Web Site Quick-Start Guide

There are plenty of advantages to building your own business Web site. You can save money, get your site up more quickly and even have some fun along the way. Building a Web site requires a bit of knowledge, and if you need a more complex site, such as an online store, you should probably work with

1. Create a plan. Think about the types of information and services you want on your Web site. Do you want to publish just your address, phone number and business hours? Do you want to give your customers a way to email you directly from your site? Do you want to list your company's products and services?
2. Outline your site. Design your site the old-fashioned way ? with pencil and paper. Start with your site's home page and then decide how many additional pages you need and what types of information to include on them. When you're done, your diagram should look like a pyramid, with each level of pages providing more specific information. Remember, less is usually more when you're getting started. You can always go back and expand your site later.
3. Build the pages. If you're building your own site, you should know that Web pages are created in HTML ? hypertext markup language. Basic HTML is easy to learn; you can teach yourself using a book or a Web site. You can also buy a Web authoring tool that allows you to build pages without actually working with HTML.
4. Add the links. Hyperlinks hold your Web site together, allowing visitors to move from one page to another. You can also include links to other Web sites. Be sure to design your links so people can navigate your site without getting lost. You should always give people an easy way to go back the way they came.
5. Add images. You'll probably want to spice up your site with images and other graphics. As a rule, a few images go a long way; add too many and your site will look ugly and cluttered. Your images shouldn't be so large that people downloading them will get frustrated and leave your site. Working with graphics might require special software, although a number of free and low-cost graphics applications are available. As an alternative, you can hire a graphic designer to make your pictures Web-ready.
6. Find a host. Once your site is done, you'll need a hosting service. Some hosts are free, but most charge a small monthly fee. (Your current Internet service provider might include hosting space as part of its basic fees.) Some services provide special tools to help you upload Web pages to your site; for others you'll need an FTP (file transfer protocol) application to do this.
7. Maintain your site. Your site might be published, but you're not done yet! Nothing looks worse than an old, outdated Web site. Be sure to update your site regularly to include recent news and announcements. Also remember to proofread your site carefully; misspelled words on your Web site make your business look unprofessional.

How much should you expect to pay for the basic services needed to support your Web site? The cost of a site will vary widely depending on the kind of site you have and how much of the processes you outsource. Read our article, The Cost of Building a Web Site, to get a sense of the outlay for web development. Our Buyer's Guide to Web Hosting Services gives you an overview of the choices in how you "serve" your site. The guide explains the features and extra services offered by Web hosting services and introduces the cost structure of those options.