You can earn extra revenue for your service business and you don't have to sell a thing! That's just one of the advantages of putting your business online. Learn how to dot-com successfully from the experts and increase your revenue at the same time!

Did you know that online purchasing has increased by 66% in recent years? Or that in two years, more than 60 percent of households will have Internet access? Is your small business cashing in on this lucrative and rapidly expanding market?

No matter how scary the Internet may seem, as a small business owner you cannot afford to ignore this important medium which is changing the way we do business forever. It´s no wonder then that more and more small businesses are looking at ways that they can take advantage of this huge opportunity to increase sales and profitability in their businesses by developing their own online strategy and becoming actively involved in e-business. What you need is accurate and practical advice on how your business can take advantage of what the Internet has to offer - without breaking the bank!

We've all heard about the many "dot-com bombs" in recent times. While each of these companies can cite different reasons for their failure, there are some common trends associated with online failure. These include: lack of planning, unrealistic expectations, lack of research about their customers and market, lack of working capital, and failure to adequately predict the effect it would have on their existing businesses.

For EBC, understanding and embracing the Internet has enabled the company to not only provide 24x7 access to its extensive range of small business resources, but also to develop new markets and revenue streams. In just two years EBC´s Web site has grown to become the leading small business resource centre and generates hundreds of thousands of dollars of new revenues which would simply not be available without the help of the Internet. The company´s Web site now accounts for over 25% of the company´s publication sales and is still growing rapidly. Better still, the site is one of the very few business sites which has a proven and profitable business model. The key to EBC´s success? A clearly defined online strategy and a strong understanding of what EBC´s customers want online.

So how do you get your business online without breaking the bank and becoming another dot-com bomb? It is the same question that has been asked of EBC by thousands of small business owners like yourself over and over again. Now, thanks to EBC, you can access this complete step-by-step resource to guide you through the entire process.

The "Starting Your Online Service Business" guide is from EBC´s new "Business Internet Series". Developed by EBC´s experienced editorial team, these guides focus on the major issues to be considered when setting up and managing the online side of your business. They draw on much of the knowledge and experience that EBC has gained over the years to help you avoid the common pitfalls. This guide has been specifically researched and tailored for the small business owner. This guide takes you step-by-step through each phase - from deciding whether your business needs to be online, to planning your Web strategy, and most importantly how to make sure your Web site is profitable.

What you will learn from this Business Guide

The Starting Your Online Service Business Guide shows you step-by-step how to plan, set-up, promote and manage your business online, plus highlights the common pitfalls to avoid. Over 220 pages of practical and essential information split into 14 tabbed sections covering:

• What research and planning you should do before deciding to go online
• How to register your domain name and options for hosting your Web site
• How to choose an ISP and web site developer
• What design specifications you should include in your site and the deadly design mistakes which could affect the success of your site
• How to make your Web site "sticky" so customers keep coming back
• How to set up an online presence and what are your cheapest options
• How to process payments and bookings online
• How you can make money from your Web site without selling a thing
• E-marketing strategies to get your site noticed
• Search engines and how you can make sure your site is listed
• What you can do to keep your online customers happy and keep them coming back for more
• How to protect yourself against cybercrime and what are your legal requirements when you operate online
• How a Web site will affect your existing business and what you can do to minimise the impact
• Examples of what Web sites work and why
• Case studies
• Further resources which can help you

Plus there are worksheets and checklists at the end of the chapters to help you to quickly develop your own online strategy.

You benefit from over 600 hours of research.

• Business owners & managers considering setting up a Web site
• Business owners & managers looking to develop an online strategy
• Business advisers looking to advise their clients regarding an online strategy
• Anyone serious about succeeding online