GoDaddy provides 4 practical tips for entrepreneurs and SME owners aiming to up their online presence
- The services platform provider is empowering entrepreneurs to get the new year off to a good start with a campaign to help them build online profiles
- GoDaddy’s online business solutions can help entrepreneurs on their e-commerce journey
[Sponsored article]
The arrival of a new year is symbolic of new beginnings, and for budding start-up entrepreneurs, it is the ideal time to begin their business journey.
If you are taking your first steps into a new business venture, or just looking to reboot your existing small business, having an effective and engaging online presence has never been more important.
As many people turned to online platforms during the Covid-19 pandemic, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) – the backbone of the Asia-Pacific economy – responded by accelerating their online strategies to meet customer needs and ensure turnover. In particular, the growth of e-commerce has prioritised the need for businesses to boost their online presence.
Building a business online may seem daunting, both in terms of technical expertise and cost. But the good news is that help is available: domain and web hosting specialist GoDaddy is launching a New Year’s campaign to help entrepreneurs establish and strengthen their online performance. The initiative aims to help manage the complexities of online commerce with one-stop-shop integrated solutions and easy-to-use tools.
If you are taking the first steps in your start-up journey – whether as a sideline or a full-blown new career – or if you think your current online presence needs a 2022 makeover, here are a few tips on how to succeed online.
Get the right domain name
A domain name is your online address and the way people find your business on the internet. Think of it as your online home address: it belongs only to you and tells people where you can be found. The domain name is not only the location of your home (your website), it is also your storefront and the core of your online presence and brand. Choose it carefully.
So what should you look for in an effective domain name? First, it must be memorable. Keep it short, easy to spell and aligned closely with your company name – or at least relevant to your business, product or service. Avoid numbers, hyphens and misspellings.
Second, the name should be well researched. Use a domain name generator to find out which options are available and who your potential competitors might be. It will also help you avoid name clashes.
Finally, think about your domain name extension. To maximise recall, you should consider a .com extension or a domain extension aligned with the company’s products or services, such as .design for designers or .fit for fitness-related businesses.
Build your website
Once you have your online domain name, it is time to build your home. A website is your own piece of online real estate and should reflect the impact you hope to achieve.
It is crucial that the website is planned with care before it is launched. Why are you creating it? What is its primary objective? Who is your audience, and what would they want from visiting the site? And don’t forget that content is what drives website engagement; make sure you have plenty at hand before you start your build.
GoDaddy offers a range of website builder options for people with a range of technical skills. GoDaddy Website Builders offers a one-month free trial and provides a quick and easy solution at an affordable price. Taking just a few clicks, it allows you to manage everything in one place – perfect for bringing your business online.
Use a professional email
With your domain name secured and the website build underway, you now need to complete your online credentials with a professional email address.
Be a social media-savvy entrepreneur
A social media-savvy entrepreneur will likely have an Instagram feed curated to near perfection, and will appreciate a photo and video design app that can take a company’s social game up a notch. GoDaddy Studio makes creating content for social posts and advertising easier than ever. The app contains thousands of templates that can be customised, along with hand-crafted fonts and designs that could give any brand a much-needed boost to help stand above the competition on social media.
Security protection is key from the start
SSL (or Secure Sockets Layer) is a popular security technology used to secure server-to-browser transactions. Installing an SSL certificate on a website can help further protect it by encrypting personal information as it is transmitted. In addition, an SSL certificate for your website can help with search engine results – in its results, Google gives higher ranking to websites with an SSL certificate.
For any online business, it is essential to protect your online presence to help protect your business and your customers’ data. SSL certificates can be found on GoDaddy Website Builder plans. You may also want to consider other online security protection, such as continuous website monitoring services.
To celebrate the new year and help entrepreneurs build a new future for themselves, GoDaddy is launching a 2022 New Year’s campaign in the Asia-Pacific region, including Hong Kong, which includes some great offers and discounts to get started.
Simply log on to https://socialweb.godaddy.com/en-hk/newyear and complete a series of tasks to earn points which can be redeemed for a variety of prizes, including discounted and free GoDaddy products. In addition, the 10 participants with the most points by the end of the campaign on January 31, 2022, will receive the grand prize of a Microsoft Surface Go 3.