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Websites that Changed the World

September 30, 2016 by Angela Leave a Comment

Preparing to start a website for your company or organization? The odds are good that you are more interested in brand building, marketing, and ROI more than changing the world–but still, a little inspiration can go a long way toward achieving any goal. In the spirit of starting a new website, here are a few websites that have changed the world forever!

Google. The most obvious pick of all. A search engine that truly can find the highest-quality, most relevant results on the web really makes the web a lot more useful!

Amazon. E-commerce owes a lot of its success to Amazon.com. Founded back in 1994 as Cadabra, Amazon remains the largest e-commerce site on the web today.

Wikipedia. Though Wikipedia is often criticized for a perceived lack of oversight, accountability, and accuracy, the truth is that the idea to compile all human knowledge into one multilingual, easily accessible source was quite important.

Hotmail. What’s so special about Hotmail? It certainly isn’t the biggest email provider, and it wasn’t the first. However, Hotmail did change the world forever: they were the first web-based email provider to gain widespread popularity. Before hotmail, email accounts were tethered to specific computers–meaning an email sent to your work computer would be completely inaccessible unless you were at work, and a home email would be inaccessible unless you were at home.

Facebook. Another no brainer. Once again: Facebook was not the first website to do what it did, it just did it so well that it became the standard bearer.

Youtube. Hosting video used to be rather cost prohibitive, and YouTube was the first company to truly allow its users to upload video freely and free of charge. This obviously had a very profound affect on the way that we all use the internet.

Getting Started. If you’re ready to embark on your own website adventure–whatever your goals may be–then one of the first issues you will need to address is hosting. Visit RFE Hosting online to learn more about what hosting options may be right for your needs.

Filed Under: Blog, Marketing, Website Tagged With: Amazon, Facebook, google, Wikipedia, Youtube

8 Tips for Promoting A Company Website

September 8, 2016 by Angela Leave a Comment

Getting your website up and running smoothly is only the first half of the battle. Though getting this far certainly signifies a great deal of hard work and dedication, your new website will ultimately fail to meet its goals unless you continue working hard to promote it. Here are a few of the most important steps you can take in order to do just that.

Social media. In case you haven’t noticed, social media is the place to be in today’s online world. Social media accounts are a near necessity in today’s market–and with a smart campaign, you can attract hundreds of visitors (read: potential customers) to your site.
Social media advertizing. In addition to attracting “natural” social media traffic, you may wish to invest in social media ads (particularly Facebook advertising, the tried-and-true options for most industries.)
Word of mouth. Connections between friends, families, professional contacts, and other acquaintances–sometimes jokingly referred to as “the original social network,” remain invaluable for promoting your new website. Be sure to recommend your site in-person to customers and clients–especially the regulars!
Encourage sharing. Encouraging your customers, clients, and online contacts to share your website via internet and/or recommend it in person can also be effective–especially when a creative discount program or sweepstakes is involved!
SEO. Ensuring that your website is search engine optimized with good keywords, quality content, and professional web design is the only way to ensure that those who look for you online find you.
Harness the power of blogging. Speaking of SEO, a blog can boost your search engine rankings while also giving visitors a reason to keep coming back to your site. Moreover, it will open the possibility of writing guest blogs for other companies in the industry–as well as the possibility of accepting guest blogs. Both of these options are great promotional tools.
Include your URL on business cards, letterheads, email signatures, promotional materials, and in any other location that could drive potential traffic to your site.
Paid Advertising. Though this requires the largest investment, ROI on paid search engine advertising is generally high–especially when campaigns are well managed.

For more important tips for website owners, visit the RFE Hosting blog!

Filed Under: Annoucements, Blog, Blog Guides, Guides, Hosting Updates, Marketing, New Clients, SEO, Uncategorized, Web Design, Web Hosting, Website, WordPress Tagged With: blogging, paid advertising, SEO, sharing, social media, URL, website

Common Mistakes That First Time Website Owners Make

September 2, 2016 by Angela Leave a Comment

Starting a website for your company is one of the best investments you can make for the future. Not only are websites necessary for building trust and facilitating consumer research in this day and age, they can also become profitable online marketplaces for many businesses. Unfortunately, business owners are not always web experts–and all too many first time website owners fall into the same predictable traps. With a bit of research and education, however, you can avoid most of the common mistakes that lead small businesses to lose money investing in the web. Here are a few things to look out for.

Building a website with no business plan. Although websites offer many potential benefits to businesses of all stripes and colors, it is a fallacy to assume that simply building a website with no clear goals is going to do your company any good. Websites can boost brand awareness, drive sales, educate consumers, offer instant customer service and more–but it is important to know what your particular goals are before you being.

Failing to offer mobile adaptability. A significant portion of all web traffic is now mobile traffic–and Google has even incorporated mobile compatibility into its relevancy algorithm. Even so, a surprisingly large percentage of businesses continue to build websites that don’t provide seamless mobile adaptability–costing themselves time, money, and untold numbers of potential customers.

Choosing the wrong hosting service. Though hosting might seem like an insignificant detail compared to the broader vision of your online strategy, it is important to realize that the host you choose will play a large role in determining the quality of your visitors’ online experience. Moreover, choosing an overpriced hosting service that doesn’t offer great customer service is ultimately a waste of funding that could instead be invested in critical components of website growth, development, and promotion! Choose a hosting service that works for you–visit RFE Hosting online today to learn more!

Filed Under: Blog, Guides, Marketing, New Clients, SEO, Web Design, Website Tagged With: business, hosting service, market, marketplace, online, website

3 Important Decisions All Business Owners Must Make About Starting A Website

June 23, 2016 by Angela Leave a Comment

Whether you’re a new business looking to introduce yourself with a killer webpage, or a more established business hoping to finally break in to the online scene, building a website for your company can be both exciting, fulfilling, and…bewildering. There are so many choices to be made along the way that it becomes easy to lose sight of the prize. With a discipline, focus, and a bit of optimism, however, it is possible to get through the process and arrive at that rewarding day when you finally launch. Here are 3 decisions that you can expect to make along the journey.

Marketing and information vs. Direct e-commerce. One of the principle classifications that you’ll want to make for your website before you even get started is whether or not you’ll be performing e-commerce through your site. If you do plan on selling items directly through your site, that will influence a lot of your site’s design and infrastructure—you’ll want a page that encourages sales and that is equipped with security features such as SSL encryption. If your page is not an e-commerce website, on the other hand, you’ll probably be focused more on giving your customers/clients valuable information about your industry and marketing your physical location.
Building it Yourself vs. Hiring Help. Once you have a clear vision of what your website is going to be, it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty details of actually building it. With a plethora of web-building services available, an increasing number of businesses are now hiring professionals to build their websites. Don’t be sold too easily, however—using WordPress is easier than you might imagine, and it can be both personally and financially rewarding to build your own website.
Choosing a Hosting Service. Hosting services matter. Picking the best hosting service with great customer service, minimal down time, and world-class technology is an indispensable part of building a successful website. Contact RFE Hosting today for more information on how we can help you reach your clients and customers online!