"THE DOT COM LIFECYCLE"
All products have a lifecycle, as do businesses and industries. What about dot coms? What is the lifecycle of an online business? What are the growth stages of a dot com company?

Stage 1 - Secure Online Identity
These users have secured a Web address but not developed a Web site.

Stage 2 - Establish Web Presence
This group has secured a Web address and developed a Web site to present information about their company's product and services.

Stage 3 - E-commerce
These businesses have secured their Web address, developed a Web site and are processing purchases online.

Stage 4 - E-commerce and Customer Relationship Management
These businesses have gone beyond providing a secured e-commerce solution to enable customers to buy from their site, they are using their Web site to develop and maintain a relationship with their customers.

Stage 5 - Service Application Model
These online businesses offer real-time business processing through their sites.

For the full article, click here.

"KEEPING SHOPPERS HOOKED"
—by Kevin Savetz
"Shoppers check in, but they don't check out." It may sound like an insect trap advertisement, but the phrase refers to something more important to e-commerce managers: shopping cart abandonment. That is, potential customers who choose a product but leave the site without making the purchase.

E-tailers "can't close the sale with the majority of online shoppers," according to a BizRate.com survey. More than three-quarters of online buyers failed to complete at least one purchase during a three-month test period. A majority, 55%, left their carts prior to checkout. Another 32% left their purchases at when asked to enter billing and shipping information, or after the final calculation of the sale.

Too often, the cause is the customer's confusion or frustration. Careful site design and clear organization are, of course, essential for an effective e-commerce site.

For the full article, click here.

Helpful Hints

1. Hosting your Web site... You've managed to register a domain and build a Web site, but now what are you supposed to do? Your next step is to find someone to host your Web site. With all the hosting companies available, it's a daunting task to find one that offers a comprehensive service package at an affordable price. Find a hosting provider that can provide all the benefits of professional Web hosting such as excellent 24/7 technical support, immediate account activation and all the features you may need to run a successful site--at less than $8 per month.
—Leon Elperin, Director of Operations, Addr.com Inc.
Click here for more details.

2. 3 Strategies for Constructing Search Engine Friendly Content...

1. Maintain topic consistency across all sections of a Web page (title keywords, description and body text)
2. Treat pages individually: Make sure each page's meta data is unique to the page not the overall site
3. Make the search listing (Title & Description) enticing to the searcher

3. How to accept multiple payments on your e-commerce site...
Whatever product or service your business offers, the Internet makes it possible for you to reach customers all around the world and gives them the convenience to buy from you 24 hours a day. But in order for your business to succeed, you must make it easy for your customers to pay you, offering them a variety of convenient payment methods. When you set up your online payment processing solution, make sure it allows customers to pay you with common methods including electronic checks, corporate purchase cards, and Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) - as well as credit cards.
—Colin DiGiaro, Director of Sales, VeriSign® Payment Services

To find out how you can accept multiple payments on your e-commerce site, download a FREE guide.

4. How to manage your multiple domain names...
The growing complexity of maintaining and managing domain names requires a carefully planned strategy. Work with a staff of expert representatives that can help you to develop a customized strategy that protect, promote and manage your company's brands online.
For more information, or to download your FREE white paper "Real-Life Corporate Domain Name Challenges," please click here.

Customer Corner

This section is dedicated to making it easier for you to do business with Network Solutions. Here are four of your most commonly asked questions and a link to the answer:

? How do I renew?

? How do I find out who has registered a domain name?

? What form do I use to change ISPs for my domain if I never got an account number and password?

? What should you do if you forget your account number or password?
With our NEW online retrireview process, you can retrieve your account number or reset your password quickly and easily.

Do you have suggestions on how to improve our next issue of THE DOT COM NEWS? Please e-mail us.

For customer service inquiries, please click here.

You've asked, and we've delivered! Welcome to our fifth issue of THE DOT COM NEWS™. Based on customer feedback, our quarterly newsletter continues to be well received! Our e-newsletter is focused on delivering tools to enhance and further your online efforts. This issue is focused on building your online presence.

Until next time!
Best,

GM-Registrar
Network Solutions,Inc.,
A VeriSign Company

What's New

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE!
Whether you're in the business of selling products or services, VeriSign® Web Business packages offer everything you need to launch online commerce. A few of the many features include a Web site, matching e-mail, product/service catalog, secure credit card processing, VeriSign® Seal of Authentication and Inventory Management. You can build it yourself or have us build it for you. To find out more, click here.

FOR WORK OR PLAY, YOU CAN HAVE A QUALITY WEB SITE!
Easy and affordable ImageCafe® Web sites have a design for every interest and occasion. We walk you through it! You'll preview your design before you buy. It only takes a few minutes to point and click your way to a home on the Web. Get your copy of the "Building a Winning Web Site" guide for FREE here.

GET PERSONALIZED BUSINESS E-MAIL!
Get e-mail to match your Web address with Dot Com Mail^TM from Network Solutions. It's perfect for business use and has everything you need to communicate with customers. As your business grows, you can add additional mailboxes. Promote your business with every message sent. For more information click here.

ALTERNATIVE DOMAIN NAMES AVAILABLE - .WS, .CC and .TV!
Get the name(s) you really want! Domain names like .ws, .cc and .tv work like a .com, are easy to access, remember, and really enforce your unique Web site! Great names are still available, but they're going fast! To register an "alternative domain name," click here.

KNOW THE VALUE OF YOUR ONLINE ASSET!
A successful online presence starts with your most important asset - your Web address. Find out the fair market value with the Web Address Valuation from GreatDomains.com, powered by leading-edge linguistics and metrics-driven technology.
Order your valuation now.

PROTECT YOUR WIRELESS IDENTITY WITH WEBNUM LOGO NUMBERS!
WebNum^TM services from VeriSign give you a global, brandable address for wireless devices. WebNum services make wireless navigation EASY. Don't miss out by not registering your name/number!
To check availability click here.

IMPORTANT: CLAIM YOUR TRADEMARKS IN THE .BIZ SPACE!
The .biz Registry is now in Phase I--online Trademark Claim Form (TCF) submission--of a three-phase process up to the launch of the general .biz registration service. We want to make sure all of our customers who own trademarks are aware of their opportunity to submit a TCF and request a specific .biz Domain Name through Network Solutions. Safeguard your trademark today.

Fast Facts and Stats

1. 20% of domain customers have purchased multiple Web sites for their businesses.

2. 68% of domain name customers have an employee size of 1 to 4.

3. 4% of all live Web sites are e-commerce enabled - actually processing payment services on their Web sites.

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