The Connecting Somerset project began in 2005 and is designed to aid new and existing businesses in the areas of broadband, IT and web development. The part of the Connecting Somerset project offering grants and business advice for businesses has now closed. If you require business advice, please contact Business Link on 0845 6009966 who will only be too happy to help. However, the rest of Connecting Somerset continues to deliver ICT related projects and further information about these can be found throughout the Connecting Somerset website.

E-commerce and the credit crunch

Somerset is a hotbed of small independent businesses and In recent tough economic times I have seen an increase in the number of customers asking me to help them with selling their products on the internet, or starting a new business of their own, having been made redundant from their employment. Many are Business Link referrals. I ran a small sideline Scalextric shop here in Cheddar but had to close it because the rent, rates, and energy costs far outweighed the income. So I restructured my business to be 100% web-based, and it is back in profit without all the overheads. The same approach can be used by anyone who has money tied up renting retail premises or who wants to set up on-line for the first time. On my web servers now I have a wide range of e-commerce businesses selling all kinds of products - wholefoods, gifts, golf equipment, fancy dress, printing machinery, building supplies - to name but a few. Most are built using the Actinic software for which I am an accredited partner. If you speak to your local Business Link office - they will verify that I am registered on the Supplier Matching approved provider system for web site services.

Current "hot" themes

Other than those looking for help with setting up or improving their web sites, Business Link can also refer on to me, customers looking for support with the following popular subject areas:
Search engine optimisation - reworking and enhancing existing sites for better natural visibility on search engines - click here for more details.
Compliance with good practice - such as meeting basic W3C guidelines for web sites, use of privacy policies and so on (visit w3c.org for more information).
Statistical analysis of web traffic - helping customers to understand who is visiting their web site and how they got there. I include the set-up of a simple stats analysis account for a new web site for you, free of charge - ask me to set this up for you when the site is finished.

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