OK - So you want a web site - Where do you begin?

1. Decide what type of web site you need. Will it be a brochure type site explaining about your business, products, service, history, etc.
or
Will it need to be more complex - sell products online, track product purchases, databases...

2. Understand the importance of copy. What you say and how you say it is going to reflect on your business. Make sure it is clear and concise. Being concise is extremely important online. Visitors skim info and don't want to lost in a sea of words. You will want to state who you are, what you have to say, what you are selling and why. No copy - no website. Make sure it is interesting and relevant to your target market. Consider offering free info like tips for your visitors. Don't forget that misspelled words will reflect poorly on your business. Proofread your info and reap the benefits.

3. Gather your info. Review your info. Is it relevant? Is it isn't of direct significance to your target market or doesn't help to educate them then leave it out.

Keep it simple.

Display your company and your products in the best light. Display your picture and brief bio for credibility.

Pictures say a thousand words and a poor picture will speak a thousand bad words. If you don't know how to take quality pictures a photographer would be a valuable investment. And make sure it is optimized for quick loading! (see tools)

There are a few universal categories to consider:

Home - brief overview of site, photo, specials, slogan

About Us - Company history, philosophy/mission statement, employee bios, etc

Services/Products - Detailed descriptions/photos, demonstrative knowledge of industry

Portfolio/Clients - Photos of work, reviews, positive feedback of customers

Contact - address, phone, directions (map), forms, email lists

Links/Affiliates/Partners - suppliers, business associates

4. Domain name Should be the name of your business or as close as possible. If your business name is common you will need to add something like the product you offer ie: Acmecooltools.com instead of just Acme.com Try to keep the domain short and memorable also consider adding hyphens like: acme-cool-tools.com. Adding hyphens will help search engines when your domain name includes more than three words.

5. HostingThis is like the space you rent for your physical business. The host of your web site will need not only support the amount of info for your website but also the amount of traffic. It should be a company that is up over 99% of the time (minimal downtime) and has fast connect times. I recommend wwkiosk.com because of it great customer service (pager number even for 24/7 emergencies), free training classes, and offers multiple tools AND earning opportunities for home/small business .They have helped me tremendously over the years.

6. Web PromotionHarness the power of the web. Search engines will index your site within about one month after going online. You can help a number of ways with meta tags - key words and descriptions. Trading links with affiliates. Web only based promos. Build email list. Newsletters. Also offline promotion by adding info to business cards, signatures, all print media, and more.

7. Monetize Your Site Even if you have your own products you may want to consider adding affiliate products from complimenting affiliate programs. You will want to be careful though because adding links to other sites will mean taking them away from your own site. Make sure the products not only complement your products or services but also earn you a reasonable commission. Google, Yahoo and other ppc ads that you publish on your site can earn over time but would take lots of visitors at pennies per click to make money. Till you get thousands of visitors per day joint ventures with complimentary companies can earn more and be more beneficial to all.