This is the first of a five-part series.

Today, we’re seeing more locally-based businesses rely on the global online marketplace for long-term sustainability and growth. According to a study conducted by Interactive Media in Retail Group, global ecommerce is expected to grow to $1.25 trillion by 2013. Now more than ever, it’s important for small businesses to globally optimize their website to resonate with international audiences everywhere.

Below are 2 of 10 tips for small business owners to effectively “globalize” their website:

1.)   Start with your .Biz Domain
A recognized and trusted name around the globe, .Biz is a great place to start internationalizing your business. When choosing your .Biz domain name, make sure to choose a name that represents your global brand. Take some time to research names across the worldwide web to ensure that your name is not easily confused with a competitor. You may even want to test the name among some of your international target audiences to ensure that it has the same meaning across cultures.

Regardless of the name you choose, make sure to keep it short and easy to remember for your customers and prospects.

2.) Visual appearance:
Following your domain name, your website’s visual appearance is the first thing your visitors will notice when they arrive to your web page. Certain colors and images have multiple meanings across cultures – so choose these very carefully and test, test, test. If you’re using photos of real people, be sensitive to the nationalities you are representing, in the regions you are representing them. Other elements to consider include user experience such as simple navigation (horizontal is recommended) and organized content, plain font (Arial or Calibri) and HTML5 (JavaScript is not supported on all platforms).

As more and more web users around the world are accessing the internet through thousands of different mobile devices, all websites should now be built with “responsive design” (a design that optimizes design of websites for each mobile device). With responsive design, small businesses can ensure easy readability and a consistent look across all devices and platforms, no matter the size or quality of screen.

Stay tuned for our next four posts in this series – covering additional tips and tools to internationalize your website, including IP targeting, “glocal” SEO, language translation, security and more.

>> Read part 2 here

Have you been putting off moving your business online because you’re worried you don’t have the time or resources to do it right? This is a common misconception among millions of start-ups. In this blog post, you will learn how to get a professional website for your business up and running in a week’s time –all in an affordable budget that is right for you.

Follow these simple steps to jumpstart your online presence:

Monday: First things first: choose and purchase your .biz domain name in a matter of minutes. Don’t take this decision lightly; your domain name will create a unique identity for your business and influence your website’s search engine optimization, or the ability for your customers to find your website from search engines. Click here for more information on how to choose the right domain name for your business. Finally, visit a registrar’s website to purchase your .biz domain name. Examples of registrars include GoDaddy, Network Solutions, eNom, Inc. and 1&1 Internet, among others.

Estimated time: 30 minutes – 1 hour
Estimate cost: varies depending on registrar, usually less $20/month.

Tuesday: Next, you’ll need to select a web host to store your website. Your decision will depend on the size, speed, capabilities you would like for your website. Read this Squidoo blog post to learn how to select a web hosting service to fit your business’ needs. Some popular hosting providers are HostGator, InMotionHosting, Yahoo! Hosting and FatCow. After subscribing to a hosting provider, you’ll receive simple steps to set up an FTP address, login and password.

Estimate time: 20 minutes
Estimated cost: average of $5.00/month*
*findmywebhosting.com

Wednesday: Now you can dive deep into the planning of your website. To help you determine what you want your website to look like, it might be helpful to research some websites in your industry as well as eye-catching websites outside your industry. In addition, you can build a site map (or wireframe) to gain an understanding of what pages your website will feature and how you will organize your content. http://creately.com offers a free tool to make your site mock-up easy and fast. For examples of effective wireframe, read speckyboy’s blog post featuring effective wireframe examples.

Estimated time: 1-2 hours
Estimated cost: Free (do it yourself!)

Thursday: There are two options we recommend to turn around your website within a tight time frame, without having to hire a professional.

Option 1 | Templates: Registrars offer a complete site builder kit when you reserve or purchase your domain name. There are also plenty of free template sites available. While templates are easy to use and affordable, they may not offer the same levels of customization. Examples of template providers include: intuit.com, webs.com, wix.com, yola.com

Option 2 | WordPress: Often stereotyped as a content management service just for blogs, WordPress is also a great resource to build and customize your website on. You can browse the most popular themes and the site does a good job of guiding you through the process. The pros to choosing this option are that it provides advanced features, professional appearance and online customer service. However, it can be more time intensive than other basic template options and you’ll need a basic knowledge of HTML code. Take a look at site themes on WordPress and view a tutorial here. Using your website wireframe and content plans as a guide, you can begin to build your website design and layout. Add images, titles and filler text as needed to get a basic framework and organization down.

Estimate time: 5-6 hours
Estimated cost: Free or one-time minimal fee

Friday: With your website skeleton ready, spend this final day drafting content for your website and tweaking your design as needed. Don’t reinvent the wheel; be resourceful: reuse and refine content from marketing materials you have already created. Keep in mind that writing for the web should differ from other mediums. Read a recent article on Site Pro News for tips on how to write effective web copy to drive engagement, conversions and SEO on your website. When your website is complete with content, load your files to your web host service and publish!

Estimate time: 6-8 hours
Estimated cost: Free

Now your business has a home on the web and you’re ready to ready it to the next level! Stay tuned for future blog posts on how to market your new .biz website and set your business apart from the internet noise

This week we are shining the spotlight on clickthrough.biz.  Located in Cape Town, South Africa, Andrew Hirst introduces himself as “A user experience consultant and information architect.I am digital” and offers expertise to organizations that are looking to improve their online users experience.

His area of expertise lies in the User Centered Design (UCD) process that includes user research, concept design, prototyping, user testing, interative testing(because nothing is perfect the first time), and success measurement.  With “An average of 85% of
convertable users are lost due to poor user experience”, Andrew’s expertise and passion are necessary for businesses that are serious about ensuring a positive customer experience, every time.

Learn more about Andrew Hirst and Clickthrough.biz!