It's easy to build a Web site. Anyone can do it for little or no money. What is not easy is building a successful business with it.   So how do you do it?

Start by asking yourself:  "Why do I need a web site?  What will it accomplish for me?"

The biggest mistake you can make is to build a Web site that doesn't do anything for you. This may seem obvious, but too many companies build Web sites simply because they believe it would be neat, or because their competitors have one.  Without a real purpose, a Web site is just a complete waste of time. 

By the way, there is always a good purpose for starting a web site - you just have to discover it.  Just look at all the great things that will happen to you when you start your own web site:
 

• Your business will be open 24 hours a day. This means you won't have to stay open on Thanksgiving or Christmas day.  If you live on the East Coast, people from California will still be able to shop in your store after you close.  Any time someone wants to know your hours, location, directions, or any other details about your company, they can get it without disturbing you.

• Low staffing costs.  When you have a web site, you can offer your products and services without hiring any extra employees.  You won't have to spend any resources on compensating or insuring your new staff members and still be able to maintain the same level of sales and customer service.

• Gain thousands new customers.  Because anyone in the world can see your web site, you will gain customers from other states and countries while you are putting in the same amount of effort and money.

• Create an image of a well established company.  The Internet is a great medium through which you can create any image of yourself you want.  It is all in your hands:  design a professional web site, add helpful content, and your company will immediately take a step up in the image it represents.  No matter how small your business is, with the right tools and a great desire you can make it look like a corporation on the Web!

• Save on postage and printing costs.  Think of how many cards you mail out to let customers know about your sale. All of that can be eliminated by putting the sale information on your web site and inviting your customers to visit it.  You can collect your customers' E-Mail addresses and keep in touch with them about special events in your store via E-Mail.

• Unlimited advertisement.  If you ever advertised in a local newspaper, you know the costs.  You are being charged per line, per inch, and per color.  On the Web, there is no limit to how much you can put.  You can add pictures, articles, newsletters, rates, product images and so much more!  With just one web site, you can have almost unlimited advertisement for the same low monthly cost (under $25 a month!)

• Improve communications.  If you have employees or suppliers, your web site is the best way to communicate between you and them.  Changes take effect as soon as you post them on the Web, and everyone can see updated information without having to wait for a new database of products, and without contacting you directly.

• Impeccable customer service.  This is a dream of any entrepreneur: "buy my product and leave me alone".  By this I mean that business owners do not like to spend time explaining to customers how to use the product, how to install it, troubleshoot it, clean it, move it, turn it, and whatever else can be done to a purchased item. 

A web site will become your best friend in meeting the needs of your customers.  It will answer all their questions.  Simply create a page of "Frequently Asked Questions" and include its address on every receipt.  This way, before they come to you for help, they will  come to your web site for answers.
 
• Online presence - in step with your competitors. You must think of the Internet as a gigantic the Yellow Pages book.  More and more people use the Web to shop for information, services and products.  If you are not there - your competitors are!  Can you imagine not being in Yellow Pages and try to reach local market? 

Unless you spend a lot of money on newspaper ads and other local promotions - no one will know your business exists.  The same thing with the Internet.  If people can't find your company on the Web, you might as well not exist.
 
• Get those cranky customers, too.  Many people do not like to shop in the stores, malls and any other noisy places (I am first!).  They are afraid of long walks, pressure from sales people, sneezing customers and bumping shopping carts. 

Once they discover online shopping - they will never go back to the stores unless absolutely necessary.  By putting your products online, you satisfy the needs of such customers and therefore succeed in one more niche.
 
• Showcase your work.  Whether you are a real estate agent, construction business owner or a beauty salon specialist - you can put your work on display when you have a web site.  Anytime a potential client wants to see your past work and projects, simply refer him or her to your site.  No need to scan and mail pictures, or bring your client to a finished building project.

 
• Promotional Costs are very low.  When I interviewed the manager of NY State Nissan dealership, he shared with me the costs of running an online ad compared to a newspaper or any other printed advertisement.  He said, "We can run a whole month of advertisements online for the same amount of money we pay for one newspaper ad!"  That's right, on an online promotion you can spend $97 a month, while paying 10 times that much for a one-time large ad in a magazine!

