TreeLinx Internet Solutions (TreeLinx Inc.) provides robust, scalable, professionally designed websites for small to medium sized businesses. Over the next few months this website will become a resource for businesses wanting to know more about how they can leverage the internet to increase sales without spending a lot. To be sucessful on the internet, a business owner must know that their website is another department of their business and must learn how to run it. Most of the expense of having a website will come from support fees. There are three main open source applications that can be used to build a managable internet presence.
XTown R/C, a local retailer in Xenia Ohio, is a great case study. Xtownrc.com is a website which uses the three main applications 1) Content Management System or CMS 2) Google Analytics and 3) Open X Advertising Management System.
1. Content Management System or CMS
If you want to have a website and don't want to pay to have it updated, make sure you find a company that will install an open source CMS. A CMS is a website application that allows the owner of the website to update content while knowing very little or no website programming. The intial support costs for a CMS will be for the trainging on how to use it. All CMS systems TreeLinx recommends will come with some documentation on how it works. It's important to read this documentation as a business owner. Knowing how to use your system will help you generate revenue down the road.
Depending on the type of business you run, there are several types of Content Management Systems out there.
2. Google Analytics
To be sucessful on the internet, a business has to have a general understanding about who visitis their website, where they come from and what they do when they get there. Google Analytics provides a free service for tracking such information.
3. Open X Advertising Management System
Like a newspaper or magazine, websites can generate revenue by offering advertising. Having an ad management system not only helps the business owner track the effectiveness of their own ads, but it will also help generate revenue to help cover the cost of having a website.
"Enterprise-class" shouldn't mean "experts only." Google Analytics has made it easy for non-specialists and specialists alike, across your organization, to practice performance focused marketing.
More Features - and it's free.
Here is a great blog about how Google Analytics can help a small to medium-sized business (SMB) succeed online. It introduces some very important challanges they have to face getting started.
