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Articles
An
Online Business at Yahoo!
by Jason
Kelly
9/20/2000
Almost everybody is aware of the fast, easy business opportunities
offered by the web. They're low cost and don't even need to interfere
with your current job or business. But not everybody knows where to
begin.
In this article, I'll show that much of what your business needs
to do online can happen with a name you already know and trust: Yahoo!
Most of the services are inexpensive or free.
Create an Online Presence
The first step online is to get a domain name, the www.yoursite.com
that takes visitors straight to your site. You can get it through Yahoo!
Site's domain name
service or through a popular third party like Register.com.
Either way, it will cost you $70 for the first two years.
Once you have a domain name, it's time to get yourself a web page.
You can do that at Yahoo! Site for
only $29.95 per month. That's a good deal, but not the best deal going.
Be sure to check out the service I use, Hostpro,
along with Dellhost
and the supercheap hosting services.
What's nice about Yahoo! Site is that it enables you to build your
website using nothing more than your internet browser. You just point,
click, and design with a simple, web-based interface. It's all changeable,
so you can update your site anytime.
Sell Something
Most people want to sell something online. Creating your own store
to list items and accept credit card payments is nearly impossible.
I know because I've tried it myself and failed miserably. When I hired
an expensive programmer, he failed miserably too.
Far better to pay Yahoo! Store
$100 per month for up to 50 items or $300 per month for up to 1000 items.
It always works and requires no coding on your part. It's easy to set
up the store, retrieve your orders, monitor your traffic, and have money
zapped directly into your bank account by Yahoo!'s credit card servers.
You have to have a merchant account, but the processing happens for
you automatically. And, of course, if you don't yet have a merchant
account you can even get
that from Yahoo!
One of the best parts about joining Yahoo! Store is that you're automatically
listed in Yahoo! Shopping, one
of the most visited e-commerce hubs. Not only are you exposed to millions
of potential customers, but you're part of a powerful buying system
called Yahoo! Wallet. The secure
Wallet stores a customer's billing, shipping, and credit card info so
they don't need to enter it every time they buy something. The convenience
of being able to order from you with just a few mouse clicks will make
your customers comfortable and should lead to higher sales volume.
If you have one or two items that you don't normally sell, maybe an
auction is a better way to go. You can end up making more money than
if you list a set price. Yahoo!
Auctions is free or $29.95 per month if you want merchant payment
processing.
Once you sell something, you'll probably have to ship it. Save yourself
some time with Yahoo! Postal
Center.
Promote Your Site
Getting the word out is a snap at Yahoo! The directory itself is free,
but it can take a long time to be considered and listed. For $199, Yahoo!
guarantees that your site is reviewed within seven days.
There's also the Yahoo! Yellow Pages where customers can find your
address, phone number, driving instructions, and a link to your site.
The cost is $15 per month. Naturally, this is only worth it if you have
a physical location.
Don't forget the possibility of advertising on Yahoo! That's where
the company makes most of its dough. It's probably too expensive, but
maybe not depending on your business. Rates are from $7.25 per thousand
impressions all the way to $156 per thousand impressions depending on
how you want to target your ad. A banner on Yahoo!'s front page for
14 days will cost you $108,000 and guarantee 15,000,000 page views.
Details about the Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Yellow Pages, and Yahoo!
Advertising are available at Yahoo!
Small Business Solutions.
If you're looking for a free promotional tool, visit Yahoo!
Classifieds.
Take Care of Your Customers
Once a person does business with your company, they're likely to do
so again if they're happy. A good way to make them feel good about your
company is to send a Yahoo! Greeting.
Select a free digital card that makes your customer feel special. Every
tiny touch counts.
Your customers might want to discuss your products or services with
each other. An online forum is the perfect answer complete with message
boards and a chat room. It's all free at Yahoo! Clubs.
Need to answer customer questions in a hurry? It might make the difference
between a sale on the books or a missed opportunity. This is usually
the case with high-price, low-volume items like cars or vacation rentals.
Yahoo! Messenger is a free
way to handle one-to-one real-time conversations with anybody. It will
save on long distance charges too.
Manage Your Time and Your Business
Email is the basic form of online communication. Get yours for free
at Yahoo! Mail. Even if you already
have email, you might want to set up additional addresses for various
parts of your business.
One advantage of using Yahoo! Mail is its connection to the free Yahoo!
Address Book, where you can store your complete list of business
and personal contacts. Since it's stored online, you can access your
people with an internet connection from anywhere in the world.
Busy, busy, busy. Keep track of it all with the free Yahoo!
Calendar. It too is accessible anywhere you go online. You can show
your calendar to customers, colleagues, employees, or anybody else.
Better yet, step up to the free Yahoo!
Connected Office where you can maintain online ties with your employees
and colleagues. Post announcements, conduct a meeting, share calendars,
and send instant messages to your whole virtual office.
What Are You Waiting For?
So much for the myth that it's hard to get started online. A destination
as well-known as Yahoo! provides almost everything you need and at prices
you can afford. Free in many cases.
Decide what you want to do online, then start making your way through
this list.
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