Internet Strategies to Improve Farm Business Management

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Website Development

Website development requires a plan. You can't jump straight to the design stage without first completing other important tasks. These tasks include obtaining a domain name for your website and deciding on the content that you want on your site. The design stage comes next. The last task that you need to complete after designing your website is to find a place to host the site.

Your Online Identity

The very first thing you need to do when you decide that you want to develop and put up a website for your business is to register for a domain name. A domain name is your Internet address, or your Internet identity. Usually the business name will be used as the domain name, assuming that someone else has not already registered that particular name. Occasionally the names of products will also be registered as a domain name if the product name is readily known. For example, Mercer Vu Farms has their farm business name as their website domain name, mercervufarms.com. For an example of a product name also being used as a domain name, consider Mountain Dew. This soda is produced by PepsiCo, Inc. However the product name is so widely known that the name Mountain Dew is also a domain name (mountaindew.com) with the website dedicated to the product.

Choosing a Domain Name Registrar

You should shop for a domain name registrar just like you shop for any other service. Registrars offer a variety of products and services in addition to getting your domain name registered. They may offer these products and services in different packages or you may be able to purchase only the individual products/services that you want. A few of the services registrars offer include:

Domain Name registration
Web hosting
Website design
SSL certificates
Email
On-line sales and marketing
Security
Website tools & utilities
Business services

Here are three popular domain name registrars:

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These materials were developed as part of the Southern Rural Development Center’s National e-Commerce Extension Initiative. They are based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Award No. 2005-45064-03212

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Southern Rural Development Center.