How To

AP Creations

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Anna K Payne
Web Consultant, Writer, Blogger

Anna is the author of Driving with Anna devotional books, including Surviving Life and In Search of Me. Anna also writes copy for small businesses and blogs. She specializes in topics on Christian living and working perspectives, parenting and education.

Anna writes regularly on Examiner.com under Parenting and Education in Costa Mesa and Teen Parenting using experience from homeschooling her children over 6 years and volunteering in the local high school for 10 years. She also has volunteered with her church’s 3 year olds and high school ministry at different times over the years.

She maintains the two blogs Driving with Anna and Nourish Your Heart. Her other websites center around her passion for helping women re-enter the workforce and create a career for which they are passionate. The other websites include Helping Women Stay Home, Caring Industries and Templates 4 Small Biz and contain relevant how to articles.

As an experienced web developer/designer she is always searching out new ways to market websites through design, content and social media.

 

Recommended books for every small business owner

Other how tos: http://www.helpwomenstayhome.com

How to set up a small business website

  1. Business email – avoid spam in your personal email box with a business email. I recommend gmail. http://mail.google.com
  2. Using PayPal as a purchasing agent – using Paypal allows you to keep from using your credit or debit card online. You can also use it to receive money for products or services. The set up is free.
  3. Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.

  4. Purchase a domain name – what will your domain name be? You can use either your business name or key words describing your business as your domain name. This helps people find you online. I recommend
  5. Choose a design – What kind of website do you need? Is it a forum, a blog, for sales of products or services, or is it for company branding? Then you decide from there what backend software you will use to communicate with users, ask users for feedback, create sales, promote and market your company. These include WordPress, Joomla, PHP/MySQL, Ajax, Flash, Microsoft.NET, Classic ASP. Here is one of the many sites with templates and designs – http://www.templates4smallbiz.com
  6. Purchase a virtual server – Most small businesses and websites use a virtual server leaving their production server for producing their products and services. Using a good virtual server also allows for guaranteed uptimes (the site stays up and available 24/7). I recommend affiliate_link
  7. Add content – There are many ways to add content. You may have had a previous website. You may have brochures in print. You may export information from a databse. You can add articles. Or you could allow me to interview you and create the content for you.
  8. How will you communicate – You can use email campaigns, communication forms on your website, newsletters, blog feeds (RSS feeds).
  9. How will you market your site – I use Google Adwords to advertise my online mall – http://www.caringindustries.com – where I place ads for small businesses and cottage industries. Some of these are my clients. All businesses are welcome. You can also use Google Adwords for your website as well as utilizing your link in emails, business cards and other communications with potential clients. I can also help you set up your Google Adwords account or manage it for you.