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Setting Up Shop on The Internet

© Rodney Byrd

More and more business owners are turning to the Internet to enhance and grow their companies. The World Wide Web has made it possible for even the smallest businesses to become global entities. Do you own your own company or dream of owning your own company? Are you capitalizing on this new technology or standing on the sidelines watching? Are you not sure where and how to begin? If you are one of the many people that want to start an online retail company, but don’t know where to begin. I have great news for you. It is now possible to set up a Web page and conduct electronic commerce in a matter of minutes, with little or no up-front costs. You no longer have to learn the intricacies of HTML and JavaScript, Web-design software, or hire an expensive expert to build a site for you. There are now numerous companies that provide free Web pages to businesses. They provide templates that are specific to certain business types. All you have to do is write the descriptive text, add images of the products you want to sell, and within minutes your site is up and running. Listed below is a brief description of the most well known companies that offer these services.

1. Bigstep.com, www.bigstep.com, 415-229-8500

Bigstep.com's goal is to put every small business onto the Web with its own site. This service is completely free. Using the company's online tools, you can design a home page, build an illustrated catalog, and edit your pages as often as you like. The site offers traffic counters and direct e-mail marketing for free. If you want to accept credit cards, you have to open a merchant account. This will cost $14.95 per month plus transaction fees. Without such an account, you can only accept checks or money orders.

2. Freemerchant.com, www.freemerchant.com, 510-595-2500

This is one of the earliest free site hosts. Freemerchant.com offers many specialized features. You can track the packages that you send to customers. This will be great when it comes to customer service. This site also lets you list your merchandise on eBay. Like Bigstep.com, you have to pay a fee to accept credit cards. Freemerchant.com makes money from collecting commissions from clients and from the advertising it attaches to each page.

3. eCongo.com, www.econgo.com, 408-871-7980

This company offers a variety of services to the small business. They include tools for creating and administering an Internet storefront, electronic catalog, marketing, communication with customers, etc. This site is also a great "community" for retailers. Members can share information, advertise with the other members, and give advice to each other. An analysis of your advertisements is also available. This service carries a fee. Credit card processing also carries a fee.

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