Whether or not you’re grading on a curve, nothing beats an A+. The Aplus.Net Web hosting and design firm has a long history of putting America’s small businesses on the path to online success. Founded in 1992 as a computer and software company, Aplus.Net became one of the world’s first domain registrars upon the commercial start of the Internet in the mid-1990s, and moved into Web hosting shortly thereafter. The company not only survived the “dot-com bust” of the late 1990s, but thrived during that period and came out stronger in the end, establishing a longevity that gives it years more experience than most of its competitors.
That experience shows in its wide range of Internet services designed specifically for small companies. The company backs up its motto, “Everything for your business online,” with a truly comprehensive suite of products and services that centers around award-winning shared hosting but also includes customized and economical Web design, premium dedicated hosting, top-notch e-commerce tools, and much more.
To this day, with more than 500,000 registered domain names and more than 110,000 Web sites hosted worldwide, Aplus.Net exists as the complete partner to help small businesses build a dynamic, successful, and winning Web site.
So what’s the secret to the company’s longevity? Why have so many businesses relied on Aplus.Net as their complete Internet partner over the decades? Basically, says Clarke Caines, the company’s senior vice president for worldwide sales, it’s because Aplus.Net has mastered the art of translating a business’s traditional success factors into online success.
“The traditional elements are still the bedrock to your success,” Mr. Caines recently told us. “You have to offer a quality product people need, as well as a reliable and timely delivery method. But in terms of online delivery, you have to make sure you have a reliable server and that people can easily reach you. Aplus.Net understands this and excels at it; and our customers benefit from their partnership with us accordingly.”
Regarding web design, Aplus.Net specializes in designing sites that fit the needs of their customers — as well as their customer’s customers.
“Small businesses can’t succeed without knowing their customers,” says Mr. Caines. “Who are you selling to? How do you fit into the marketplace? What’s the competition look like? You have to make sure your customer understands these things before any kind of success can even be attempted. On top of that, you must give them the tools they need to outshine the competition. In this sense, Aplus.Net is more than a reliable facilitator to not only house your Web site, but help you design it and get the word out. We can do everything except create the product you’re selling.”
The particulars of each Web site have to meet the specific needs of each business. However, Caines says, all must have certain things in common. They must be easy to navigate, with a flow that makes sense to customers. If the company actually sells a product, e-commerce must be available.
Understanding Web servers
• Server: The computer where Web sites are housed.
• Shared server: Server space is divided among different users.
• Dedicated server: A server solely used by one company.
• Virtual Private servers: A shared server that uses special software to better separate the users and provide more protection and reliability.
Whether one uses Aplus.Net or not, the Aplus.Net Web site provides a good model for how Web sites should look. “The design of our site allows customers to get what they need without doing anything but browsing around the site,” says Caines. ”It’s designed to get customers to a purchase point without any complications.”
Aplus.Net also offers marketing tools to get their customers favorable rankings on organic search engines. “Having a great design is wonderful, but if no one can find you — it’s no good,” he says. “We at Aplus.Net pride ourselves on offering the industry’s best tools and methods for premium search engine placement. And this isn’t just a frill; it’s an essential tool. If you’re ranked one to three on the organic ranking and you have an ad placement, you are sure to get a good portion of the market share from the Internet.”
Aplus.Net also has a special service that analyzes whether a Web site provides a sufficient marketing presence for a company’s goods or services – and, if not, what other marketing channels should be explored. “With many businesses it’s difficult to stick out and be unique. There’s just so much competition out there. Real estate is one of them. What’s the solution? Advertise on more than just the Web,” Caines says. “We’re proud to offer well-rounded solutions such as this. When we say we’re the only partner your business needs, we mean it — and this is just one more way of proving that.”
