The Internet adds tremendous marketing power to businesses of all sizes. Suddenly, companies have found that they can do business with local, national and international clientele at a price far below the cost of other advertising media. The following questions and answers are an attempt to explain what the Internet is and how to become a part of this exciting medium.
 

	What Is The Internet?
	Should I consider advertising on the Internet?
	How Can I Get New Customers?
	What Is Meant By "Shelf Life"?
	How Much Does It Cost?
	Is It A Lot Of Trouble?
	Does My Computer Need To Be On All The Time?
	How Do Businesses Use The Internet?
	How Do Web Pages Work?
	How Do People Find My Business On The Internet?
	How Do People Pay For Goods And Services?
	How Does A Business Get Started On The Internet?
	What Is A Domain Name?
	What is Web Hosting?

If there are any questions that you may have which are not listed above, please do not hesitate to contact us for further information.
 

What Is The Internet? The Internet is a world-wide network of tens of thousands of large computers, all connected to each other. Individuals and businesses get on the Internet by obtaining an Internet account through a local Internet Service Provider, offering access to e-mail (electronic mail) and the World Wide Web (an information access system). The "Web" allows potential customers to "visit" a company's Web site (which is their storefront to the world), and view the company's "pages" or files which can be viewed in both text and pictures.
Should I consider advertising on the Internet? Business people face tough decisions every day, but in many instances, the most urgent is, "How can I make my profits grow?" Basically, there are two ways to increase business profits: lower costs or increase sales. Buying new, more efficient equipment will help lower per-unit costs in some businesses and branching out into new areas will help others. But the most basic solution is to do more with the same people, buildings and equipment that you presently have and find new customers.
How Can I Get New Customers? The traditional ways to let people know about your products or services are referrals, print media, direct mail, radio and TV, Yellow Pages, etc. While these methods all work, they are expensive, reach a limited audience and have a very limited "shelf life".
What Is Meant By "Shelf Life"? This refers to the time a particular information source is kept by the potential client. For instance, a newspaper is read and usually discarded every day… its shelf life is one day. A direct mail piece has a longer life…maybe a week. Contrast this to a presence on the Internet where your message is available to millions of potential clients, 24 hours of the day, 365 days a year. Here is a very long shelf life that clients who are ready to buy can refer to over and over again.
How Much Does It Cost? Fortunately, Web advertising requires only a relatively low investment. With prices starting from as little as £395 for 12 months, including Internet hosting fees and professional Web page design. When you compare that to one display ad in a national magazine, your Web site presents great value.
Is It A Lot Of Trouble? Not at all. WebVision Internet Services specialises in providing you with all the services required in a simple package that will provide your business with a professional Web site presence on the Internet. After an initial consultation, we will collect all the material you want included on your Web site, such as company logo, brochure, pictures and text and produce a preliminary design for your approval. Once approved, you are immediately put on the Internet so your site is visible worldwide.
Does My Computer Need To Be On All The Time? No. Your business's Web site is placed on our host server which runs 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, not on your computer.
How Do Businesses Use The Internet? This form of advertising can be used to build a company's image, provide customer support, make available technical and troubleshooting information, develop a prospect list, conduct customer surveys, offer products, and take orders.
How Do Web Pages Work? The World Wide Web provides you with a way to introduce your business to the world in a series of "pages" connected by "links." When customers see something that interests them, say a catalog of your product line, they "click" their computer mouse on the "link," which is normally in the form of a blue underlined highlighted word or graphic, and immediately they can view products in your on-line catalog. An organization might have several "pages," all linked to their main menu page or "home page." These pages typically include information about the company and its history, products or services, technical support information, and an order or feedback form. Potential customers can view as little or as much as interests them, and business owners can update prices and products at any time.
How Do People Find My Business On The Internet? There are a number of indexing systems available on the Web called "search engines," known by strange names such as Yahoo, Google, Lycos, Infoseek, HotBot, AltaVista, and Web Crawler. Your business needs to be registered with these indexes and WebVision can offer this service to you, please see Web Marketing & Promotion. Potential clients use these indexes by typing in key words applicable to your business sector such as "furniture", "restaurants", "tires" or "plumbing" and they will find your company listed with similar businesses. They "click" on your company's name and immediately begin to view your Web pages. There are also several other ways to promote your business on the Internet such as e-mail press releases, Internet mailing, reciprocal links, news groups etc. and WebVision Internet Services will be happy to help you with this.
How Do People Pay For Goods And Services? Customers can order products directly on line by typing their credit card number into an on-line form. However, they may be reluctant to do so unless the Web site offers what is known as a "SSL secure server" so that credit information can't be intercepted by hackers. WebVision Internet Services are able to offer its clients a secure credit card payment solution. Of course, businesses can still offer to take orders via fax, phone, or post (what Internet users call "snail mail.")
How Does A Business Get Started On The Internet? Thousands of new people are gaining access to the Internet each week, and businesses are constantly opening new Web sites to market products and services to them. The Internet opens up a vast market to business at a price unheard of even a few years ago. WebVision Internet Services have designed their Web development portfolio to provide you with all the essential tools needed to take your products, service or information to the National and International market place. Just get in contact with us, either via phone, fax or e-mail and let us promote your business to the world!
What Is A Domain Name? Having your own easy to remember domain name is like having a good 0800 number. Like an 0800 number, the domain name is yours and can remain with you for the life of your organisation. A typical domain name would look like "www.yourcompany.co.uk" and would be used as your "Internet address " or URL (Uniform Resource Locator). The URL is what clients can type into their Web browser when they wish to access your Web Site directly. All Domain Names are registered and are therefore unique. WebVision Internet Services will be more than happy to help you choose, check and arrange your Domain Name registration. Please visit our Domain Registration page to check domain name availability.
What is Web Hosting? Web Hosting or a Web Hosting Server is the name given to a computer that is permanently connected to the internet 24 hours a day, 365 days a week. Your Web Site resides on this server and is therefore available for viewing by everyone all over the world. Please see our Web Hosting Solutions page for more details.