Internet
Marketing Resource Center
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Introduction to Marketing on the InternetWelcome to the Clearwater Web Solutions Marketing Tour. If you are new to marketing on the Internet you will find the information provided here to be a valuable resource. You will find information from planning your first website to creating your website and finally various ways of promoting your product or service. You will not only receive information about what to do, but also HOW to do it. First, an introduction to what the WWW is all aboutIf you are very new to using the Internet, or World Wide Web (WWW) it would be helpful for you to know just what is going on when you log on to the Internet. I'll cover some of the basics to at least give you an idea of how the Internet works and define a few terms for you before we begin. Some of this information may be a little too basic. If so, just go to the next section by following the link at the bottom of the page. In order to connect to the Internet you must have a modem on your computer. This is the connecting device that goes through your phone lines to the server that connects you to the WWW. You may be connected through an ISP, (or Internet Service Provider) or some other form of communication program such as AOL, Prodigy or Compuserve. When you connect to the Internet your modem connects with your server which then connects you to the WWW and a whole new world is opened up to you. Your browser is the program you use for surfing the WWW. For example, Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE), Netscape Navigator, and Mosaic are browser programs. You are able to read these pages by the use of a browser. Some computers come already equipped with a browser or you can purchase browser programs from your local software store. Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are free via the Internet. Internet Service Providers usually supply a browser on their start-up disks. The first place new Internet users usually go is to a search engine in order to find the places they would like to visit. A keyword or phrase is entered and the search engine searches the database and lists all of the web sites (sometimes referred to as 'sites') it finds with those keywords listed. On your screen you will see a list of sites most pertinent to your search listed first. There will be a link to the specific site with a description of what the site is all about. This link will usually be a different color from the rest of the text and will be underlined. You can refine your search to be more specific. Most search engines offer an explanation of how to refine your search and some search engines work differently. There are eight major search engines and directories and literally hundreds of smaller ones. The major search engines are Yahoo, HotBot, Excite, AltaVista, WebCrawler, InfoSeek, Lycos, and LookSmart. You will find various search tools available on the Internet besides just the search engines. Some of these are Ask Jeeves, Google, and varius search utilities that will allow you to either search the website you are visiting or the entire web. You will notice on the home page for this site that there is a search utility that looks like this: When you click on a link it will take you to the web page designated for that link. Some links will take you to the home page and others will take you to a different section of the site. A home page is the main page of a web site. Usually the home page will provide an overview of the site and links to the other sections of the site. When you are in a site you can browse the site for whatever that site provides. There may be links or banners on the site. A banner is an online advertisement that performs the same function as a link, but usually is a graphic instead of a text link. If you click on a link or banner you will automatically be taken to another section of the site or to a completely different site. A hyperlink is attached to the link or banner, coding it for the location where it leads and automatically transfers you to that location. You can continue clicking on links and browse any number of sites and locations. If you want to return to a previous page, you can click the back button on your navigation bar on your browser. The forward button will then return you to the previous page. The Internet opens a whole world of adventure. If your computer is equipped with audio and video you can access sites that provide entertainment using these techniques. Some sites are very elaborate while others are very basic. The more elaborate a site is, the longer it takes for the site to load, which can be annoying if you have a slow modem or if you don't have unlimited access and have to pay for every minute that you are online. You can find a web site that covers just about any topic you could imagine. There are also the options of being involved with chat rooms, discussion groups, and various other forms of communicating and entertainment. Although there are many forms of entertaining web sites, the purpose of this manual is to help you create a web site that will build your web traffic, generate leads, and expand sales! LET'S GET STARTED Clearwater Web
Solutions Marketing Tour
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