.  Visitors may leave before the first page downloads or never come back when they cannot even access the site.  Talk about one foot in the marketing grave.

DO IT RIGHT!

The time for your company's domain name is at the very start. That is doing it right! Whether you are an entrepreneur, partnership, or a corporation, registering for an appropriate domain name and selecting a service provider for your web site should be done when you have committed to use the Internet as a commercial tool.

Quite frankly . . . If you cannot afford the relatively inexpensive fee for domain name registration and the monthly service provider fee, then it is probably not advisable to pursue a commercial venture on the Internet. It definitely makes online marketing very difficult.

Maximize your business' potential by registering a domain name that fits and select a service provider that is technically sound. You will then be able to measure results properly.

Of course, the next step is making the target audience aware of your business. However, for this information you need to read other articles, including some of mine.

Copyright © 1998
All Rights Reserved
David G. Bancroft
dbancroft@focusa.com

Published in InternetDay.com eZine on June 12, 1998.

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