• Beat your competition to the top.  Competition online is huge today!  There are over 3,000,000 sites on the Web and this number is growing.  Still, I see at least 5 businesses a month who are not online and getting a web site is not in their near future plans. 

Why am I telling you this?  Because if THEY don't get a web site - YOU have a better chance at succeeding.  Insurance, home improvement, gift shops and other companies are among those I see dragging their feet in putting their businesses online.  This means if you do it now, before EVERY company is online, you will be among the pioneers! 

Yep, that's right - Internet is still in its babyhood, no matter how many web sites there are out there.  It has been less than a decade since companies decided to use web sites as part of their marketing strategies.  Can you imagine what it will be like in 20-30 years??

I could go on and on, but I hope you are convinced: YOUR BUSINESS ABSOLUTELY NEEDS A WEB SITE!

Even if you are not planning to sell directly online, people will find your web site and contact you about the services you offer.  You can place your web site address in your newspaper ads and any other promotional materials to make people aware of your web site. 

You can even create a little "teaser" ad in the newspaper and invite people to visit your web site for more information.  For example, if you are a professional placement agency, put a newspaper ad that only says:
 

You will probably pay $50 for this ad, but will get hundreds of people rushing to your web site.  Now, tell me that this is not the bargain of the millennium!
 
 

Of course, your need a web site, but WHAT'S THE HURRY?

I must tell you - time is running out now, but those who will do it in the next 3-6 months, still have their chance to get listed by Search Engines free.

Do you know what Search Engines are?  They are the programs on the Internet that allow you to search the entire Web of pages.  Examples of Search Engines (and Search Directories) are AltaVista, WebCrawler, Yahoo!, Infoseek, LookSmart and Google.

People come to these places to find information, services and products. If your web site is listed, it will come up in the results.  If not - it will be left out!

About 1-2 years ago, all these Search Engines accepted web sites free of charge.  You would submit your web address to them and a few weeks later they add it to their database.

Today about 50% of Search Engines and directories charge for accepting your web site into their listings.  Some of the most popular ones are Excite, Go.com, and just recently I was sadly informed that Yahoo! has started charging businesses, too!

Fees range from $50 to $199 per submission request, and even after you pay - they don't guarantee you a listing.  Your web site still has to meet their strict requirements!

Why are Search Engines so important to you?  Because about 90% of the Internet surfers use them to find what they need online.  I personally use Google.com, my favorite one, every time I am looking for a product or a service. 

The more web sites are created, the more Search Engines will charge companies for listing their pages to account for computer space and support staff.  If you hurry and create a web site for your company now - you will still be able to get a free listing with many Search Engines. 
 

I am afraid of Web Design!

I believe I know what you are thinking:  you are afraid of failing, so why even bother, right?  Well let me tell you some things to make you feel better.

I was still teaching music to my bored little students when I created my first web page.  You see, all my life since I was 7 years old, I knew I wanted to be a music teacher.  I took lessons, I went off to music college, and started teaching.  Except I did not realize then, that loving music and teaching music to a poor kid whose parents are forcing him to do so - are two different things.  I had to stop before I would go insane!

My first web page was full of bright flashy pictures, but I WAS PROUD OF IT!  I could never see myself doing anything else in life other than teaching music, still, here I was looking at my very own web site :-)

I was so proud of myself, that when I got a part-time job designing a web site for the Kidney Foundation in New York state, I felt I was the most important employee there! There was no way they could find someone else creating their web site at $6.50 an hour. 

I was wrong!  When I left that job to start college, their front desk receptionist replaced me!  You see, she already knew how to use Microsoft Word and her learning curve was extremely smooth.  A few weeks after I started college, I looked at the Kidney Foundation's web page - it was completely redesigned! 

In two weeks this girl was able to learn how to use the web editor and redesign the whole site.  Incredible?  No, just very easy to do for any computer literate person.