Putting Your Small Business on the Web [Paperback]

Maria Langer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 2000 | Series: Peachpit Guide to Webtop Publishing

In an increasingly sophisticated e-commerce market, it's important to realize that just because your small company has a Web site, it doesn't mean that customers are going to start throwing cash your way. Designed for small businesses that want to expand their presence on the Web, Putting Your Small Business on the Web will empower small business owners by taking the mystery out of the Internet and Web publishing. It will explain, in plain English, what the Web can and can't do for them, and how they can use it as an effective marketing tool. In Maria Langer's friendly, conversational style, this book addresses the costs of building a Web site and how businesses can save money with a do-it-yourself approach. Included are numerous case studies of small business Web sites, and how they did or didn't succeed. This is not for people who want to set up online stores or build Web-based businesses, but for those who want to use the Web as a marketing tool for an existing, traditional business.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Putting Your Small Business on the Web explains to owners and managers of small businesses (say, those with fewer than 25 employees) what is involved in publishing a company Web site. Mostly, it's about how to get a Web presence--although it does explain a bit about how the site can serve customers after hours and help bring in new business--so that it focuses mostly on the products and services that you'll need to do just that.

All of your options are discussed, even those that might seem obviously inappropriate to someone with more Web publishing experience; for example, what you need if you want to operate a Web server on your own premises, and why that's not a good idea for most small businesses. You also get realistic estimates of how much all of this is going to cost you. Occasionally, a petty factual error pops up (FTP is File Transport Protocol, not File Transfer Protocol), but it's a small issue. Besides, this isn't a technical how-to book: it's an explanation of what you need, where you should look for it, what you should expect to pay, and what your site should be able to do as a result. --David Wall

Topics covered: Web publishing for small businesses: why build a Web site in the first place, what features to specify in your design, how to host your site, how to select and work with a designer, options for monitoring activity on your site, registering your site with search engines, and writing pages yourself (both at the code level and by using design tools).

From the Back Cover

Targeted for small business owners interested in how the Web can extend their business reach and profitability, this book explains how to create an online presence for an existing small business. Many business owners want to become part of the e-commerce revolution, but have unrealistic expectations that a Web site will instantly perform miracles for their company. Maria Langer includes real-life examples of small business Web sites that doÑand donÕtÑwork. Topics covered include: Building your Web site, reducing marketing costs, site setup, Web design and content, and how to work with search engines to make your site easy to find.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 1st edition (July 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201717131
• ISBN-13: 978-0201717136
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,158,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maria Langer has been a freelance writer since 1990. She has written more than 75 books and hundreds of articles about using computers, software, and online services. She provides support for her work, as well as new content, on the Maria's Guides website. These days, she also writes about aviation and travel for a variety of print and online publications.

Maria is also a commercial helicopter pilot and owner of Flying M Air, a helicopter tour and charter company based in Arizona. Her company offers tours, day trips, multi-day excursions, and aerial photography services throughout the southwest.

And if that's not enough to keep her busy and out of trouble, she's also a serious amateur photographer. She shows off her best work on her photo gallery, Flying M Photos.

Maria blogs at Eclectic Mind, her personal journal of thoughts and experiences.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Starter for Small Business..., November 21, 2000

By 

Fred Showker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Putting Your Small Business on the Web (Paperback)

We always look forward to Maria Langer's books. "Putting Your Small Business on the Web" is a delightful departure from many of Maria's other more technical books, giving the busy business person a quick, clear and inspiring starter kit for launching a business web site. Maria handholds even the 'old timers' with her easy to digest introduction to what the web can and cannot do for small business. You'll get a primer on web serving options, designing web site and then managing the site keeping it up to date. The sections on "Working with a Web Site Designer" and FTP are well worth the cover price alone. __ This is not a thousand page tome that will bog you down with too much techno-mumbo-jumbo like many of the other eBiz books out there. If you're thinking about getting your small business on the web, get this book FIRST. I think you'll be happy you did.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about time!, March 13, 2001

By 

K. S. Lynn (Western North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Putting Your Small Business on the Web (Paperback)

Enabling is the best word I can find to describe this book. It enables the "newbie" small business owner to understand e-commerce. There are so many books out there about e-commerce. This is the first one that I have found that speaks directly to the small business owner. Ms. Langer only includes pertinent vocabulary and doesn't overwhelm the reader with acronyms. She speaks to real people. I recomend this book for those who have gotten lost in the hype of e-commerce. This book will lift you out of the acronym soup and paint a clear picture of what the web can and can't do for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book could have saved me $1,200!, January 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Putting Your Small Business on the Web (Paperback)

Why wasn't this book out a year ago when I got conned by a Web "consultant"? The chapter that explains how to work with consultants could have prevented me from making a very costly mistake! This book has TONS of information that explains what the Web is and how it can benefit a small business in plain English terms that anyone can understand. It also provides lots of tips for building a Web site -- even some info about doing it yourself! And believe it or not, it's even fun to read! Buy it!