Internet can attract world to your door

With the smart use of new technology, a small local business can turn into a global business overnight, thanks to the internet.

But too often small business people make simple mistakes that can cost their business dearly, said Stefan Sojka, the creative director of Cyrius Media Group, a multimedia and web production company that has been helping small businesses succeed online since 1996.

Today Mr Sojka hosts a two-hour seminar in North Parramatta on how to turn a small business into a big business with the internet, as part of the Department of State and Regional Development's Small Business September. A lot of people don't fully understand what's involved in setting up a business website," Mr Sojka said.

"There are many technical hurdles, such as programming issues, and browser compatibility. And browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari have their own little quirks.

"Because the internet is so big and complex, sometimes it's hard for businesses to do the job properly.

"Their real job is to run the business, but often they can end up running a website instead." He said that because of their lack of experience, some businesses were spending money they don't need to spend. "Often their website doesn't work as well for their business," he said.

"I've looked at some sites and they're really bad, they're not up with the latest trends.

He said there were a lot of easy things businesses could do to make their websites work better for them, such as getting their associates and friends to link to the website, putting up news and articles on the site, and emailing out newsletters.

He said the subjects being covered at the seminar included the latest developments, Web 2.0, social networking, use of YouTube, blogging and lots of sites where you could increase your online footprint.

"There are lots of online tools that are available for businesses that can generate more traffic," he said.

"There are a lot of developments with Google's advertising program, and there are lots of general tips and advice on how to build and operate a successful website."

Caption – Overnight success: A seminar at Parramatta today hosted by multimedia expert Stefan Sojka (left) could bring the world of business to your website

Picture: Jim Trifyllis