Site anxiety: still haven't set up shop on the Web? Don't worry - you don't have to go it alone

Entrepreneur, July, 1998 by Melissa Campanelli

After all, in 1995, the natural food industry was expanding quickly throughout the world, and Atallah wanted his 14-year-old company to become a major player. After researching several advertising and marketing mediums, he realized the Web would offer him the most cost-effective way to reach his audience. "We knew the Web would offer us the exposure we needed," says Atallah, 49. "And we also wanted to set a trend: to be one of the first natural food manufacturers on the Web."

Atallah achieved his goals. When he put his Web site up in late 1995, his was one of the only companies of its kind represented on the Web. Now many others are following suit, and more and more people log onto his site every day. "The exposure we've gained from the Web site has enabled us to start distributing our products internationally, and we've been able to solicit quite a few leads from other areas of the country that we never would have reached without it," says Atallah. His company, which sells natural food products to natural food stores and supermarkets in the United States, Canada and Europe, has also seen increased sales because of the site.

While Atallah was quick to recognize the potential benefits of having a Web presence relatively early on, many small-business owners aren't quite so savvy. In fact, they find the prospect of venturing into cyberspace downright terrifying. They know that setting up a Web site can be confusing and time-consuming, and using a consultant can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 per year. Plus, setting up a Web site is always risky: No one will see your site unless there's traffic.

With some careful planning, however, the task can be relatively easy. The following hints should lay some of your fears to rest.

SITE GUIDES

To get a professional-looking site, most experts swear by Web designers or consultants. "Since the Web is the best advertisement we can have, we wanted a professional-looking site that would be easy for visitors to access," says Atallah. "And we knew we had to use a consultant to achieve this kind of promotion." He chose a Web consultant - Gary Valle of Valley Programming Service Inc. in Canoga Park, California - who was referred to him by a trusted business associate.

Atallah was lucky; he had a referral. You may not be quite so lucky. Choosing a designer can be difficult especially since there are scores of Web design companies to choose from. But there are also many sources to help you select the right Web designer or consultant to fit your needs. For starters, check out a new site from Sumo called The Ultimate Web Design List (www.webdesignlist.com). The site is a resource for information on Web site design companies; it provides a detailed look at Web site design firms, Web site samplings and even resumes of site designers.

Most Web service companies offer everything a small business needs to get started. This may include consultation services, Web hosting, registering your site with search engines and directories, and Web site creation, which involves writing the code, creating custom graphics, optimizing photos, inserting written content and creating any multimedia elements. These services can be priced in a variety of ways, but there is usually an initial setup fee of between $1,000 and $10,000, in addition to monthly service fees ranging from $50 to $250.

Atallah paid an initial fee of $7,500 when he signed up for Valle's services in late 1995, and he pays about $250 per month for upkeep, which includes maintenance, Web hosting, reviewing new Web technologies, and monitoring site information requests. To date, Cedarlane has spent more than $22,000 on its site.

Before designing Cedarlane's site, Valle held several meetings with his client to make sure he could meet Atallah's needs. Through these meetings, Valle learned that Atallah wanted visitors to easily learn about the company's products and find out where they could be purchased. As a result, Valle came up with a "Find-A-Store" feature, which can be used by visitors to locate nearby stores that sell Cedarlane's products. The Find-A-Store application is a database-driven utility that runs on a Windows NT server, which Valle contracts out to another Web hosting company. Atallah also wanted to show off Cedarlane's innovative packaging, so the site had to include impressive graphics. To create this look, Valle used 3-D models of the product containers to display a realistic rendering of the packages.

Setting up a Web site requires time. For Cedarlane, it took about six months. But this was a pretty quick turnaround, considering Atallah's limited computer skills. "I'm not [a very] technical guy," he says. "I don't even have a computer on my desk."

GOING YOUR OWN WAY

If your company is tech savvy - or you have a computer expert on board - setting up shop on the Web can be a somewhat simple and inexpensive endeavor. Basic requirements include a computer, a word processor and an Internet browser such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer.